Here are some musings and observations about FC Cincinnati after blanking New England 1-0 on a soggy Saturday night at TQL Stadium for its second win in a row.
Standard operating procedure
The locals lads prevailed utilizing a familiar formula: grab a lead, batten down the defense hatches, and win a close match. No team has been better at this formula over the past two-plus seasons; FCC is 31-8 in league matches decided by one goal since the onset of the 2023 campaign. In fact, no other club has as many as 20 one-goal victories over that same period.
Saturday was the Orange and Blue’s third clean sheet in four MLS tilts at home. Given the latest round of roster rearrangement over the past week, that accomplishment shines even brighter.
Winning short-handed again
FC Cincinnati had a large number of starters unavailable on Saturday: Evander (one of the top players in MLS), Miles Robinson (one of the league’s best center backs), Obinna Nwobodo (the straw that stirs FCC’s defensive drink), and regulars Teenage Hadebe (center back) and Yuya Kubo (plays everywhere but goalkeeper). By the end of the contest, the only available substitutes were backup goalkeeper Evan Louro, teenage midfielder Stiven Jimenez, and old friend Matt Miazga, who was dressing for his first team appearance since last June. The Orange and Blue entered the night with just seven subs, two short of the allotted nine.
Nick Hagglund made his third straight start in the center of the backline and went the full 90 minutes for the first time since last May. Veteran MLS fullback/wingback Brad Smith received his first start since signing on March 14. Corey Baird started in the attack but moved to defense later in the match. Tah Brian Anunga filled in for Nwobodo in what Noonan said post-game was Anunga’s “best performance with our group.”
You may commence your run
New England kicked off a stretch of seven eminently winnable matches for FC Cincinnati. The next month-plus is an enticing chance to stack points, ascend up the Eastern Conference standings, and fine-tune squad rotation and rhythm. The club’s next two matches are away from its West End friendly confines but come against a club that just got pummeled 6-1 and a side still adjusting to a new manager.
In all likelihood, the Garys’ match at D.C. United on Saturday will be much closer than United’s five-goal loss at San Jose over the weekend. Though D.C. actually placed more shots on target (10-9) than the Earthquakes, it conceded an incredible 3.5 expected goals. Unsurprisingly, United owns the worst defensive record in MLS, conceding a league-worst 17 goals over just seven matches. Kevin Denkey might have a hard time sleeping the rest of this week over the anticipation.
The following weekend is a brief sojourn to Chicago, which is in year one of a roster revamp under former Columbus and U.S. Men’s National Team skipper Gregg Berhalter. While I’m wholeheartedly against managers owning the complete organizational power Berhalter possesses with the Fire, Chicago was so rudderless for a decade that positives may approach the eventual negatives. The Fire are just two points adrift of FCC in the East but are winless at home and have zero clean sheets through seven games.
Cincinnati returns home on May 4 against Sporting Kansas City, which just fired longtime manager Peter Vermes and is ticketed for another season in the West basement. A road trip to Austin presents the toughest challenge of this stretch on May 10. The Verde are struggling for goals—former Cincinnati striker Brandon Vazquez has just one score so far in 2025—but have surrendered the fewest goals in MLS. The seventh and final match is at Toronto, the league’s most hopeless franchise.
Hold up, wait
Despite not scoring on Saturday, Denkey’s five goals in nine total matches to begin his FC Cincinnti tenure is more than satisfactory. One post-match nugget from Noonan that caught my eye was the gaffer praising his $16 million striker’s hold-up play. “That’s the best we’ve seen from him, and that’s something we’ve challenged him with because it’s going to create more moments for us to attack,” said Noonan.
Backup striker Sergio Santos bagged Saturday’s lone goal (before leaving with an apparent injury), but I thought it was wise for Noonan to compliment Denkey’s showing despite the Togo native’s bagel on the scoresheet. FCC finished with a season-best 21 shots. As for Santos, the score was his first since August 31.
Center of attrition
I’ve spilled much digital ink about Cincinnati’s center back quandary. Miazga is (rightfully) taking his time in his recovery. Robinson has endured injury and illness. Hadebe has battled inconsistency and injury and is now confronted with green card issues. Gilberto Flores has flashed form beyond his 22 years at times, while on other occasions he’s committed errors typically associated with youth and lack of experience in a new league.
Enter Lukas Engel. The Dane, on loan from English Championship side Middlesbrough, has started all seven MLS matches and leads outfield players in minutes played. He’s slotted in at left back, left wingback, and center back, where he played Saturday night. After pacing the Orange and Blue in balls and challenges won and winning all of his aerial duels, Engel was named to MLS Team of the Matchday. If Brad Smith earns time on the left flank, it will be interesting to see if Engel continues to log minutes at center back once that position gets healthier.
Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at @GrantFreking.
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