For FC Cincinnati, revenge for last season’s playoff exit was best served barely above freezing Saturday night. Yerson Mosquera scored the latest regulation game-winning goal in franchise history to send FCC to the Eastern Conference Championship against loathed in-state rival Columbus.
The Orange and Blue survived absences from three starters, a frigid 38-degree kickoff time, and Philadelphia’s ample playoff experience to flip the 1-0 scoreline from the 2022 postseason on the Union. FC Cincinnati, well-rested after a three-week break, played its cleanest and most complete match since clinching the Supporters’ Shield on the doorstep of October.
Only a victory in the most meaningful Hell Is Real rivalry match to date stands between the local lads and hosting MLS Cup on December 9 against the winner of the West Final between Los Angeles FC and Houston. And after being honored with the 2023 Landon Donovan MVP Award on Monday, captain Lucho Acosta could become the first player since Atlanta’s Josef Martínez in 2018 to win the MVP and MLS Cup in the same campaign.
It was Acosta who initiated the sequence that led to Mosquera’s 94th-minute winner. Acosta feigned a free kick entry pass from more than 50 yards away from goal and then shuffled the ball across the pitch to Alvaro Barreal, who nearly halved the distance to goal with his dribble before sending a ball into Philly’s penalty area. Ian Murphy, barely standing in an onside position, redirected his header toward the net. Mosquera’s deft first touch with his left foot allowed the 22-year-old center back to swing a mighty right leg through the ball and past Union keeper Andre Blake.
Deputizing for the suspended Matt Miazga in the middle of FCC’s back line, Mosquera was sturdy all night, helping to limit Philly to 0.6 expected goals. A loss would likely have been the Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee’s last match in Cincinnati, too, with Mosquera billed to return to England and reportedly play in the country’s second division in 2024.
Also delivering impressive showings were Yuya Kubo, who gained high marks for work rate and possession while standing in for the injured Obinna Nwobodo at defensive midfielder; Alvas Powell, who won foul after foul and helped lock down the right flank; and Ray Gaddis, who received the start over Santi Arias, who had been the first choice right back when healthy.
Acosta wins a deserved MVP
Acosta’s hardware adds to FC Cincinnati’s impressive list of 2023 honors, with Miazga winning Defending of the Year, Pat Noonan claiming Coach of the Year, Roman Celentano grabbing Save of the Year (against Columbus in May), and Acosta netting Goal of the Year.
It’s hard to believe now, but Acosta was hardly a sure thing when he was acquired by the Gerard Nijjamp-led FCC regime in March 2021. Acosta was fresh off a lost season in Mexico’s top division (3 goals in 33 appearances), but he’d been an above-average player with D.C. United in 2016-19, racking up 24 goals and 35 assists in 126 appearances.
Following a solid 2021 campaign (7 goals, 10 assists), Acosta’s creative potential was unleashed in 2022. Stationed further up the pitch and tasked with fewer defensive duties playing in front of fellow midfielders Nwobodo and Junior Moreno, he notched 10 goals and led the league in assists (19). The 29-year-old was even better this season, leading MLS in goal contributions (17 goals, 14 assists.)
One Hell Is Real to rule them all
FC Cincinnati and Columbus split two regular season meetings, with FCC holding on for a 3-2 victory in May and before getting plastered 3-0 in August. The shellacking in Columbus, played without Miazga and Mosquera, was FCC’s worst showing of the season. The Crew racked up nine shots on target and passed around the visitors like they were highway traffic cones, connecting on nearly 90 percent of their near 600 passes.
Expect Saturday evening to resemble the season’s first Hell Is Real foray. FC Cincinnati has 19 wins and just two losses across 25 matches in all competition at TQL Stadium in 2023. Even if the hosts fall behind, a comeback is always in the cards against Columbus, which was the league’s highest-scoring regular season outfit but has also dropped 22 points from leading positions.
The Crew bested Atlanta two out of three in round one, then skirted past Orlando City on the road last weekend. In Game 3 against Atlanta, Columbus scored four times in the match’s opening 47 minutes. Last weekend’s contest against Orlando was far more nervy. Despite the hosts going down to 10 players in the 77th minute, Columbus needed a pair of extra-time goals to prevail.
Columbus possessed the ball an average of 63 percent of the time in the two regular season matchups, though FCC will be happy to give the Crew non-threatening sideways passes in exchange for countering quickly and exposing them for sending too many players forward.
FC Cincinnati is two home victories away from completing a worst-to-first-to-champion turnaround in just two seasons, with its despised rival and possibly the defending league champion (LAFC) standing in the way. In a parity-driven league, chances like this don’t come around very often. See everyone on Saturday night at TQL!
Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at @GrantFreking.
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