It was a week of positive firsts for FC Cincinnati. A 4-1 first-leg victory in its Concacaf Champions Cup (CCC) match at Honduran club Motagua was followed by an MLS season-opening 1-0 shutout over New York Red Bulls Saturday night at TQL Stadium. These results featured the first two goals (one in each match) for $16-million man Kevin Denkey and the first score for $12-million man Evander, the club’s Lucho Acosta replacement.
Good vibes extended off the field, too. Hours before the NYRB match, the Orange and Blue announced a contract extension through 2029 with Luca Orellano. In another bit of roster-building sleight of hand from General Manager Chris Albright, the sweet-dribbling lefty won’t occupy a Designated Player slot but instead was extended through Targeted Allocation Money. Orellano was held out of the first two matches, but he’ll likely debut tonight in the return leg tonight vs. Motagua or on Saturday night in Philadelphia.
The Red Bulls victory also doubled as MLS debuts for 19-year-old striker Stefan Chirila, the most exciting prospect in the young history of FC Cincinnati’s Academy, and 23-year-old center back Gilberto Flores, a U22 initiative signing in January.
With Sergio Santos on the shelf and Yuya Kubo needed at attacking winger, Chirila is FCC’s present backup striker. He appeared in both matches this week as a substitute. Last spring, Chirila became the second-youngest player in club history to ink a first team contract. At the time of the signing, he’d scored 51 goals for FCC’s youth teams in 2023 and 2024. Suiting up for FC Cincinnati 2 last year, Chirila had six goals in 19 matches for the Eastern Conference Regular Season champions.
After seeing six minutes as a substitute against Motagua, Flores logged 85 minutes at right center back vs. NYRB, the reigning Eastern Conference champs, earning plaudits from goalie Roman Celentano for his composed display. Matt Miazga and Nick Hagglund are still recovering from their long-term injuries, so Alvas Powell started midweek at center back. It was Flores’ turn Saturday, and he held his own against new Red Bulls Designated Player Eric Choupo-Moting, formerly of Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, as well as Lewis Morgan, author of 27 goals over the past two seasons.
Speaking of goals, midfielder Pavel Bucha bagged two against Motagua, getting him halfway to his 2024 total. The addition of veteran midfielder Tah Brian Anunga hasn’t resulted in fewer minutes for the Czech engine just yet, but Bucha has been advanced from his usual No. 8 spot to a No. 10 position after second half substitutes were made in each match. With Anunga likely to be a first-choice substitute in most contests, Bucha will get more and more chances to fly upfield.
The local lads have two more matches this week, as mentioned, a CCC second leg vs. Motagua tonight at TQL Stadium and a road trip to Philadelphia. With FC Cincinnati firmly in control of the aggregate score against Motagua and tonight being the third match in eight days to begin the season, I expect a fair amount of squad rotation from coach Pat Noonan tonight.
Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at @GrantFreking.
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