Another season, another Concacaf Champions Cup (CCC) elimination in Mexico. Almost a year to the day that FC Cincinnati fell 2-1 to Monterrey (3-1 aggregate), the Orange and Blue lost its two-legged tie 4-2 following a 3-1 defeat last night at Tigres, another Monterrey-based Liga MX side. At least old friend Brandon Vazquez didn’t score the winner this time.
FCC left goals on the table in last week’s 1-1 draw vs. Tigres at TQL Stadium, leaving little room for error at El Volcán (The Volcano), a place where MLS clubs rarely even muster up draws. The Garys could have advanced to the quarterfinal with any draw in which they scored more than one goal, but instead they exit in the CCC round of 16 for the second successive season. Tigres moves on to face the victor of defending MLS champion LA Galaxy and Costa Rican club CS Herediano, home to former FC Cincinnati midfielder Allan Cruz.
Tuesday, FCC’s seven match of 2025, marked the first time that Kevin Denkey, Evander, and Luca Orellano started together. I forecasted fireworks for the trio this season, and they delivered early in their time together. Orellano’s Lucho Acosta-esque dribbling sequence teed up Evander’s 18th-minute goal, with Denkey occupying a defender to free up Evander for a clear shot on goal. Get used to more of that magic.
FCC visitors managed to hold the advantage through halftime, but three goals from Tigres between the 64th and 72nd minutes erased any doubt as to whom the superior squad was. FC Cincinnati managed just two shots on goal (compared to Tigres’ eight) and logged just 35 percent possession.
Playing at an elevation more than twice as high as Cincinnati and finishing a stretch of what will be eight matches in the first 25 days of the season, the tanks were running on empty for many of the local lads. Time to regroup for MLS play.
The 4-1-1 on FCC’s four in the back
I’m a sucker for tactics- or strategy-based sports content. If a writer I fancy pens 700 words dissecting a soccer team’s counterattacking success or drops a video discussing a new twist on the counter trap play my favorite football team runs, I will add to their page view count without hesitation.
Hence my intrigue when FC Cincinnati lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation during Saturday’s night victory over visiting Toronto. Ever since the Garys were pummeled 5-0 playing four in the back in Pat Noonan’s first-ever match as manager, FCC has lined up almost exclusively in a 3-5-2 setup (or 5-3-2, depending on your point of view).
I’ve been on the lookout for tweaks to Cincinnati’s typical tactics ever since Noonan mentioned that he wanted to “evolve” the defense in 2025 during the preseason. With Saturday’s tilt vs. bottom-feeder Toronto serving as a precursor to the second leg against Tigres, an opportunity for squad rotation doubled as an occasion for Noonan to revisit four in the back. Miles Robinson and Teenage Hadebe started at center back, with Lukas Engel and Alvas Powell at fullback.
Typical starters Evander, Gilberto Flores, Obinna Nwobodo, and DeAndre Yedlin were on the bench to begin the night. Noonan elected to start Pavel Bucha and Tah Brian Anunga as dual defensive midfielders. Yuya Kubo slotted in as the No. 10, flanked by Orellano and Corey Baird, with Denkey up top.
For one night, four in the back worked like a charm. FCC controlled the match from start to finish against what could be the worst side in the East (and all of MLS), so we’ll limit major takeaways. But it’s nice to know Noonan is willing to entertain a change-up in 2025.
Up next
FC Cincinnati travels to Charlotte on Saturday, looking to put forth a better road league showing than it did two weeks ago in a 4-1 loss at Philadelphia.
Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at @GrantFreking.
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