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After three straight road wins, FC Cincinnati’s winning streak ended Sunday afternoon as the team fell 1-0 to New York City FC in Major League Soccer action at Citi Field.
FC Cincinnati’s five-match winning streak ended. Three of those matches were on the road, as the Orange and Blue fell for the first time since March 15 at Charlotte (2-0), which was also the last time they were shut out.
It was FCC’s first one-goal loss of the season after six wins, and the team’s first one-goal loss since October 2, 2024, also at NYCFC. FCC dropped to 34-9 in one-goal games in Pat Noonan’s tenure.
Cincy, 7-3-1 (22 points), fell to third in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Columbus Crew and tied with Philadelphia Union. Philly has a nine-goal advantage in goal differential, plus-11 to plus-2. Inter Miami (6-1-3, 21 points) is in fourth with a game in hand on the three teams above them.
NYCFC improved to 5-2-4 (17 points), eighth in the East, and improved to 5-1 at home this season.
Cincy struggled with offensive execution and passing for the majority of the game. The playing surface at Citi Field was narrower than TQL Stadium. FCC head coach Pat Noonan said that wasn’t the reason his team struggled.
“Not a good enough night,” said Pat Noonan. “Our pressing wasn’t good enough in the first half, and it caused us to have to defend in unnecessary ways closer to goal. We just put ourselves in too many difficult spots, and composure with the ball was poor, so it’s hard to have any rhythm in the game when you don’t do those things well.”
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The versatile Yuya Kubo returned to the lineup for the first time since March 22, starting at defensive midfield.
Defender Teenage Hadebe returned to the lineup as an available substitute, suiting up for the first time since March 15.
While Kubo returned, midfielders Pavel Bucha and Obinna Nwobodo did not make the trip, Bucha because of concussion protocol and Nwobodo due to a minor leg injury suffered in training this week.
NYCFC took the lead in the ninth minute, when following an FCC turnover, Julian Fernandez fired a shot from the top of the 18-yard box inside the left post for his second goal of the season.
Five minutes later, NYCFC’s leading scorer, Alonso Martinez, drew a penalty from Cincinnati center back Matt Miazga in transition.
Martinez took the penalty kick but missed, hitting the post to keep the score, 1-0.
NYCFC continued to put pressure on Cincinnati in the first half, with Martinez getting several chances. NYC outshot Cincy 12-4 in the half and had 1.71 expected goals to just 0.14 for the Orange and Blue. Roman Celentano had a strong performance in goal.
“He was one of the better performers,” Noonan said. “Some good saves he made in the first half and kept us in it. That was the message at halftime: We’re fortunate enough to be in a spot where we can go out and come back from a one-goal deficit. Roman was a big part of that.”
Cincy had a couple of chances late in the first half. Luca Orellano missed wide left from 18 yards in the 30th minute, and forced a corner kick in stoppage time. Also in stoppage time, Kévin Denkey had a goal waved off by an offsides call, and another shot hit the crossbar before the halftime whistle.
Cincy had 11 shot attempts in the second half, and four on goal for the game.
In the second half, NYC’s Martinez missed a wide-open header from close range, and then hit the post in transition.
Evander, FCC’s free-kick master, missed a free kick from 40 yards in the 73rd minute, as the ball went just over the crossbar.
In the 83rd, he had another chance from about 25 yards. The ball was deflected over the goal for a corner kick. Evander took the corner kick. He put the ball in a dangerous spot close to the far post but it missed everyone and bounced harmlessly out of bounds.
NYCFC keeper Matthew Freese made a tough save in the 88th minute, scrambling to get a loose ball near the post.
What’s next for FC Cincinnati?
Cincy hosts Austin FC 7:30 p.m. Saturday at TQL Stadium. It’s a homecoming for former FCC star Brandon Vazquez, who leads Austin with two goals. Austin is 5-5-1 (16 points), sixth in the Western Conference, after losing 3-0 to Minnesota on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NYCFC ends FC Cincinnati's five-match win streak with 1-0 shutout
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