After dropping two points to Orlando City SC last week, the Red Bulls traveled to Queen City to do something that no team has done in TQL Stadium this season: Get all three points at the home of the reigning Supporters Shield winners FC Cincinnati. Both teams featured strong defenses where a simple mistake could separate victory and defeat; the only difference was that the Red Bulls had a better offense, whereas FC Cincinnati had trouble scoring.
The Red Bulls were one point behind FC Cincinnati in the standings and tied with two other teams (Columbus and Inter Miami CF) for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Head coach Sandro Schwarz and his team were looking to seize a huge opportunity to take a giant step forward to proving that they are one of the contenders for the league title, although there is a long way to go this season.
Three minutes into the match, FC Cincinnati wasted no time getting on the scoreboard first. Luciano Acosta got deep into the Red Bulls’ defense, but Coronel saved his initial shot. But Acosta kept the ball in play and floated it over the defense toward the left corner of the net to Yuya Kubo, who quickly headed it in from close range.
With the early goal and the lead, FC Cincinnati’s defense can be best described as “formidable,” as opponents have scored against them only twice this season. But in the 19th minute, the Red Bulls responded thanks to a lightning bolt of a goal from none other than Frankie Amaya, taking a pass from Dante Vanzeir and then silencing the home supporters temporarily before they exploded with boos after that.
FC Cincinnati nearly had a response themselves in the 29th minute as Luca Orellano let loose a blistering shot from a distance that nearly caught Carlos Coronel flatfooted. Thankfully for him and his teammates, the ball landed harmlessly on the top of the net.
As the first half drew to a close, there was a lot of action on the field. Emil Forsberg spotted an opening in the FC Cincinnati defense and fired a shot, but Lauro made a brilliant save. This kept the Red Bulls from taking the lead before the end of the half. However, Matt Miazga fouled Sean Nealis in the box off a corner kick, resulting in a penalty kick. Nevertheless, Evan Louro saved the penalty kick, ending an action-packed first half.
As the second half began, both teams tried to punch through their opposite defenses, but to no avail. When the Red Bulls had the ball, Emil Forsberg’s shots from a distance wound up in the seating section rather than the back of the net.
But his team finally broke through in the 60th minute. Dante Vanzeir took a pass from Forsberg, cut to his left, and fired a shot that bounced off the outstretched hands of Evan Louro and nestled into the back of the net.
Aaron Boupendza had a decent chance to pull his team level. With his back toward the goal, he whipped around and let off a great shot, but Carlos Coronel was there and made a huge save. Despite the highlight-reel play, it was ruled offside. Then, in the 81st minute, Gerardo Valenzuela gave his team a chance to equalize the match, but his blistering shot was saved by Carlos Coronel yet again.
With time indeed against the hosts, FC Cincinnati threw numbers against the New York defense only to be stifled as the match drew to a close. This handed FC Cincinnati their first loss of the season. They will enjoy a happy trip back home, getting a measure of revenge against a heated and immensely disliked rival.
STARTING XI:
FC Cincinnati: Evan Louro, Miles Robinson, Matt Miazga, Kip Keller (Ian Murphy 46′), DeAndre Yedlin, Obinna Nwobodo (Corey Baird 63′), Luciano Acosta, Pavel Bucha (Gerardo Valenzula 75′), Luca Orellano (Yamil Asad 85′), Aaron Boupendza (Sergio Santos 74′), Yuya Kubo (3′)
New York Red Bulls: Carlos Coronel, Dylan Nealis, Sean Nealis, Andres Reyes, John Tolkin (Kyle Duncan 66′), Frankie Amaya (19′), Wiki Carmona (Noah Eile 89′), Peter Stroud, Emil Forsberg (Daniel Edelman 78′), Lewis Morgan (Serge Ngoma 89′), Dante Vanzeir (60′)(Elias Manoel 67′)
Scoring Summary:
3′ – FC Cincinnati – Yuya Kubo, assisted by Luciano Acosta
19′ – New York Red Bulls – Frankie Amaya, assisted by Dante Vanzeir
60′ – New York Red Bulls – Dante Vanzeir, assisted by Emil Forsberg
Disciplinary Summary:
32′ – FC Cincinnati – Obinna Nwobodo – Yellow Card
45+4′ – FC Cincinnati – Matt Miazga – Yellow Card
70′ – New York Red Bulls – Frankie Amaya – Yellow Card
74′ – FC Cincinnati – Luca Orellano – Yellow Card
90+4′ – New York Red Bulls – Serge Ngoma – Yellow Card
Final Thoughts:
The match between these two teams was intense from start to finish, as is usually the case. The playoff atmosphere was palpable, and it was a physical, foul-filled game that was not for the faint-hearted. However, the Red Bulls managed to come up with a huge statement win, handing the first loss to the team that knocked them out of the MLS Cup Playoffs last season. Head coach Sandro Schwarz emphasized during the post-match press conference that “It was more important to get results against a top team – first place is meaningless seven games into the season.” Although he was proud of the final result, he was grounded enough to know that the season was long, and there was still much more work to be done ahead.