FC Cincinnati 2 suffered defeat Sunday night against Toronto FC II in a 2-0 loss at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium. The Orange and Blue (13-7-3, 43 points) remain atop the Eastern Conference standings with five matches left to play while the Young Reds (8-10-4, 28 points) keep their postseason hopes alive.
Toronto scored two first half goals behind forward Julian Altobelli, who scored his seventh of the year in the fourth minute of play. Altobelli has now scored in five consecutive matches for the Young Reds and leads the team in goals.
Charlie Sharp tallied a goal of his own in the 22nd minute in his 13th MLS NEXT Pro appearance of the season. Sharp trails only Altobelli in goals scored (5) and is his first since June 9 when he found the back of the net against New York Red Bulls II.
The Orange and Blue were unable to mount a second half comeback after going down a man in the 62nd minute as Gaël Gibert received a red card in stopping a Toronto attack. FC Cincinnati finished the match with eight shots, forcing one save from goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario.
FC Cincinnati 2 hit the road next Sunday, September 8 as the Orange and Blue take on Chicago Fire FC II at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill. at 2 p.m. ET. The match will air live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
The Orange and Blue close out the MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season with ‘Soccer Sunday’ at TQL Stadium on Sunday, October 6, against Orlando City B at 1 p.m. ET. The celebration kicks off at 11 a.m. ET with a number of family friendly activities and a meet and greet with FC Cincinnati players and Gary the Lion. Tickets start at just $5 and can be purchased here.
FC CINCINNATI 2 GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati 2 vs Toronto FC II
Date: September 1, 2024
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro
Venue: Scudamore Field
Kickoff: 8:03 p.m. ET
Weather: 79 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
CIN: 0-0-0
TOR: 2-0-2
CIN – None
TOR – Julian Altobelli (Batiz) 4’, Charlie Sharp (Staniland) 22’
LINEUPS
CIN: Hunter Morse, London Aghedo (Jesus Castellano 77’), Brian Schaefer, Gaël Gibert, Moises Tablante, Nico Benalcazar (C), Stiven Jimenez, Bret Halsey (Amir Daley 63’), Kenji Mboma Dem (Peter Mangione 77’), Ben Stitz (Yair Ramos 63’), Stefan Chirila (Yeiner Valoyes 89’)
Substitutes not used: David Paz, Alejandro Guido, Juan Machado, Justin Hylton
Head Coach: Tyrone Marshall
TOR: Adisa De Rosario, Richard Chukwu (Lucas Olguin 46’), Ythallo, Adam Pearlman, Marko Stojadinovic, Jesus Batiz, Charlie Staniland, Mark Fisher (Andrei Dumitru 90’+2), Nathaniel Edwards (Theo Rigopoulos 79’), Julian Altobelli (C) (Hassan Ayari 81’), Charlie Sharp
Substitutes not used: Abe Rodriguez, Matthew Catavolo, Kundai Mawoko, Tyler Londono
Head Coach: Gianni Cimini
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/TOR
Shots: 8 / 7
Shots on Goal: 1 / 4
Saves: 2 / 1
Corner Kicks: 5 / 4
Fouls: 15 / 12
Offside: 1 / 2
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
TOR – Ythallo (Yellow Card) 16’
CIN – Stiven Jimenez (Yellow Card) 44’
CIN – Gaël Gibert (Red Card) 62’
CIN – Moises Tablante (Yellow Card) 66’
CIN – Yair Ramos (Yellow Card) 69’
TOR – Jesus Batiz (Yellow Card) 78’
TOR – Lucas Olguin (Yellow Card) 90’+4
OFFICIALS
Referee: Joe Surgan
Ast. Referees: Justin Mack, Justin Norris
Fourth Official: Alex Adkins
