The FC Cincinnati Academy traveled northwest this weekend, as the U19s won their third straight game in Zionsville, Indiana, 3-2, against the Indy Gladiators. The U13s, U14s, U15s, and U17s battled through a weekend of games against Chicago Fire in Bridgeview, Illinois on Saturday, but all four fell in matches decided by one goal.
At the MLS NEXT Pro level, U17 breakthrough player, Stefan Chirila, scored his first professional goal for FC Cincinnati 2 in his second professional appearance of his career, a penalty which equalized the match before FCC2 would go on to win with a 90’ +2 winner.
In Zionsville, the U19s continued to roll through the schedule as the Young Garys picked up their third straight win of the UPSL season, 3-2, against the Indy Gladiators. Jio Gabriel Mora got the Orange and Blue on the board first with an unassisted strike into the back of the net. Joel Ineh followed that up with a goal of his own, tying the game. Chris Nezianya assisted Bryan Vasquez for the third and final goal of the match when the duo connected for the game-winning goal.
The U17s began the four-game set against Chicago Fire with a 1-2 loss. Aldair Flowers was able to break through the backline and score, however it was not enough for the Young Garys to prevail in a defensive battle.
The U15s dropped game two with another 1-2 defeat to Chicago Fire. Jared Cardenas added a goal to the scoresheet off a pass from Cam Sphire for the lone goal of the game for the Orange and Blue.
The U14s followed with a 0-1 loss to Chicago Fire. In a dogfight between the backlines, the Young Garys were unable to get on the board to even up the score. To finish off the day, the U13s fell 1-2 to Chicago Fire. In the fifth one-goal game of the weekend, Cole Keenan fired a shot past the Fire goalkeeper for the only Cincinnati goal of the match.
The Young Garys come back next weekend with a full slate of games, starting with a home matchup between the U19s and Inter Columbus next Saturday, May 11 at MHTC. The U13s and U14s play at Cincinnati United Premier on Wednesday, May 8 and again on Saturday, May 11 in Cincinnati. The U15 and U17 squads qualified for MLS NEXT Flex, which will be played from Saturday, May 11 through Tuesday, May 14 in Boyds, Maryland.
