With a constant downpour showering the pitch at TQL Stadium, FC Cincinnati weathered the rain but could not find the final push it needed and fell 2-1 in a grueling match with LAFC.
Despite a heavily rotated starting group for the visiting Los Angeles Football Club, FC Cincinnati struggled to break down the Black and Gold's midfield defense in the first 25 minutes of the match and was forced to batten down the hatches to keep the match level. Roman Celentano made three key saves before the 20-minute mark expired, and FC Cincinnati did not register a shot until the 38th minute.
The challenge at hand became even more difficult in the 35th minute. After winning a tackle and securing the ball back, Chidozie Awaziem fell to the ground in pain and needed to be substituted out of the game. Alvas Powell came on for the defender in the unexpected substitution.
Almost immediately, LAFC found the space to strike, driving through the middle of the field, and David Martinez put the shot on. A deflection on the shot may have made it more challenging, but either way, the ball was in the back of the net, and LAFC had the one-goal advantage.
After the goal, FC Cincinnati found their spark and pushed play forward, finally earning that shot on target. Luciano Acosta and Niko Gioacchini earned the best opportunities. But neither could beat the keeper before the referee's whistle went, and FC Cincinnati found themselves heading to the locker rooms looking for answers in the second half.
The lone change to the lineup at halftime was Sergio Santos replacing Gioacchini. But the mindset also clearly changed, and FC Cincinnati came out of the locker room with a fire to match the rain.
FC Cincinnati pressed and pressed and pressed and the dam finally broke when Luca Orellano unleashed another in his collection of goals from distance. Orellano lined up his shot from outside the box and struck a laser beam directly on target from the right of the keeper. While heading on the frame, LAFC forward Kei Kamara went to head it away, but the pace of the shot made it skim off his head rather than deflect away and redirected into the net. As the ball was on frame, Orellano was awarded the goal attribution for his 10th of the year in MLS, making him the third FCC player this season with 10 goals in league play.
With the score now level, the match opened up as both teams went looking for a winner. LAFC Head Coach Steve Cherundolo made his major substitution shortly after the Orellano score, substituting Olivier Giroud, Ryan Hollingshead and Timothy Tillman.
None of those three, though, struck back for LAFC. Denis Bouanga, who came on as a halftime sub, drove to the left of Celentano and broke off a firm shot that beat the keeper on the near post.
Now, needing to find another equalizer in the final 15 minutes of the match, FCC put on the pressure. Pat Noonan made subs for Kevin Kelsy, Dado Valenzuela and Yamil Asad for the final push.
Valenzuela's play helped earn the best chance FCC would have. Darting on target and being fouled just steps outside the box gave Luciano Acosta the chance to equalize on the free kick. But the kick rocketed off a defender's shoulder in the final feet before the goal, and any hope of an equalizer sailed away with it away from the net.
As a result, FC Cincinnati fell to 17-9-5 and stayed at 56 points.
The match with LAFC kicks off a three-game stretch this week. FC Cincinnati will now travel to New York City to take on NYCFC (the match will be played at Red Bull Arena due to scheduling conflicts at Yankee Stadium). FCC will then return to TQL Stadium next Saturday for the final time this regular season, where they will host Orlando City SC.
Following that Orlando City match, FCC will take a week-long break for the FIFA International window before jetting off to Chester, Pennsylvania, for Decision Day, where they will play Philadelphia Union on Saturday, October 19.
