In FC Cincinnati’s 3-0 win against the Portland Timbers on Sunday, the club delivered a high-quality performance that showed defensive mettle and a free-flowing attack that delighted a sold-out Nippert Stadium. If this is FCC’s identity in MLS, it’ll surely be an entertaining one.
Much of that entertainment came from Kekuta Manneh.
Anticipation built every time Manneh touched the ball. When there was open space, he took it. When there wasn’t, he tried creating it.
“That’s how I like to play,” he said. “I like to get on the ball, run with the ball and try to make things happen, create space for my teammates. That’s my game. I like to get moving and keep moving. I don’t like to stand still.”
No singular moment summarized his style. Rather, throughout the match, he took advantage of the opportunities he received and, in turn, punished Portland.
His 86.4 percent passing accuracy was the highest of any player who played longer than 10 minutes. His 84.2 percent passing accuracy in Timbers territory also was a team-best.
But perhaps his most-noticeable statistic was fouls won: five.
No other player had more than two. Essentially, Portland’s only way to bring him down was by simply fouling the 24-year-old before he could inflict further damage.
That didn’t help, however.
Manneh was fouled on the play that led to Kendall Waston’s 15th-minute opening goal. In the 70th minute, another breakaway forced Larrys Mabiala to pick up his second yellow card for fouling Manneh outside the box.
“When he’s on the pitch, you can see he’s a very good technical player and lightning quick,” Head Coach Alan Koch said. “He adds a dynamic ability to the way we go about playing. I’ve been very, very happy with how he’s done so far.”
Signed during preseason, Manneh arrived as a winger with considerable MLS experience. While his previous club was FC St. Gallens in the Swiss Super League, he had 120 MLS regular-season appearances before joining Cincinnati. He had stints at Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Columbus Crew SC.
Koch worked with Manneh in Vancouver and tried to reunite the duo. So far, so good.
“He’s been exactly what we thought he’d be,” Koch said.
Manneh has played a different role, though.
Growing up, he played as a No. 10 or as a striker. But once he got to Vancouver, he was converted into a winger. Now, he’s playing more centrally again.
In three games with the Orange and Blue, Manneh has played as a 10 – a center-attacking midfielder – or as a second striker. His role varies depending on FCC using a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2. Either way, he’s become an integral part of the team’s attacking identity.
“It’s surprising to see him playing there in the hole,” forward Fanendo Adi said. “Of course, that’s not his natural position. But to have him come in there and try to create, I think he’s still learning the position. But we will get better. Everyone just needs to get more comfortable in certain positions and it will be fine.”
Getting comfortable this week will be difficult, however.
Adi was injured in the first half against Portland and was substituted at halftime. Koch said he’s unsure of his status for Sunday afternoon at the New England Revolution.
Darren Mattocks, who replaced Adi against the Timbers, is away on international duty with the Jamaica National Team. Thus, personnel, roles and tactics could change ahead of the fourth regular-season game. But Manneh doesn’t think that will change Cincinnati’s attacking venom.
“We have a system in place, so it doesn’t matter who comes in, who’s out, who’s not here,” Manneh said. “I think we’re going to try and play the same way, even if the personnel are different.
“Adi is a big body, Darren holds up the ball, so we might not have that. But I think everything is the same, even if we have to tweak one or two things. We have smart, intelligent players all around the field to adjust to that. You won’t see much of a difference. We’re trying to play a style and create a culture here that we all know, we’re all used to and we all can get better with.”
Manneh said he’s expecting more of the same. His 123 MLS regular-season games at a young age shows the quality he offers his club. His 26 goals and 15 assists provide further validity.
Regardless of the lineup in New England, if he’s playing, FCC fans should expect a similar, exciting performance.
“I try to create a numeral advantage for my team,” Manneh said about his personal objective. “It doesn’t matter where I’m playing. If I’m in the attacking third, that’s what I’m going to try to do and hopefully help the team.”
