FC Cincinnati defeated D.C. United, 3-2, in the nation’s capital Wednesday night at Audi Field. The Orange and Blue (14-4-3, 45 points) win for the second time in five days following Saturday’s 1-0 win at FC Dallas. D.C. United (4-10-8, 20 points) dropped their third consecutive home match.
Kevin Kelsy scored his fifth goal of the year, giving the Orange and Blue a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute of play. The goal marks Kelsy’s first since scoring against Philadelphia Union on June 19.
D.C. United would respond in the 24th minute, as MartÃn RodrÃguez found the back of the net, but FC Cincinnati would retake the lead in the 39th, as Pavel Bucha scored his second of the season. Luca Orellano assisted on the Bucha goal, his fourth of the year.
The Orange and Blue would take a 2-1 lead into the break, marking the first time this season that FC Cincinnati have scored multiple goals in the opening 45 minutes of a match.
Bucha doubled the Orange and Blue’s lead in the 63rd minute with his first brace for FC Cincinnati. Yamil Asad, who came on as a substitute three minutes earlier in the 60th minute, provided the assist, his third of the year.
Gabriel Pirani would pull one back in the 69th minute, but FC Cincinnati were able to see out the final 20 minutes of the match to earn their ninth road win of the year, and seventh in a row away from home.
AS IT HAPPENED
CIN: Kevin Kelsy, GOAL – 10’ (0-1) – A mistake from D.C. United goalkeeper Tyler Miller gifted Kelsy the opening goal of the match. Miller’s poor touch in receiving a back pass from Matti Peltola allowed Kelsy to challenge Miller’s clearance as the ball deflected up and back towards United’s goal, eventually bouncing into the back of the net.
DC: MartÃn RodrÃguez, GOAL – 24’ (1-1) – A long throw-in towards the Cincinnati penalty area led to MartÃn RodrÃguez’s first goal for D.C. United. Miles Robinson dealt with the initial threat before Ted Ku-DiPietro and RodrÃguez combined to move through a crowd and opened space for the forward to slip one past Roman Celentano.
CIN: Pavel Bucha, GOAL – 39’ (1-2) – Pavel Bucha started and ended the move for Cincinnati’s second goal of the match. Bucha won possession from RodrÃguez after the Orange and Blue’s previous attack fizzled. Bucha played to Luca Orellano and made a run through the D.C. defense before receiving a delicately chipped pass from Orellano and finished on a first-time effort.
CIN: Pavel Bucha, GOAL – 63’ (1-3) – Much like his first of the night, Bucha was involved in the build and finish of Cincinnati’s third goal. Bucha helped alleviate pressure in moving out of the Cincinnati half and pushed the ball forward with a pass down the left wing. Bucha moved up in attack and linked with Yamil Asad before curling one into the far post from the left side of the United box.
DC: Gabriel Pirani, GOAL – 69’ (2-3) – Halftime substitute Gabriel Pirani’s quick feet brought D.C. back within a goal in the 69th minute. United were able to intercept a clearing pass from Cincinnati with the ball falling to the feet of Pirani inside the penalty area. Pirani danced through the Cincinnati defense before playing a high shot over a sprawling Celentano.
The Orange and Blue return home on Saturday, July 6, as they take on Inter Miami CF in a battle of the top two sides in the Eastern Conference at 7:30 p.m. ET at TQL Stadium. Tickets for the match are still available at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or by calling (513) 977-5425 (KICK).
GAME NOTES
- After a 3-2 victory over D.C. United, The Orange and Blue tied the MLS record with seven-straight road wins.
- With a goal from Kevin Kelsy and Pavel Bucha, Cincinnati scored two goals in the first half for the first time this season.
- With two goals in the match, Pavel Bucha scored the first brace of his MLS career.
- Cincinnati improves its MLS leading road record to 9-1-1 on the season.
- With the club’s 12th one-goal win of the season, FCC claimed the most one-goal wins over a two-season span in MLS history (26-5 since the beginning of 2023).
- The Orange and Blue improved to 13-3-5 on Wednesdays since Pat Noonan took over in 2022.
- Cincinnati won their second match all-time at Audi Field, with a 2-2-1 record in the nation’s capital.
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati at D.C. United
Date: July 3, 2024
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: Audi Field
Attendance: 16,716
Kickoff: 7:40 p.m. ET
Weather: 84 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
DC: 1-1-2
CIN: 2-1-3
DC – MartÃn RodrÃguez (Ted Ku-DiPietro) 24’, Gabriel Pirani (MartÃn RodrÃguez) 69’
CIN – Kevin Kelsy 10’, Pavel Bucha (Luca Orellano) 39’, Pavel Bucha (Yamil Asad) 63’
LINEUPS
DC: Tyler Miller, Lucas Bartlett, Matti Peltola, Pedro Santos (C), Aaron Herrera, Christopher McVey (Gabriel Pirani 46’), Jared Stroud (Matai Akinmboni 78’), MartÃn RodrÃguez, Ted Ku-DiPietro, Mateusz Klich, Jacob Murrell
Substitutes not used: Alex Bono, Nathan Crockford, Jeremy Garay, Hayden Sargis
Head Coach: Zach Prince (Interim)
CIN: Roman Celentano, DeAndre Yedlin, Ian Murphy (Alvas Powell 72’), Miles Robinson, Kipp Keller (Bret Halsey 78’), Luca Orellano (Yamil Asad 60’), Pavel Bucha, Obinna Nwobodo, Luciano Acosta (C) Gerardo Valenzuela (Yuya Kubo 60’), Kevin Kelsy (Sergio Santos 60’)
Substitutes not used: Alec Kann, Aaron Boupendza, Isaiah Foster, Stiven Jimenez
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
STATS SUMMARY: DC/CIN
Shots: 16 / 14
Shots on Goal: 5 / 6
Saves: 3 /3
Corner Kicks: 3 / 4
Fouls: 9 / 12
Offside: 0 / 7
Possession: 50.1 / 49.9
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
DC – Pedro Santos (Yellow Card) 14’
CIN – Kevin Kelsy (Yellow Card) 51’
CIN – Yuya Kubo (Yellow Card) 82’
OFFICIALS 
Referee: Alexis Da Silva
Ast. Referees: Adam Wienckowski, Meghan Mullen
Fourth Official: Ismir Pekmic
VAR: Rosendo Mendoza
FC Cincinnati’s full 2024 schedule can be viewed HERE. FC Cincinnati matches air live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, the unprecedented subscription service which features every MLS Regular Season, MLS Cup Playoff and Leagues Cup match.
Single Match Tickets can be purchased now at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or by calling (513) 977-5425 (KICK). For more information about Group Tickets and Premium hospitality options, including suites and all-inclusive experiences, call (513) 763-1025.
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