FC Cincinnati erased a two-goal halftime deficit and earned a result with a 2-2 draw with Charlotte FC on Saturday night in front of 43,613 fans at Bank of America Stadium.
The point sees FC Cincinnati (13-2-6) remain atop the Supporters’ Shield standings with 45 points. Charlotte drew for the fifth-straight match and moved to 6-8-8 (26 points).
Charlotte’s Karol Swiderski opened the scoring for the hosts in the 14th minute, netting his sixth goal of the season. The Polish international then doubled Charlotte’s lead just 10 minutes later, equaling his accomplishment from last season’s fixture against Cincinnati and netting his second brace in as many matches against the Orange and Blue at Bank of America Stadium.
Heading into the half down 2-0, the Orange and Blue grabbed an early second half goal in the 52nd minute to cut into the Charlotte lead. After Álvaro Barreal was fouled in the box, Luciano Acosta stepped up to convert the ensuing penalty kick from the spot.
Acosta’s goal, his 10th of the season, earned him double-digit goals for the second consecutive season and for the third time in his MLS career.
Barreal, making his 100th career appearance for the Orange and Blue, tied the match in the 68th minute. A calculated buildup in midfield led to Acosta slipping a long ball in behind the Charlotte defense and into the path of a charging Barreal.
A quick cut back freed Barreal of space in a tight area near the goal line before the Argentine wingback skillfully beat Kristijan Kahlina with the outside of his boot from close-range.
The Orange and Blue would be required to play the final portion of the match down a man as Ian Murphy was sent off in the 75th minute after being shown a second yellow card.
With the draw, FC Cincinnati earned a result for the first time in club history when trailing by two-plus goals at halftime.
FC Cincinnati hit the road against Wednesday, July 12 to take on the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and the match will stream exclusively on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Fans can also listen to the match locally on ESPN 1530.
The Orange and Blue return home to TQL Stadium next Saturday, July 15 to take on Nashville SC. Tickets are available at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or by calling (513) 977-5425 (KICK).
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati at Charlotte FC
Date: July 8, 2023
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: Bank of America Stadium
Attendance: 43,613
Kickoff: 7:39 p.m. ET
Weather: 86 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
CLT: 2-0-2
CIN: 0-2-2
CLT – Karol Swiderski (Vargas) 14’, Karol Swiderski (Lindsey, Vargas) 24’
CIN – Luciano Acosta (PK) 52’, Álvaro Barreal (Luciano Acosta) 68’
GAME NOTES
• The night saw the first draw between the two sides in the club’s third all-time fixture … Both home teams won last year’s fixtures between Cincinnati and Charlotte by a 2-0 scoreline.
• For the second-straight match, FC Cincinnati earned a point when trailing at halftime (July 1 vs New England Revolution).
• Saturday marked FC Cincinnati’s first-ever result when trailing by two-plus goals at halftime, and just the sixth result when trailing after 45 minutes (entered Saturday 0-46-5).
• Álvaro Barreal became the third player in club history (Hagglund, Vazquez) to reach 100 games played for the club across all competitions.
• Luciano Acosta has recorded a team-high five games this season of multiple goal contributions.
• Acosta reached double-digit goals for the third time in his MLS career (2018, 2022) … Acosta has provided a goal contribution in seven of FC Cincinnati’s last eight games across all competitions.
• Ian Murphy was issued the third red card of the season for FC Cincinnati, his second (June 24 at D.C. United).
• FC Cincinnati are 0-0-3 on turf/artificial surfaces this season, with one more scheduled regular season league game to come on August 30 at Atlanta United FC.
• Junior Moreno made his first appearance since June 10 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
LINEUPS
CIN: Roman Celentano, Álvaro Barreal, Ian Murphy, Yerson Mosquera, Nick Hagglund, Santiago Arias (Alvas Powell 82’), Junior Moreno (Malik Pinto 82’), Obinna Nwobodo, Luciano Acosta (C), Yuya Kubo (Ray Gaddis 87’), Sergio Santos (Marco Angulo 82’)
Substitutes not used: Alec Kann, Joey Akpunonu, Arquimides Ordoñez, Bret Halsey, Ben Stitz
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
CLT: Kristijan Kahlina, Guzmán Corujo, Nathan Byrne, Jaylin Lindsey (Bill Tuiloma 82’), Ashley Westwood (C) (Patrick Agyemang 82’), Brandt Bronico, Derrick Jones (Jan Sobocinski 36’), Scott Arfield, Karol Swiderski, McKinze Gaines, Kerwin Vargas (Kamil Jozwiak 60’)
Substitutes not used: George Marks, Ben Bender, Harrison Afful, George Marks, Andrew Privett
Head Coach: Christian Lattanzio
STATS SUMMARY: CLT/CIN
Shots: 7 / 8
Shots on Goal: 3 / 4
Saves: 2 / 1
Corner Kicks: 3 / 4
Fouls: 17 / 10
Offside: 1 / 0
Possession: 48.9 / 51.1
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Yerson Mosquera (Yellow Card) 11’
CLT – Guzmán Corujo (Yellow Card) 27’
CIN – Ian Murphy (Yellow Card) 29’
CLT – Jaylin Lindsey (Yellow Card) 45+2’
CIN – Sergio Santos (Yellow Card) 57’
CLT – Scott Arfield (Yellow Card) 69’
CIN – Ian Murphy (Second Yellow Card, Red Card) 75’
CLT – Kamil Jozwiak (Yellow Card) 89’
CLT – Karol Swiderski (Yellow Card) 90+3’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Ted Unkel
Ast. Referees: Cameron Blanchard, Mike Nickerson
Fourth Official: Chris Ruska
VAR: Malik Badawi
AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert
