FC Cincinnati held on for a hard fought 2-1 win over Chicago Fire FC on Saturday night at TQL Stadium, securing their fourth straight victory.
First Half
19 minutes into the match, Evander struck a perfect ball into the right corner of the goal, making it nearly impossible to stop for Chicago keeper Jeffrey Gal.
FCC nearly doubled their lead before halftime, creating several promising chances but ultimately settling for a 1-0 advantage at the break. Head coach Pat Noonan praised the early execution, saying, “Evander’s strike was top class. We got into good spots and could’ve added another, but I liked our intent.”
Second Half
Just under five minutes into the second half, Evander threaded a gorgeous through ball to Kevin Denkey, who slotted it home with his left foot to make it 2-0. Noonan highlighted Denkey’s impact: “If he’s in space, he’s dangerous. He’s productive in certain areas for a reason, and we’re trying to put him in those spots more consistently.”
Chicago didn’t go away quietly. Philip Zinckernagel pulled one back in the 55th minute, capitalizing on a defensive lapse and rifling a shot in from the right side of the box to cut the deficit to 2-1. Noonan acknowledged the breakdown: “We let them see the ball too easily in that moment. That’s something we need to clean up.”
FCC weathered a late surge from the visitors, hanging on by a thread to escape with all three points. “We know we can be better in how we protect the lead,” Noonan admitted. “But the guys found a way to see it out, and that says a lot about their mentality.”
With several key players unavailable, Noonan credited the squad’s adaptability: “We’ve had to shuffle things with injuries, but the group has responded well. They’re taking in information and doing their jobs.” He also emphasized the importance of staying grounded: “Forget about it, take the good feeling from the result, but don’t be content. There’s more to come from this group.”
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