FC Cincinnati’s chase for the Supporters’ Shield and Eastern Conference title took a major hit Sunday night, as they settled for a 1-1 draw against Orlando City SC at TQL Stadium.
Both goals came in the second half, with Kevin Denkey putting FCC ahead in the 73rd minute before Orlando’s Alex Freeman equalized deep into the seven minutes of stoppage time.
First Half
FCC keeper Evan Louro was the story of the first half, making a string of big saves and aggressive clearances. He wasn’t afraid to come off his line and kept the match scoreless.
Offensively, FCC nearly broke through when Ender Echenique delivered a beautiful pass to Denkey, who directed a header toward goal, only for Orlando’s keeper to deny it with a sharp kick save.
FCC controlled play for about half of the opening 45 minutes, but Orlando grew into the game and dominated possession late. The half ended 0-0.
Second Half
The match remained tight after the break, with both keepers continuing their strong nights.
Finally, in the 73rd minute, FCC found the breakthrough. Evander slipped a clever ball into space, and Denkey fired it home to make it 1-0.
But FCC couldn’t hold on. In the 95th minute, Tyrese Spicer delivered a perfect cross, and Alex Freeman rose to head it past Louro, silencing the home crowd and sealing a 1-1 draw.
After the match, head coach Pat Noonan admitted his side fell short defensively. “I don’t think we defended particularly well over the course of the 90 minutes. We opened up too much in transition against a very good team. There were sloppy turnovers, rushed plays, and we struggled to control the tempo. Too often, we were disconnected defensively, not organized in how we dealt with crosses, runners in behind, or isolations. That’s not who we’ve been for most of the year, but tonight it cost us.”
Noonan also said, “I don’t even want to say that was a fair result, it could have been way worse than that”, when speaking about the 1-1 tie.
Noonan also spoke about the balance between patience and urgency in attack. “We talk a lot about patience in the attack, and that balance is still something we’re working on. You want to push for a second goal, but you also have to recognize the right moments. Tonight, we created chances, Brenner had a good look to make it 2-0, but sometimes it comes down to whether you force it or wait for the right opening. Too often we rushed, and that hurt our ability to close the game out.”
The coach felt his team had enough chances to put the game away. “Even with Orlando creating chances, we had enough to go up 2-0. For a stretch, we were in control, but we didn’t capitalize. That’s the difference at this stage of the season. We know we can create, but what’s more concerning is how we conceded. Going into the playoffs, that has to be tighter.”
He also highlighted the performance of Samuel Gidi, who nearly went the full 90 minutes. “Sam gave us almost 90 minutes and did a lot of good things. His movement behind pressure and ability to advance the ball are strong. There were a couple of moments where spacing or decision-making left us exposed, but that’s part of his growth. The guys higher up the field also need to recognize his runs and give him options.”
Looking ahead, Noonan stressed the importance of finishing strong. “With two games left, we missed an opportunity tonight. Our focus is on ourselves, two good performances, six points, and then we’ll see where we land. The goal is to be playing our best heading into the playoffs.”
The draw leaves Cincinnati’s Supporters’ Shield hopes hanging by a thread, as they are four points behind Philadelphia. With just two regular-season matches remaining, they will need six points and help elsewhere to climb back for the Shield.
Cincinnati’s final home match comes on October 18 against CF Montréal and will next face the New York Red Bulls on October 4th away from home, at 7:30 PM ET.
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