FC Cincinnati secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Austin FC in front of a sellout crowd of 25,513 fans at TQL Stadium—their second sellout of the season.
The match marked the return of Brandon Vazquez to Cincinnati, and he made an impact, scoring Austin’s lone goal on a penalty kick. But Cincinnati pulled it off—Evander put on a show with a goal and an assist, while Gerardo Valenzuela delivered the game-winning goal for the home team.
With the win, Cincinnati improves to 12-8-3-1 (25 pts), gaining three points in the standings. They are now tied for first place with Columbus Crew as the race for the top spot heats up.
First Half Recap
After a few close calls for FC Cincinnati in the first ten minutes, Evander Da Silva Ferreira struck first, firing a shot past the left side of Austin’s Brad Stuver.
Cincinnati had two more shots on target in the first half, nearly doubling their lead twice—hitting the goalpost once.
Head Coach Pat Noonan praised his team’s composure and ability to adjust to the different press structure Austin used, saying, “It was a strong performance tonight in a lot of ways, certainly with how we moved the ball. You have better decisions, more composure, trying to figure out how to play through the press.”
As the half wound down, Cincinnati captain Matt Miazga went down in his own end and later left the game due to right-hamstring tightness. Teenage Hadebe subbed in for him, forcing Cincinnati to adjust its defensive setup.
Noonan gave a post-game update on Miazga, stating, “We weren’t told any further, looks a little bit precautionary, but the extent of what he’s dealing with is still being evaluated.”
Despite the setback, Cincinnati held strong defensively, taking a 1-0 lead into halftime while holding Austin to zero shots on target in the first half.
Second Half Recap
Opening up the second half, Teenage Hadebe (who replaced Miazga) fouled Brandon Vazquez inside the box, leading to a penalty kick. Vazquez—making his return to Cincinnati—converted, leveling the match at one apiece.
Noonan reflected on the unfortunate penalty decision, mentioning how Cincinnati could have defended the buildup more effectively to prevent the foul situation. “My concern at that moment is, how are we not shifting over quicker? I think the recognition of Lucas releasing to the wall, and with our structure, we should be able to close that space at a better speed. I think we defend that outside the box, which is the goal.”
Just past the 70-minute mark, Cincinnati looked for a potential go-ahead goal, but referees missed a clear Austin handball inside their box after a corner kick.
The pressure kept piling on, and Cincinnati finally broke through with a beautiful play from Evander to Gerardo Valenzuela. Evander threaded a perfect pass to Valenzuela, who had just subbed in, and he ripped a one-time shot into the net.
Noonan praised Valenzuela, acknowledging that his consistency and final product are improving with every performance. “He’s putting together multiple performances now where he’s been strong. The challenge for him is, certainly, you’ve got to earn the minutes. And now you’re starting to see him improving his play and consistency in his final product.”
With Valenzuela’s impact off the bench, he could push for a starting spot soon, possibly replacing Sergio Santos.
Cincinnati improves to 12-8-3-1 (25 pts), gaining three points in the standings. They’re now tied for first place with the Columbus Crew.
After the match, Noonan discussed the team’s structure and lineup choices, emphasizing that the shape they started with has brought them success.
“We had five healthy center backs. We look at the form of our group, who we’re matched up against, but we also know the shape that we started with today has brought us a lot of success. So this is what we chose to start the game with.”
He also addressed the decision to start Teenage Hadebe instead of Alberto Flores, explaining that it was a tactical choice based on footedness and defensive awareness. “Having a left-footed player on the left side and some of the on-ball decision making… we felt Teenage was the right decision tonight, but Alberto is going to get his option pretty soon here.”
Cincinnati’s ability to switch the field played a big role in their attack in the second half, particularly in the lead-up to the second goal. Noonan credited Luca Orellano’s ability to recognize how to play through Austin’s pressure. “We did a better job of understanding how to move them left to right to find ways to play through the middle and switch play, like you mentioned. We were talking about what their shape was going to look like, and there were different ways we thought we could play through the middle.”
FC Cincinnati will travel to Toronto FC for their next match on May 14 at BMO Field.
