This season is becoming more frustrating by the day for FC Cincinnati fans, who continue to show up and sell out TQL Stadium for inconsistent performances like the one we saw Sunday night. Falling 2-0 to the Crew at home in Hell Is Real is unacceptable, especially given this rivalry’s importance.
“I can talk about a lot of things, stats, good behaviors. In the end, we lost an important game. That’s what matters. So, that’s what we have to accept and move on from,” head coach Pat Noonan said postgame.
Cincinnati remains in the playoff picture (play-in), sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference, but the teams below them, including Columbus, are close behind.
Gonzalo Tapia opened the scoring for the Crew while Cincinnati was down a man. Tyrell Malacia went down following head contact, forcing him off the field for evaluation while play continued. Before Malacia could return, Tapia found himself alone by the back post and headed home a corner kick.
“It was deemed a concussion moment, so they have to assess that, and unfortunately, that’s the rule. He’s got to be off the field until he gets cleared,” Noonan said. “The stretch leading up to it, we still can control that. The turnover leads to the set piece, where now you have to defend it down a man.”
Noonan’s assessment of the first half was hard to agree with, and his postgame press conference felt full of excuses.
“We played a good first half where the scoreline didn’t really reflect how the game was played. But like I said, the score is what matters in these moments,” Noonan said.
Taha Habroune doubled the Crew’s lead early in the second half, finishing off a drop pass from Tapia, who played a part in both goals on Sunday.
Cincinnati had plenty of looks throughout the match, but the decision-making and shot selection were not good enough. The crowd was largely out of the match for much of the night, and given what the team put on the field, I don’t blame the fans.
Sunday’s stat line was one of the more absurd ones I’ve seen from Cincinnati. Take a look…..
66% of Cincinnati’s passes came in midfield or their own half. That’s a staggering number and a reflection of how the team moves the ball without doing enough to turn possession into anything meaningful.
“If you look at how the games are being played right now, structurally, chance creation, we still concede in almost every big moment that we can see. But I wouldn’t say a lot drastically needs to change other than winning the boxes. That’s something that we haven’t done,” Noonan said.
Somehow, both of Columbus’ shots on target found the back of the net, leaving Roman Celentano with zero saves on the night.
“Right now, we can talk about stats all we want. We need to win. That’s it. However that looks, however that feels. We need to win games,” Noonan said.
Cincinnati now heads on the road to face D.C. United this Wednesday.
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