FC Cincinnati’s Makeshift Backline Delivers Shock Clean Sheet in 2–0 Win Over Red Bulls
All photos courtesy of FC Cincinnati
Damon Gumbert
It’s unclear what inspired the performance that came on the field on Saturday, beating the New Jersey Red Bulls 2-0, but a team that has given up 12 goals in four games locked down a dynamic offense in RBNY.
In their previous matchup, the Red Bulls dropped four goals on a defense that consisted of Matt Miazga, Nick Hagglund, Kyle Smith, and Evan Louro in goal.
This match saw a backline of… checks notes… Samuel Gidi, Smith, and Andrei Chirila in front of Roman Celentano, and it produced a clean sheet for the first time since the Thursday, Mar. 12 match against Tigres in all competitions and since the Atlanta United game on opening day in MLS play.
While the defensive effort for the squad was impressive, Head Coach Pat Noonan did not want to put too much on the performance, stating, “It’s one game, and you hope it helps jumpstart better performances for, you know, on that side of the ball, but it was improvements. But we have to be consistent with it.
The heavily rotated squad was caused by injuries to Teenage Hadebe, Miazga, Hagglund, Alvas Powell, and Miles Robinson, all of whom have started at least one match at center back this season. Noonan was forced to play 17-year-old Chirila in the middle of the back line, flanked by two players whose natural position is not center back.
Chirila stepped up, shutting down Julian Hall Zakrzewski and keeping the forward to only one shot on the night. 18-year-old Zakrzewski has six goals and one assist on the season and has been breaking out, but met his match in Chirila.
According to FC Cincinnati communications, Chirila also notched seven successful long passes and zero fouls on the day. When Noonan was asked about how Chirila played on the night, the coach was more than willing to sing the praises of the teenager.
“I think a lot of it was the passing range in the first half, moments where the pressure is coming at him, and it’s not the moment for a pass, how do you take a touch and then pick your head up? And his pass is over distance, that really caused them problems were evident. And then when do you make simple passes and not try to do more than you need to. I think, for a young kid, understanding that is important, and you saw a lot of that tonight. But then, for me, it’s how the game speeds up. Now you’re having to defend more. Now you have to make decisions in the box. What’s the game look like now for a player? And that part, I think, was growth tonight.”
Another player who has seen limited minutes this season but stepped up big in this match was Brian Anunga. The midfielder had played a total of 144 minutes leading up to this match, but was thrust into the starting lineup due to the prolific injury list and put in a great shift, going all 90 and being a big part of how Cincinnati stifled the Red Bull offense.
“Yeah, Brian, you never have to worry about him being ready or him wanting to help the team,” Noonan said. “Tonight there were a lot of plays that we gained an advantage from because of his determination, but it’s also positional understanding of how to make plays and break up plays, so a combination of those things.”
“When we talk about the mental strength, I probably could have mentioned him in that because Red Bull are a tough team to play against for different reasons, but his ability to to push himself and make plays and be a physical presence, you know, sometimes I don’t know if we have a physical presence all the time to to win that matchup in the midfield, Brian gives us that.”
Some other notable shout-outs in this wonky lineup were Pavel Bucha playing right wingback, Dado Valenzuela in the defensive midfield, and Kenji Mboma Dem getting the start at striker.
Bucha had a mixed bag of a night, turning the ball over on multiple occasions due to bad passing and decision making, but would also turn around and hustle back on defense in those cases, something you may not see with other wingbacks on the roster. The Polish midfielder was a key target out of the backline, with quite a few long balls and switches being made to a wide-open Bucha, one of which led to the first goal of the match from Kevin Denkey.
That long pass was made by Dado, who helped keep the ball moving in the midfield, where previous matches have seen the midfield be a detriment in keeping possession. Valenzuela had a 95% accurate pass rating on the night, posting an 86% on long ball passes according to FOTMOB.
Mboma Dem was second only to Dado in accurate pass rating, notching a 94%. The 24-year-old former MLS SuperDraft pick has been having quite the coming-out season, showing his grit and tenacity by being able to track back on defense and play in multiple different areas of the field, all while being slotted as a striker.
We’ve gotten this far into the article and have barely mentioned the two star players for FC Cincinnati, Evander and Denkey. Denkey had a wonderful night, scoring a brace in his second consecutive match and upping his season total to six goals. The positioning of the attacker has been on point this season, scoring multiple goals from close range, as he did in this match off the Bucha assist.
Evander, who won’t show up on the score sheet, had a wonderful night in his own right. On Wednesday, he became MLS’s highest scoring Brazilian-born player when he scored on a penalty kick. In this match, Evander created three big chances, had two shots on target, and secured another penalty kick after being brought down from behind in the box.
Denkey talked about how Evander asked him to take the PK on Wednesday, and Denkey acquiesced, but on this night, the ball was handed to Denkey, who scorched the ball past the Red Bull’s keeper and put the game away.
“The attitude he had in the last game to, like, leaving his hat trick for the team to tie the game, it was a good decision that he took it. I think he deserved the opportunity to take the PK tonight.”
It’s too early to tell if this match will be a turning point for a side that has struggled at times this year. In the past, it seemed like any step forward was immediately followed by a step backwards. At the same time, when the team has been put through adversity, they come out stronger on the other side.
Next week, the team will travel to Chicago for the return matchup with the Fire, and it’s unclear whether they will have any of their starting center backs available at that time. This match does beg the question, even if they are available, do they deserve to play? While Hagglund and Robinson started the year on fire, they have been significantly cooled off over the last month and a half of brutal losses and come-from-behind draws. Miazga looks like a shell of his former self, still able to get into the heads of opponents but rarely able to back it up. Hadebe will be out for the next few weeks, and the writing is on the wall that he may not even be with this team at the end of the summer transfer window.
A starting backline of Robinson, Hagglund, and Chirila would not be all that surprising. Even keeping Gidi in the back or trying him out at wingback could potentially open up spots for players who have been proving themselves and not resting on their laurels. An ideal lineup could consist of Dado in the defensive midfield, Mboma Dem at striker next to Denkey, Gidi at wingback or center back, and Andrei Chirila starting.
That also may be a rash call based on one good performance from the club. In a sea of bad performances, though, maybe grasping on to the one bright light isn’t a bad thing.
