Photo courtesy Brett Hansbauer / FC Cincinnati
CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati claimed its third consecutive victory after a wild first half saw the host take a 4-2 victory against ATL UTD 2 before a crowd of 22,532 fans at Nippert Stadium on Saturday night. The game sprang to life in the 26th minute when FCC’s Emmanuel Ledesma got in behind Atlanta’s defense and after drawing the goalkeeper laid off a pass for Danni König to put the hosts in front. Ledesma added a second two minutes later in similar circumstances, finishing off a through-ball by Blake Smith, but Atlanta pulled a goal back in the 31st minute as Jon Gallagher fired home after A.J. Cochran knocked a free kick back across the penalty area for the finish. Corben Bone restored FCC’s two-goal lead in the 39th minute with a low shot from just inside the penalty area, but again Atlanta responded as Laurent Kissidou volleyed home from 20 yards to make it a one-goal game at halftime. FCC’s Ledesma scored within a minute of the second half kickoff, however, as he was gifted a chance by a poor pass by Atlanta goalkeeper Nicolas Caraux, and from there Cincinnati left little openings for the visitors as it matched its longest winning streak in a USL regular season while moving to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
Scoring:
26’ – CIN – Danni König (Emmanuel Ledesma)
28’ – CIN – Emmanuel Ledesma (Blake Smith)
31’ – ATL – Jon Gallagher (A.J. Cochran)
39’ – CIN – Corben Bone
41’ – ATL – Laurent Kissidou
46’ – CIN – Emmanuel Ledesma
Three Things That Matter:
1. Cincinnati capped off a strong eight-day stretch with a third consecutive victory that moved the side to the top of the Eastern Conference as the club’s attack continued to hit the target, running its current form to 11 goals in the past four games for the side, including matching a club-best four-goal outing in a USL regular season contest. Emmanuel Ledesma was the biggest beneficiary, getting the opportunity twice to spring in on goal when Danni König was ruled to be passive while in an offside position on Cincinnati’s opening two goals, and the Argentine completed his biggest game so far for FCC with what proved a decisive goal in the opening minute of the second half.
2. Atlanta made its bones early in the second with defensive solidity but suffered its second tough outing in its last three games as Cincinnati cut through the high back line in a similar fashion that the Charleston Battery did on April 24 while also giving away possession in bad spots when Cincinnati took the opportunity to press high at times. The silver lining to the performance was the reaction the visitors showed to going down, striking twice to remain in the game at halftime, but Nicolas Caraux’s mistake gave ATL UTD 2 too big of a hole to dig out of in the second half.
3. Cincinnati’s defense didn’t cover itself in glory on either of Atlanta’s first-half goals, but after the break the back line clamped down strongly to close out the victory as ATL UTD 2 was held without a shot on goal in the second half. Earning its first home win of the season, Cincinnati is now on its first three-game winning streak since July 9-22 a season ago, and would set a club record should it take victory on the road against the Charlotte Independence next Saturday.
USLSoccer.com Man of the Match
Emmanuel Ledesma, FC Cincinnati – Ledesma’s two goals and one assist led Cincinnati to victory as the Argentine continued a strong run of form for his new club.
Upcoming Games:
FC Cincinnati at Charlotte Independence – May 12, 7:30 p.m. ET, Sportsplex at Matthews
ATL UTD 2 at Ottawa Fury FC – May 12, 2 p.m. ET, TD Place