The altered start time on Sunday afternoon may have had an unintended effect on FC Cincinnati, but if it didn’t, the opening parts of their second Leagues Cup game of the week may have been spirituality reflected it as FC Cincinnati had to fight back to earn a point from their match with FC Juárez, falling in penalty kicks 2-2 (4-3) to take a single point from the match.
In a rare 5:30 p.m. start on a Sunday afternoon, the low energy typically common of Sunday afternoons seemed to seep into the field of play. FC Juárez, the Liga MX side who visited TQL Stadium for this second game of the opening phase, took a 2-0 lead to capitalize on a slow start from FCC and did their best to muck up the game, slow down the pace, and close things out.
But in the 70th minute, Evander took matters into his own hands, and scored twice in seven minutes to level the score and give FCC a chance to take all three points. His first goal, a screamer from impossibly far out, left the goalkeeper flat footed and unable to close down on the curling shot to the upper corner. The second, an Olimpico from the corner kick flag will not go down in scorer sheet as his own – and instead will be listed as an own goal thanks to the deflection it took of a Juárez player – but left the TQL Stadium crowd shocked again as he expertly placed the take in a dangerous spot and left the defense unable to handle his effort.
“It was a lackluster first 60 minutes,” Pat Noonan said to describe the night. “We didn't look like we had any conviction with what we were doing, maybe a lack of confidence, and I just didn't think the body language showed any confidence that we were going to get it going.
“It got better after half. But it can't take that long,” Noonan continued. “It's disappointing, but the guys that came in, I think did a good job…we just didn't start strong enough.”
It was a masterclass from Evander to erase a forgettable opening hour. But given the circumstances, it may be a hard game to evaluate. FC Cincinnati rotated several players in the lineup, and shifted the formation to put together a personnel group that made sense, but was still a little unorthodox. Going with the “sword formation” to start the game – using one forward and two attacking midfielders – with Luca Orellano in the attacking midfield, and Gerardo “Dado” Valenzuela deeper in a more defensive position, FC Cincinnati did not present its “top look” and seemed to struggle within it.
But even still, with the changes and the early game struggles, FC Cincinnati kept themselves in the match, kept competitive, and very easily could have earned not just two points, but all three. The quick turnarounds make for a difficult test of depth, but in a lot of ways, FC Cincinnati persevered through it and got a positive result…even if it wasn’t as strong a performance that they were hoping for.
A bright spot for The Orange and Blue though were Ender Echenique and Stiven Jimenez, who both came on late in the game and helped their side. Jimenez had not made an appearance for the first team this season and Echenique made his debut for the club after transferring in from Caracas FC. Both young players made a significant impact on the match and helped FCC earn a result.
“We just didn't start strong enough. I think, like I said already, we respect the opponent and knew the challenges that were ahead of us and didn't handle it well enough for those early stages of the game,” Noonan explained. “Every game gives you answers. Every game there's positives, there's negatives. It never changes from game to game. So Stiven and Ender are good examples. That's a positive takeaway from the game. Some of the performances you look at and you say ‘that can improve.’ So that's every single game you're going to have that analysis. But the way we stayed in it and got two goals against a team that was defending in a good way the majority of the game. I'm pleased with that.”
Echenique came on in a role a little new to him, but acquitted himself well in the limited minutes and contributed to both goal scoring efforts. It was his following the lead of new teammate Evander, though, that helped him find his feet in the match.“He's a fantastic player. I think I can learn a lot from him. I think he's a player that everyone on the team should build around, to support, and obviously, I think for me, I'm just very excited to be able to take advantage of the opportunities to play with him, to learn from him,” the young Echenique shared after his first match. “He's an example player for us and for our team.”
FC Cincinnati now head into the final game of the Leagues Cup opening phase with four points, and are no longer truly in control of their own destiny. FCC will need some other results to fall their way in order to qualify for the knockout phases.
The Orange and Blue will almost certainly need a regulation victory over Chivas Guadalajara on Thursday to advance, but it’s unclear if they will need that and a particular goal margin or combination of other events as well.
What they will know, to some degree, is what it will take to advance when they take to the field on Thursday night. With FCC playing on the final matchday of the opening phase, most other results will have been in and a clear picture will emerge.
For FCC that could be a matter of what lineup is best to play or not play. It is not outside of the realm of possibility that FCC could be eliminated from advancement by Thursday (unlikely but not impossible). The same could be true for Chivas, and with the regular season still to play, focus on that instead of a tournament you're already knocked out of would naturally come first. So FCC could be facing a team who is already eliminated, creating a unique set of circumstances.
“We'll see,” is all Pat Noonan had to say on the matter. “We're in a fortunate enough position where I think a lot will be clear once we play on Thursday. So, hopefully it's an important point where we know our fate, knowing a win can put us through.”
“It's a very important game and we have to be fully focused on getting the three points in that one,” Ender Echenique added. “A team like Cincinnati, that's fully focused on doing the best they can, we want to be in the next round and so we know how important the game is, and the next three days will be to prepare as best as we possibly can for that game.”
FC Cincinnati kick off with Chivas Guadalajara on Thursday at 7 p.m. at TQL Stadium.
