FC Cincinnati defender Álvaro Barreal has been named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 9, the league announced Monday. The honor is Barreal’s second career recognition among the league’s weekly best 11 players (2022, Week 24).
Additionally, Sergio Santos was named to the Team of the Matchday’s bench.
Barreal notched his third assist of the season Saturday night in FCC’s 2-1 win over the Portland Timbers. His assist was a signature goal contribution from the 22-year-old, a flawless left-footed cross whipped in from the left side which found the head of Santos for the night’s opening goal in the 34th minute.
Barreal led all FC Cincinnati players Saturday night with 84 touches, 51 total passes and a game-high 12 possessions won. He also led all players on the evening with five tackles.
Santos, on the receiving end of Barreal’s assist, was recognized among the league’s best from Matchday 9 for the first time in his FC Cincinnati career. Santos scored his team-high fourth goal of the season, and also assisted Brandon Vazquez’s game-winning goal in the 58th minute.
The naming of Barreal and Santos to the MLS Team of the Matchday are the 10th and 11th recognitions of an FC Cincinnati player on the weekly team this season. A full list of 2023 FC Cincinnati weekly honors:
2023 FC Cincinnati MLS Team of the Matchday Player Recognitions
- Obinna Nwobodo (Matchday 1, 3)
- Brenner (3-Bench)
- Junior Moreno (4)
- Matt Miazga (5-Bench, 7)
- Brandon Vazquez (5-Bench)
- Yerson Mosquera (6)
- Álvaro Barreal (6-Bench, 9)
- Sergio Santos (9-Bench)
The full team for Matchday 9 is listed below.
2023 MLS Team of the Matchday presented by Audi (Matchday 9)
F: Giacomo Vrioni (NE), Mikael Uhre (PHI), Santiago Rodríguez (NYC)
M: Andrés Gómez (RSL), Mathieu Choiniere (MTL), João Paulo (SEA), Riqui Puig (LA)
D: Álvaro Barreal (CIN), Donovan Pines (DC), Daniel Steres (HOU)
GK: Roman Bürki (STL)
Coach: Wayne Rooney (DC)
Bench: Luis Barraza (NYC), Kai Wagner (PHI), Brooks Lennon (ATL), Bryan Acosta (COL), Jonathan Osorio (TOR), Karol Swiderski (CLT), Sergio Santos (CIN), Christian Benteke (DC), Dénis Bouanga (LAFC)
FC Cincinnati host Louisville City FC on Wednesday night in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, tickets are available at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets. The game will stream on Bleacher Report Football’s YouTube channel and the B/R App.
