CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati defeated Liga MX side Club Deportivo Guadalajara, “Chivas,” 3-1 on Wednesday night in a Leagues Cup Showcase match at TQL Stadium.
FC Cincinnati improve to 13-9-12 across all competitions this season.
The visitors struck first in the 20th minute on a goal from Pável Pérez, a shot which took a deflection at the top of the box to aid its way into the back of the net. Then came severe weather, which delayed action in the 35th minute for 49 minutes.
After play resumed, FC Cincinnati went on the offensive attack. A breakthrough came shortly after halftime in the 53rd minute from Yuya Kubo.
The opening goal for FC Cincinnati followed a tie-up between Dominique Badji and Miguel Ponce at the top of the Chivas box. The ball came free of the tangle and Kubo was first to gain possession for the Orange and Blue. A quick touch into space provided a chance for the midfielder who fired a well-placed, low-driven shot beating goalkeeper Raul Rangel at the far post.
He scored in his second consecutive game at TQL Stadium to tally his fifth career goal for FC Cincinnati across all competitions.
The second half barrage continued as Calvin Harris doubled FC Cincinnati’s lead later in the half. A Chivas giveaway in their own half saw Harris begin the attack towards goal with Kubo and Badji in support. A quick feint saw Harris past Miguel Ponce and his curling effort from outside the box was enough to beat the keeper in the 69th minute.
Brandon Vazquez got in on the action in the 77th minute. A strong attack from the Orange and Blue finished with a well-placed cross into the box from Álvaro Barreal, finding Vazquez in the center of the penalty area. FC Cincinnati’s leading goal scorer drove home his 17th goal of the season across all competitions.
A club record 21 players saw action in a contest for the Orange and Blue on Wednesday night, as FC Cincinnati exercised all 10 substitutions allowed in the international friendly.
FC Cincinnati are back in action next Tuesday, Sept. 27 for another matchup with a Western Conference foe at Seattle Sounders FC. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET from Lumen Field and the game can be watched on Star64, streamed in-market at fccincinnati.com, out of market on ESPN+ and listened to on the radio on ESPN 1530.
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati vs. C.D. Guadalajara (Chivas)
Date: September 21, 2022
Competition: Leagues Cup Showcase
Venue: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 14,727
Kickoff: 7:06 p.m. ET
Weather: 88 degrees, cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
CIN: 0-3-3
CHV: 1-0-1
CIN - Yuya Kubo (Dominique Badji) 53’, Calvin Harris (Yuya Kubo) 69’, Brandon Vazquez (Álvaro Barreal) 77’
CHV - Pável Pérez (Ruben Gonzalez) 20’
GAME NOTES
• FC Cincinnati improved to 3-2-1 in non-regular season matches since joining MLS in 2019 … this season the club is 2-1 after splitting the Orange and Blue’s two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup games.
• FC Cincinnati are 13-9-12 across all competitions this season.
• The game was delayed 49 minutes in the 35th minute due to severe weather … it is the second weather delay of the season at TQL Stadium (5/21 vs. NE – 1 hr. 20 min. prior to start).
• Yuya Kubo scored in his second consecutive game at TQL Stadium after not scoring for the Orange and Blue since October 14, 2020 … it was his fifth goal for FCC across all competitions.
• Calvin Harris scored his second career goal across all competitions with FCC … both were game-winning goals, the previous coming in the 2nd minute of the May 4 matchup with Toronto FC at TQL Stadium.
• Since entering the league with Atlanta United, Brandon Vazquez has now scored seven non-regular season goals, with Vazquez scoring six times in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
• FC Cincinnati 2 defender Kai Thomas made his debut with the senior team.
LINEUPS
CIN: Alec Kann, Ronald Matarrita (Álvaro Barreal 60’), John Nelson (Kai Thomas 85’), Tyler Blackett (Brenner 85’), Geoff Cameron (Ian Murphy 46’), Ray Gaddis (Zico Bailey 61’), Allan Cruz (Obinna Nwobodo 73’), Harrison Robledo (Luciano Acosta 74’), Yuya Kubo (Junior Moreno 74’), Sergio Santos (Calvin Harris 35’), Dominique Badji (Brandon Vazquez 74’)
Substitutes not used: Evan Louro
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
CHV: José Rangel, Hiram Mier, Gilberto García, Miguel Ponce, Alan Mozo (Luis Puente 74’), Pável Pérez (Alan Torres 46’), Ruben Gonzalez (Sergio Flores 62’), Jesús Molina (C) (Gilberto Sepúlveda 62’), Ángel Zaldívar (Sebastian Martinez 35’), Cristian Calderón (Carlos Cisneros 46’), Jesús Angulo (Sebastián Pérez 62’)
Substitutes not used: Jesús Sánchez, Diego Delgadillo, Miguel Jiménez, Matías Cendejas, Luis Olivas
Head Coach: Ricardo Cadena
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/CHV
Shots: 11 / 9
Shots on Goal: 7 / 4
Saves: 3 / 4
Corner Kicks: 5 / 1
Fouls: 17 / 15
Offside: 4 / 3
Possession: 49.9 / 50.1
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CHV – Sebastian Martinez (Yellow Card) 44’
CIN – Calvin Harris (Yellow Card) 59’
CHV – Gilberto Sepúlveda (Yellow Card) 67’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Armando Villarreal
Ast. Referees: Frank Anderson, Jose Da Silva
Fourth Official: Rosendo Mendoza
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard
AVAR: Edvin Juresevic, Jeff Muschik
POSTGAME QUOTES
FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan
On the win
“I thought it was a strong performance from the group after a relatively slow start. Once we figured out our defensive shape and how we wanted to press, I thought that guys did a really good job and turned that slow start into a good closing leading up to the delay and then the 10 minutes leading up to halftime. I thought we dealt well with the circumstances and had a good mentality. Then the second half, I thought was across the board really good. Some promising minutes from a lot of different guys. I'm really pleased with the way the group came together and stepped up to beat a tough opponent.”
On 11 straight unbeaten games
“Winning is always important, and I think it's also important for a group of players that maybe haven't been getting as many minutes as some maybe would like to come out and have a strong performance and win the game. Certainly, going into an important match against Seattle, you keep some confidence with the performance and the results, so I do think it's important.”
FC Cincinnati Forward Brandon Vazquez
On his goal and the win
“It's a confidence that [it] gives me going into the game next week versus Seattle. You know, it's been a couple of games where I haven't been able to get back of the net. So it's definitely nice to get back on it.
"It's, like I said, it's confidence that we needed. We played a big, big team tonight. A good team tonight so being able to win is definitely a big confidence boost for us.”
2023 FC Cincinnati Season Ticket Memberships are now available. Season Ticket Members are guaranteed the best seats at the best prices for every match at TQL Stadium in 2023, in addition to access to exclusive events, discounts on merchandise and more!
2023 Season Tickets are on sale now at fccincinnati.com/tickets. Fans looking for more information can contact a dedicated FC Cincinnati representative at (513) 977-5435 or e-mail tickets@fccincinnati.com.
Single match tickets to FC Cincinnati’s final home game on October 1 against Chicago Fire FC are available, head to fccincinnati.com/tickets or call 513-977-KICK, to learn more.
FC Cincinnati are playing their fourth season of MLS competition in 2022, and their second playing at TQL Stadium. For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team’s official mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.
