FC Cincinnati 2 secured a bounce back victory Sunday night at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium, where the Orange and Blue tied an FCC 2 record for margin of victory, winning 5-0 over Toronto FC II.
After a scoreless first half FC Cincinnati 2 exploded for a five goal second half fueled by a brace from forward Stefan Chirila and additional goals by Dilan Hurtado, Michael Sullivan and Mathias Vazquez.
“I’m really happy for the guys to feel that win after all the hard work that we've been doing,” FC Cincinnati 2 Head Coach Sami Castellanos said after the victory.
With the win, FC Cincinnati 2 improved to 2-5-0 with a 2-1-0 record at home. Chirila has now tallied three goals for FC Cincinnati 2 this season, with another one for the first team in Concacaf Champions Cup action. The three other goal scorers all added their first goal of the year.
In the first half, FC Cincinnati 2 controlled the pace of the game and kept the Toronto FC II defense on their heels but was unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities. So, at the break both sides went into the locker room tied 0-0. Although unsatisfied, Castellanos made sure to keep his team focused and ready to break through in the second half.
“It was more encouraging for the guys to keep going, and then, just to be ruthless in that final third, to really hyper focus on your moment and finish it off,” Castellanos said. “I think the guys were really good in the second half. They created the same moments again that we created in the first half. The guys were a little bit more composed in the box to get that finish.”
Out of break, FCC 2 came out firing, scoring three times within the first 15 minutes of play. Chirila opened the scoring by slotting a shot past the TFCII keeper three minutes into the second half.
From there, the flood gates opened. Defender Dilan Hurtado scored his first career goal three minutes later and nine minutes after that Chirila secured his brace.
After that outburst to start the half, FC Cincinnati 2 cruised to victory, adding two more goals in the process. The fourth goal of the game came from captain Michael Sullivan, who appeared in 24 games for Toronto FC II a season ago, and the fifth and final finish by Mathias Vasquez – his first for the club since arriving from Honduras at the start of this season.
The goalscoring outbreak was hardly the only thing to celebrate in the dominant win. In addition to the offense, four FC Cincinnati Academy players featured and contributed to the victory. Will Kuisel, 18, an FCC 2 regular at this point, started and has now made appearances in every match this season. Camden Sphire, 17, a Cincinnati native, made his fourth appearance with FC Cincinnati 2 and his first start; and Dom Lester, 15, made his second appearance for FCC 2.
In a final milestone of the night, 15-year-old Ryan Schlotterbeck capped off the eventful match by checking in for his MLS NEXT Pro debut in the 79th minute. Another Cincinnati native and FC Cincinnati Academy prospect, Schlotterbeck typically plays for the U15 side and has been called into the U15 U.S. Youth National Team before. The forward joined his national side earlier this year in a trip to Cyprus for matches against Cyprus and England.
In attendance at Scudamore Field, Schlotterbeck’s family and friends could be heard in the crowd roaring and screaming when the Young Gary’s name was announced.
“They've been there all the way, and I'm just so grateful for them, how much they push me,” forward Ryan Sclotterbeck said of his family’s support. “Hearing them yelling and cheering for me gives me the motivation to go out there and do better.”
FCC 2’s 5-0 win matched the largest margin of victory in club history, which was originally set on July 28, 2024, in a 5-0 win over Chicago Fire FC II.
FC Cincinnati 2 are back in action this weekend at 6 p.m. as they kick-off against Columbus Crew 2 on Sunday, May 10, for the first playing of the ‘Heck is Plausible’ Derby. FCC 2 take on Crew 2 hoping to secure wins in back-to-back contests for the first time this season when they get things underway at Scudamore Field.
