A lot happened between March 17, when Fanendo Adi limped off the field with an ankle injury, and the 79th minute Saturday night, when he replaced Justin Hoyte against the San Jose Earthquakes.
For Adi, he missed time with his injuries, and then, a legal matter. All told, seven matches passed without his inclusion. And when he fully returned to training 10 days ago, he reiterated this hasn’t been an ideal start for him.
But the same could be said for his club.
After seven points through four games, FC Cincinnati have earned one from their next seven. They’re on a five-game losing streak and their last goal was six games ago. Their last goal from open play was from eight.
“I’m excited,” the Nigerian forward said about his return. “Obviously, I need some games to get going, but to get back on the pitch again feels good. It’s a tough result knowing that we played against them [with 10 men] and we couldn’t find a goal. It’s very hard. We just need to work on a lot of things at training.”
FC Cincinnati lost 0-1 to the San Jose Earthquakes at Avaya Stadium, but they gained their No. 9 – a Designated Player – back. Adi’s return means attacking reinforcements, and hopefully, the end of the scoring drought and losing streak.
“Obviously, the club has given me a lot and I have not been able to give back to the club,” he said. “For me, right now is about getting back into shape and trying to score goals is going to be the top priority for me. We haven’t been winning, the forwards haven’t been scoring. Whoever plays, the whole team needs to find a player to score the goals. For me, coming back now is just to work on my finishing and trying to score goals to help the team.”
In his 11 minutes on the field, his best chance came a minute after entering the pitch. In the 80th minute, Emmanuel Ledesma played a headed cross to Adi, who volleyed the ball a foot over the cross bar.
It didn’t lead to a goal, but it was a sign of potential quality to come.
“For me, I’m just happy to be back,” he said. “Of course, I know that I can add something to the team. To be able to play on the pitch today feels very good for me.”
