SAINT PAUL, Minn. – FC Cincinnati fell to Minnesota United FC, 2-0, at Allianz Field on Saturday night.
Minnesota United (6-5-4, 22 pts.) got off to a quick start by tallying via the penalty spot. FCC defender Mathieu Deplagne fouled Minnesota defender Chase Gasper inside the 18-yard box to earn the home side a penalty. Newly acquired forward Kei Kamara converted from the spot to put the Loons in front.
FC Cincinnati (3-8-4, 13 pts.) had their best opportunity of the night in the second half. Midfielder/forward Joseph-Claude Gyau sent a dangerous cross into the 18-yard box, where forward Jurgen Locadia was able to head the ball on frame – but Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair made a key save to keep the Orange and Blue off the scoresheet.
The Loons went on to add a second goal in the 69th minute when Kevin Molino registered his seventh goal of the season to extend the home side’s lead.
FC Cincinnati will return to the pitch for a mid-week match on Wednesday, Oct. 7 when they will play the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on WSTR 64, carried on the radio on WDJO (99.5 FM, 107.9 FM and 1480 AM), streamed regionally on fccincinnati.com/stream, out of market on ESPN+, while an audio stream will be available at TuneIn (WDJO) and fccincinnati.com.
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.
Information about seating options at the club’s state-of-the-art West End Stadium – which will open in Spring 2021 – is now available at westendstadium.com. Season ticket deposits are now being accepted for traditional reserved seating and The Bailey. For more information about 2021 season memberships, visit westendstadium.com or the stadium’s social properties on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @WestEndStadium, or by calling the team’s sales and service staff at 513-977-5425.
Minnesota United FC 2, FC Cincinnati 0
Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minn.
October 3, 2020
SCORING SUMMARY
MIN – Kei Kamara (penalty) 16’
MIN – Kevin Molino (Emanuel Reynoso) 69’
FC Cincinnati: Przemysław Tytoń, Mathieu Deplagne (Kamohelo Mokotjo 89’), Kendall Waston ©, Maikel van der Werff, Greg Garza, Haris Medunjanin, Frankie Amaya, Allan Cruz (Brandon Vazquez 70’), Joseph-Claude Gyau, Jürgen Locadia, Yuya Kubo (Caleb Stanko 79’)
Bench: Bobby Edwards, Spencer Richey, Saad Abdul-Salaam, Zico Bailey,
Stats: Shots 16, Shots on goal 3, Saves 2, Corner kicks 8, Offsides 2, Fouls 11, Possession 58.1%, Passes 557 (86.4%)
Minnesota United FC: Dayne St. Clair, Michael Boxall ©, Bakaye Dibassy, Chase Gasper, Romain Métanire, Jan Gregus, Jacori Hayes (Kevin Molino 61’), Hassani Dotson, Robin Lod, Emanuel Reynoso, Kei Kamara (Aaron Schoenfeld 72’)
Bench: Fred Emmings, Adrian Zendejas, Brent Kallman, James Musa, Raheem Edwards, Marlon Hairston, Jose Aja
Stats: Shots 14, Shots on goal 4, Saves 3, Corner kicks 3, Offsides 0, Fouls 16, Possession 41.9%, Passes 401(78.6%)
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Mathieu Deplagne (caution) 15’
CIN – Allan Cruz (caution) 47’
MIN – Chase Gasper (caution) 50’
MIN – Robin Lod (caution) 76’
Referee: Marcos DeOliveira
Assistant Referees: Corey Rockwell, Jeff Hosking
4th Official: Ismir Pekmic
VAR: Alan Kelly
AVAR: Peter Balciunas
Weather: 49 degrees and mostly cloudy
Attendance: N/A
GAME NOTES
- With tonight’s loss the Orange and Blue are now 3-8-4 through 15 MLS matches … FCC are now 1-7-0 in matches played in road venues … FC Cincinnati’s all-time, all-competition record against Minnesota United FC moves to 0-2-0 … The Orange and Blue are now 0-1-0 against Western Conference opponents this season
- Kamohelo Mokotjo made his MLS debut in the 89th minute … Mokotjo replaced Mathieu Deplagne late in the second half … FC Cincinnati officially acquired Mokotjo on Aug. 20 … tonight marked the first time Mokotjo was named to FCC’s matchday roster
- Head coach Jaap Stam made four changes to the starting lineup from the club’s most recent match at New York City FC on Sept. 26 … Mathieu Deplagne, Greg Garza, Yuya Kubo and Przemysław Tytoń replaced Andrew Gutman, Tom Pettersson, Spencer Richey and Brandon Vazquez
- Nick Hagglund was unavailable for selection for tonight’s match in accordance with MLS health and safety protocols
- Siem de Jong, Andrew Gutman and Jimmy McLaughlin were excluded from the matchday roster because of injuries
POSTGAME QUOTES
FC Cincinnati head coach Jaap Stam
On tonight’s match
“I'm very happy with our performance. I think we played very well. I think we dominated big parts of the game. In the second half we created opportunities, but we didn't score. And we give away two goals. One over a penalty and one that we defend very sloppy. Then, you can see the differences between them and us. They score and we don't.”
On the team’s tactical execution
“We've done that very well, you know. If you play like this, that sometimes it can be an open goal, or an open game and with big spaces, but because that's normally if you want to play go forward as you open up the space at the back at times. Can you see that? To be honest, of course, you know, at times it was a little bit of a threat in front of our box, but they didn't create a lot of opportunities. And I think I'm very happy with the performance that we had and how we played. We deserved at least one goal. This game is a bit, I don't know what you call it, but them winning by two-nil is a bit too much, to be honest.”
On how the team’s response after conceding a goal.
“Because we spoke about it and it’s the thing that we need to do, because in football, like i said before, It’s very close. If you score that goal, then the opposition gets a different feeling. Yourself, you get a very good feeling. So, you can keep on pushing. In soccer, you never give up. You always need to keep on going, because even when you’re behind like two or three goals within a couple of minutes, you can do well and you can get a draw. It has been proven within the past as well, with a lot of games. I speak from experience as well. So they’ve done that very well. That's a very, very positive thing. In other games, we had moments that our heads went down, but everything starts as well. It’s also from what happened with certain players, a lot of players have been here longer than a couple of months. From what happened in the period before. We need to get out of that. You need to get that out of everybody’s minds. Football is a game of mistakes. It’s a game of making progress, getting confidence, playing in a certain way. That’s what we’ve done today. Which was very good. When you concede, you need to work hard again to make that equalizer. That’s what they’ve tried to do today and I am very proud.”
FC Cincinnati midfielder Haris Medunjanin
On tonight’s match
“Yeah, it’s difficult again. We lost. But, I think we had some good soccer in this game. We controlled the ball, but in the end, what’s it all about? To score goals and to win games and that’s what we didn’t do. But, I think we showed today the new system that we can play, that we can hold the ball more than we did before, that we play really composed. And we created a lot of chances again, but (in soccer) you need to finish your chances if you want to win games.”
On the mood of the team after the match
“We came (into the locker room) after the game, everybody was sad because we lost the game again. But we had a good feeling because we control our game in most of the parts. But, there are still eight games to go. If you win two in a row, you are back again in a playoff spot. I think as a soccer player, you need to always have the confidence that you can change this. It’s not always easy. It would be nice to win every game, but sometimes it’s difficult. Sometimes in soccer, you get a slap in your face and you need to start again and you need to show the mentality if you’re strong as a group, because Wednesday we play against a good team.”
On why the team didn’t concede multiple times after giving up the first goal
“I think we put the pressure on this game because we need to win. If you want to play for the spots in the playoffs, you need to win games. You need to put pressure in every game and I think because we lost the game against New York so easy, 4-0, you need to step up in this game. I think when we received the penalty, the heads were not down, we still continue because we control the game. We had the ball. They're trying to press us, but we were composed.”
FC Cincinnati midfielder Frankie Amaya
On tonight’s match
“I just thought we played pretty well. I mean, obviously, we didn't get a result, but I thought the team played pretty well. And we had good spells. It was a bad pk. So, they took the advantage on us, but another counter and they took us out of the game and we just couldn't put our chances in.”
On the team’s progress
”Like I said, we played really well. We kept possession. We broke some lines, we got out of the pressure. We also press well at times, but we just couldn't get a result.”
On how the team can capitalize on their opportunities
“I don’t know. We just got to put in the back of the net. It’s no practice. It's just keeping composure and trying to finish. We're going to get lucky on times and, and that's part of the game. But we just need to put one in and help us, help the whole team because when we put a goal in, I feel like we can take it easy. It’ll give us confidence going into the game again.”
