August 14, 2022 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro) – FC Cincinnati 2 News Release
CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati 2 battled to a thrilling 3-3 draw Sunday night against in-state rivals, Columbus Crew 2, earning two points in a shootout win in the first MLS NEXT Pro match held at TQL Stadium. Calvin Harris picked up his first goal for the 2s and finished the night with a brace while Arquimides Ordóñez scored his fourth of the season for the Orange and Blue.
Columbus opened things in the 16th minute with Marco Micaletto scoring his sixth of the year following a short set-piece play. Isaiah Parente closed out the opening forty-five with a goal deep into stoppage time ending a physical first half of action. The teams combined for twenty-six fouls and four yellow cards, ultimately overshadowed by a red card issued to Crew 2 head coach Laurent Courtois.
FCC 2 completed a stunning second-half comeback starting with Harris’ 66th-minute goal. The finish was a result of quick, controlled build-up through the middle of the field highlighted by a wonderful exchange between Ordóñez and Gerardo Valenzuela, ending with Valenzuela playing a perfectly weighted pass into Harris. Valenzuela pulled the strings for FCC 2 after coming on as a second-half substitute picking up his second assist of the night on Ordóñez’s equalizer.
FCC 2 and Crew 2 were both awarded late stoppage time penalties, the first going the way of Crew 2 in the 92nd minute. Parente scored his second of the match, and third of the season, to put the visitors ahead in what looked to be the match-winning goal, but Harris converted his penalty four minutes later, in the 96th minute, to send the match to a shootout.
It was Alec Kann, making his second start of the season, who played hero in the shootout, earning the Orange and Blue two points with two saves. Coupled with Kann’s performance between the sticks, FCC 2 converted their first four penalties to keep pressure on Crew 2. FCC 2 would win the shootout, 4-2.
“Fantastic game from the boys,” said Tyrone Marshal, head coach of FCC 2. “It wasn’t so much about tactics tonight. It was about emotion. That’s what it’s all about. The spirit, the courage, the determination, getting out there to battle. At the end of the day, it’s mano a mano and we won those battles tonight.”
FC CINCINNATI 2 GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati 2 vs. Columbus Crew 2
Date: Aug. 14, 2022
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season
Venue: TQL Stadium
Kickoff: 6:05 p.m. ET
Weather: 77 degrees,…
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