March 24, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release
The Orange and Blue got their win at home. It took longer than expected, and a little more work than fans hoped for, but FCC earned three points Saturday night at TQL Stadium. The details of the victory will fade away; what matters is that they did it.
After two nil-nil draws at home and two 2-1 wins on the road, Luciano Acosta stepped into the spotlight and gave FC Cincinnati a goal to secure a 1-0 win over New York City FC. The league’s best defense continued its reign of terror on MLS offenses. Even without Miles Robinson (who was away on international duty), the defensive core kept its third clean sheet of the season and remained unscored on at home.
FC Cincinnati also find themselves at the top of the table after five matches. They lead the Eastern Conference and Supporters Shield standings with 11 points, despite the challenges faced from schedule congestion in the opening month of the MLS season.
But at the end of the night, the win was somewhat secondary. After two draws, everyone in the locker room felt the duty, the obligation, to give the fans something to celebrate.
“It’s nice to win in front of our home fans. It’s been a little too long,” head coach Pat Noonan said postgame. “In some ways, it didn’t feel like it mattered how. It was just important for us to win at home and (I was) pleased that the guys were able to do that. It wasn’t the prettiest game or performance, but I thought we defended really well.”
Noonan highlighted the need to “reward” the home fans after two nil-nil draws at home and give them, at the very least, something more exciting to cheer for. FC Cincinnati has been used to winning at home since the head coach arrived in the Queen City two seasons ago. One probably wouldn’t go far as saying the performances at home have been a monkey on their back to start the season … yet … but it certainly wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the outcomes have weighed on the team (players and coaches alike).
So in the full week buildup to Saturday’s match, putting on a strong performance was top of mind.
“I was glad I was able to give this gift to the fans,” Acosta said after the victory. “To give them this triumph we’ve been fighting and fighting and fighting to try and break through, and tonight we finally did that so I am very happy.
“Every game I feel that responsibility…I’m just happy I can play for this club and that I can get this result tonight.”
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