FC Cincinnati Let Performance Do the Talking for Them, Remind All Who Are Defending Supporters’ Shield Champions in 6-1 Rout over Inter Miami CF

July 7, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release

The Orange and Blue didn’t intend on making a statement Saturday night at TQL Stadium. They wanted to win the game, they knew they had to win if they wanted to continue their path to a second Supporters’ Shield, and they wanted to perform to a level they could be proud of.

But what they did – in a 6-1 thrashing over the then leading Inter Miami CF, a wire to wire domination over the league’s publicly claimed “top team” – was send a message to MLS as a whole. FC Cincinnati is not messing around.

“No no no, nothing like that,” FCC captain and MLS MVP Luciano Acosta said when asked if his club wanted to send a message to the league. “We came to play our game. We played our game, they played theirs. No message stuff like that. But we’re just us.”

‘We’re just us,’ is somehow still a very loud message. Not a boisterous or arrogant one. But it’s a loud, meaningful one full of all the deserved confidence that was earned on Saturday night.

A message was sent that Luciano Acosta is still the MLS MVP and is only getting better. They sent a message that Luca Orellano is not only an MLS All-Star but one of the league’s elite attacking players who can play on either side and anywhere vertically up the field. They said that even without Matt Miazga and Nick Hagglund, Miles Robinson can lead the defensive backline with exceptional prowess. That players like Pavel Bucha and Obinna Nwobodo dominate the midfield. Reminded that DeAndre Yedlin is not only one of the most impactful defenders in the league, but one of the most versatile and valuable to winning play. Yuya Kubo continued to prove to everyone that commitment and hard work pays off while setting new personal and club records.

But again, they didn’t say that. No one said that. Only those on the outside looking in will say that. FC Cincinnati, from Acosta to Orellano and everyone in between, let their play do the talking after the most dominant and exciting performance of the year over an Inter Miami CF team that has been riding high.

“A great performance. Guys stepped up tonight,” Head Coach Pat Noonan opened with his post game presser. “I’m really happy for our guys…You have to beat good teams if you want to be at the top of the table or the top of the conference and play home games in the playoffs, and like I said, guys stepped up tonight, both teams missing key pieces. We won’t look past that. We’ll see them at the end of August, and…