May 30, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release
CINCINNATI – When kickoff came at 7:30 p.m. local time it was as perfect of a night for soccer as one could imagine in the Queen City. A breezy 72 degrees, the sun cresting over the seven hills, and a buzz in the air for a sold out crowd at TQL Stadium on a Wednesday night.
By the time the final whistle blew. It was raining and dark. The clouds had covered any kind of moonlight, the temperature dipped into the low 60’s and the scoreboard showed FC Cincinnati down 2-0.
The weather reflected the mood inside TQL Stadium. It was just one of those nights.
It was a disappointing result. Two quick goals by Nashville in the first half was all the scoring the game would see and FC Cincinnati was, for the fourth time this season, kept off the score sheet at home. After a seven-game winning streak, the second longest in league history where at times FCC looked to be playing with flash, the loss ended the streak with a thud.
Despite outshooting, out xGing and out possessing Nashville SC, The Orange and Blue could not find the connections needed to score despite there being enough half chances out there thinking at least one goal would come.
A set piece goal gave Nashville the lead. A corner kick, won on a mishandled throw in, that Jack Maher poked in off the Hany Muhktar service was the second corner kick goal conceded in as many games. Five minutes later, Muhktar dribbled through a mishandled ball in the midfield before dumping it off to Jacob Shaffleburg for the goal. An uncharacteristic defensive lapse in the middle of the field.
FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan described the set piece service FC Cincinnati provided as “the worst it’s been all year.” He said the defensive performance had not lived up to the expectation they had earned from themselves to start the season, and he said the play in the final third wasn’t good enough and was “rushed.”
But more than anything, more than the criticism and more than the frustration of the night, Noonan preached calm, patience and perspective.
“It was a good stretch for us of results and improvements with our performances. It’s just disappointing because we lost and we go into a little bit of a break now where you can’t ride that momentum of making an eighth (win in a row), but I’m still pleased with where the group is at,” Noonan said postgame. “The first half of the season has been fairly successful and shows things that we’re improving on and shows things…
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