FC Cincinnati drew with the Rochester Rhinos 1-1 in front of 14,157 fans at Nippert Stadium. Cincinnati started off the scoring in the 28’ with a header from Austin Berry, but Steeven Dos Santos evened up 14 minutes later for Rochester.
This is the second match of the season between the teams where Rochester won 2-1. Cincinnati head coach John Harkes commented after the game, “How disappointed we are at only getting a point is a great sign of character.”
This was Cincinnati’s first game in 11 days and the rust was evident as well as not having their top striker Sean Okoli was a problem due to their poor finishing in the final third. Their problems were compounded by striker Omar Cummings having to come off in the 42’ after a collision with the Rochester keeper Tomas Gomez. It looked as though his right knee hyper-extended and he was down on the turf for a few minutes but was somehow able to walk off. Coach Harkes said, “It seemed like a little bit of a hyper-extension… once we get the MRI back we will know more.”
The first half saw each team score with goals from Berry and Dos Santos. Rochester had the majority of chances having nine shots with two on target and many of their off target shots being close. Also looking like they had the majority of possession it would only have been better is if they could have scored on one of their early chances or on one of their six corners. Cincinnati was only able to get three shots with the only one on target being the goal from Berry.
In the second half Cincinnati was able to push and attack more but there were a lot of bad passes in the final third none of their shots were able to find the back of the net with only one being on target. Rochester again had a few chances from their large amount of set pieces from six corners and a couple close free kicks but nothing that was able to provide goal. Toward the end of the half there was a scrum in the box when the ball fell right in front of the goal and a Cincinnati player fell on the ground and hit the ball with his hand but a foul was called.
Cincinnati’s next match is on Sunday August 28, at 5:45p.m. away at the conference leading New York Red Bulls II. They will be looking to avenge their home loss from July 20. This is a homecoming for Coach Harkes who is from the New Jersey area. He commented, “A lot of expectations, I got to get a lot of tickets… I grew up playing five a side games two hundred yards from the stadium.”
Moments of the Match
In the second minute Rochester’s Kenardo Forbes hit a first touch shot from outside the box off a back pass that Cincinnati keeper Mitch Hildebrandt had to tip over the bar or it would have gone in the top corner.
In the 12’ minute Rochester’s Dos Santos just missed the far post with a shot from the right of goal from a long pass from the keeper Gomez.
Forbes picked up the first yellow card of the game in the 23’ with a hard foul on Tyler Polak of Cincinnati.
Cincinnati scored first in the 28’ with a header from Berry off a cross from Tyler Polak. The cross came off a short corner where Polak put the ball toward the far post from the left side where Berry out jumped a defender to put the ball past the keeper into the far side of the net. This was his third goal of the season.
Cummings hurt his knee in the 38’ after a collision with Rochester’s keeper Gomez in the box. It looked as though he hyperextended his right knee, but he was able to walk off the field. There were calls for a penalty but the referee waved them off. Cummings was subbed off for Eric Stevenson.
Rochester tied it up with a goal in the 41’ from Dos Santos shortly off the restart after the stoppage of play from the injury. A missed tackle on the edge of the box allowed Bradley Kamdem to assist on the goal.
The second yellow card of the game went to Rochester’s Wal Fall for a challenge on Harrison Delbridge in the 52’.
Cincinnati’s Jimmy McLaughlin picked up a yellow card in the 55’ for a shirt pull at midfield. This is his first of the season.
Eric Stevenson picked up a yellow card in the 81’ for a bad sliding challenge on KamDem.
Rochester had a great chance in the 83’ when a corner fell right in front of the goal but no Rochester player was able to get on the end of it. A Cincinnati player fell onto the ground and handed the ball but the referee called a foul on Rochester leading several of their players to protest but they were waved off.
At the end of the game Cincinnati’s Andrew Wedieman was able to put a header off the top of the bar but the keeper corralled the rebound. The final whistle was blown shortly afterwards.