In the 19th week of the MLS season, FC Cincinnati stood strong at home, edging out Chicago Fire with a score of 2-1 on Saturday. Cincinnati took the lead in the 18th minute thanks to a goal from Evander, and Kévin Denkey doubled the tally early in the second half, securing a comfortable margin for the hosts. Chicago Fire managed to pull one back through Philip Zinckernagel just nine minutes into the second half.
The standout player of the match was Evander, who shone for FC Cincinnati by scoring one goal and taking four shots on target during the game.
Another key player for Cincinnati was Kévin Denkey, who also found the net and had an impressive five attempts at goal against Chicago Fire.
Head coach Pat Noonan set his team up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Roman Celentano in goal; Alvas Powell, Matt Miazga, and Lukas Ahlefeld Engel in defense; DeAndre Yedlin, Brian Anunga, Luca Orellano, Pavel Bucha, and Evander in midfield; while Kei Kamara and Kévin Denkey led the attack.
On the other hand, Chicago Fire, led by coach Gregg Berhalter, adopted a 4-3-3 formation, fielding Jeffrey Gal in goal; Leonardo Barroso, Samuel Rogers, Jack Elliott, and Andrew Gutman in defense; Brian Gutiérrez, Mauricio Pineda, and Sergio Oregel in midfield; and Philip Zinckernagel, Hugo Cuypers, and Jonathan Bamba upfront.
The referee for this contest was Pierre Lauziere.
Looking ahead, FC Cincinnati will host Columbus Crew in their next fixture, while Chicago Fire will face San Diego FC at Soldier Field.
Substitutions for FC Cincinnati
67’ 2H – Kei Kamara was substituted for Gerardo Valenzuela
72’ 2H – Luca Orellano was replaced by Bradley Smith and Leonardo Barroso by Jonathan Dean
89’ 2H – Kévin Denkey was taken off for Corey Baird and Evander for Teenage Hadebe
Yellow cards for FC Cincinnati:
7’ 2H – Kei Kamara (Unsporting behavior) and 37’ 2H – Matt Miazga (Unsporting behavior)
Substitutions for Chicago Fire
73’ 2H – Brian Gutiérrez was replaced by Maren Haile-Selassie
82’ 2H – Sergio Oregel was substituted for Tom Barlow and Jonathan Bamba for Omari Glasgow
93’ 2H – Philip Zinckernagel was replaced by Samuel Williams
Yellow cards for Chicago Fire:
30’ 2H – Jonathan Bamba (Unsporting behavior) and 51’ 2H – Jack Elliott (Unsporting behavior)