CINCINNATI — Despite conceding early, two goals late in each half helped the Vancouver Whitecaps to 2-1 win at FC Cincinnati Saturday evening.
The start was bright for the hosts. FC Cincinnati (5-17-2, 17 points) registered five shots in the match opening with the highlight being a scrappy Allan Cruz opener in the sixth minute. The Costa Rican punched home the ball from close range following Darren Mattocks’ heavy first touch from a Mathieu Deplagne cross into the box. The goal was Cruz’s fourth of the season.
Cincinnati continued to dominate play for much of the opening 45 minutes, racking up 57 percent of possession and accumulating another four shots before halftime.
But the host’s inability to close out a half once again came back to sting them four minutes before the halftime whistle.
FCC failed to properly clear their lines following a Vancouver free kick, with the ball falling to Inbeom Hwang 35 yards from goal. The midfielder let loose a low driven shot from distance that slipped through the entire Cincinnati defense and past a helpless Prezmyslaw Tytoń, leveling the score 1-1.
Cincinnati also started the second half hot, testing Vancouver goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau on several occasions. But it would be Vancouver (5-11-9, 24 points) which took advantage, again against the run of play.
Following a defensive breakdown on Cincinnati’s right flank, Felipe smashed home a ball from close range to give the Whitecaps a 2-1 lead.
FC Cincinnati frustrations
Despite last Saturday’s loss at Toronto, FC Cincinnati had taken some promise from the effort and energy displayed as the team chased and pulled within a goal in Canada.
Tonight though, following conceding twice despite taking an early lead, frustrations of old had returned.
“A disappointing result in a game that could have been better,” interim FC Cincinnati coach Yoann Damet said. “I’m very very disappointed.”
Damet’s irritation was understandable. Poor shot conversion has plagued the Orange and Blue for much of the season. And after watching his side outshoot Vancouver 19-11, twice striking the woodwork, that issue reared its head once again against the Whitecaps.
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“We created some opportunities, especially in the second half,” Damet said. “Yeah, the score… it speaks for itself. We should have been more efficient in the final third. We need to work and we need to come back to the training facilities to keep working on that.”
Defensively, conceding within the final five minutes of each half will point to lingering lapses in concentration — another season-long issue. Despite holding Whitecaps to just five shots on target, the slips in focus — and more importantly, times that they slipped — are once again proving critical to match outcomes.
Whitecaps right the ship
With the result, Vancouver snap a nine-match run without a win. The team’s last victory came way back on May 25 with a 2-1 home win over FC Dallas. They also registered their first multi-goal match since June 26 in a 2-2 draw away to Dallas.
With the Colorado Rapids smacking down Montreal 6-3, snatching victory in Cincinnati also means the Whitecaps remain off the bottom of the Western Conference table.
This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the evening.