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| Who squares off against who matters. |
I know. I know. Look, 280 characters is really confining. I tried. Once.
Overall
FC Cincinnati won its second straight (road?) game against Toronto FC (I asked the question because I’m not sure what mattered more, venue or opposition). The game ended 2-0 and Cincy never looked like losing. I reviewed the condensed game to confirm I wasn’t missing anything and, some half-chances on a couple set-pieces and a full chance Patrick Mullins absolutely should have buried aside, I did not. The box score backs it up as well.
Toronto was a mess yesterday and is a mess in general in the season’s early weeks. Moreover, I can’t see them turning it around. Players they rely on - e.g., Jonathan Osorio and Marky Delgado (in particular) - had horrible games and, to name and credit the one guy who looked good for them, I’d be pissed off if I was Chris Mavinga.
Oh, and I need to retract a tweet: Kenneth Vermeer was not pretty good; he flailed a lot, especially on crosses. That’s it for a summary, on to…
Five Thoughts
1) Who’s Next?
As MLS’s Matt Doyle noted yesterday, the first step to becoming a good team comes with beating bad/struggling teams. FC Cincinnati has done that twice now. As such, I’m excited to see them play different and slightly better teams - Houston on the road will do nicely - which will give Cincinnati fans a clearer benchmark for what’s starting to look like progress in 2021. Too many fans make the mistake of treating every game like the one before it, but there’s a world of difference between losing to New York City FC or Orlando on the road (because, good teams) and losing to, say, Inter Miami CF at home. The latter should surprise/anger you; the former, less so.
Overall
FC Cincinnati won its second straight (road?) game against Toronto FC (I asked the question because I’m not sure what mattered more, venue or opposition). The game ended 2-0 and Cincy never looked like losing. I reviewed the condensed game to confirm I wasn’t missing anything and, some half-chances on a couple set-pieces and a full chance Patrick Mullins absolutely should have buried aside, I did not. The box score backs it up as well.
Toronto was a mess yesterday and is a mess in general in the season’s early weeks. Moreover, I can’t see them turning it around. Players they rely on - e.g., Jonathan Osorio and Marky Delgado (in particular) - had horrible games and, to name and credit the one guy who looked good for them, I’d be pissed off if I was Chris Mavinga.
Oh, and I need to retract a tweet: Kenneth Vermeer was not pretty good; he flailed a lot, especially on crosses. That’s it for a summary, on to…
Five Thoughts
1) Who’s Next?
As MLS’s Matt Doyle noted yesterday, the first step to becoming a good team comes with beating bad/struggling teams. FC Cincinnati has done that twice now. As such, I’m excited to see them play different and slightly better teams - Houston on the road will do nicely - which will give Cincinnati fans a clearer benchmark for what’s starting to look like progress in 2021. Too many fans make the mistake of treating every game like the one before it, but there’s a world of difference between losing to New York City FC or Orlando on the road (because, good teams) and losing to, say, Inter Miami CF at home. The latter should surprise/anger you; the former, less so.
2) The Importance of a Foundation
Having Geoff Cameron and Gustavo Vallecilla - and even Ronald Matarrita (who dictated tempo yesterday like he wanted to be captain) - at the back appears to have bought Cincinnati the peace of mind they need to go forward without what’s behind them in the back of their minds. That’s big. This thought is also subject to the theme of No. 1 above: we’ll see how Cincy’s defense does against better teams than TFC and Chicago. That excitement about future opponents is tempered, basically.
3) Lucho v. Bradley
What Luciano Acosta did to TFC’s Michael Bradley to buy himself space for Cincinnati’s (beautiful) insurance goal was something he’d done all day - particularly against Bradley. A good first touch can buy him a mile’s worth of separation from a player getting on in years. Still, Acosta deserves credit for two good, team-leading games in a row…but, again, mind the opposition.
4) The Second Name I’m Penciling into the Starting XI
Alvaro Barreal. Over the season as a whole, I’d put Barreal on the same level as Acosta. He’s making good attacking runs off the ball, he’s good technically, his decisions have been good, and he keeps improving as a teammate - i.e., he makes the players around him better. The contrast with Brenner’s slow start is unavoidable - especially given they’re about the same age - but one of these players cost considerably less than the other.
5) The Guy…I Could Do Without
I hate to pick on him again, but Yuya Kubo is maddening as a deep midfielder. Even if I could do without the stupid fouls, and I still value the aggression/tackling, his decision-making is too damn slow for just about any position on the field. If Jaap Stam’s decision to continue starting says what I think it does - e.g., he sees Kubo as his best option - Cincinnati should clean house and get a proper defensive midfielder ASAP. That’s my top priority at this point.
Fin.
Having Geoff Cameron and Gustavo Vallecilla - and even Ronald Matarrita (who dictated tempo yesterday like he wanted to be captain) - at the back appears to have bought Cincinnati the peace of mind they need to go forward without what’s behind them in the back of their minds. That’s big. This thought is also subject to the theme of No. 1 above: we’ll see how Cincy’s defense does against better teams than TFC and Chicago. That excitement about future opponents is tempered, basically.
3) Lucho v. Bradley
What Luciano Acosta did to TFC’s Michael Bradley to buy himself space for Cincinnati’s (beautiful) insurance goal was something he’d done all day - particularly against Bradley. A good first touch can buy him a mile’s worth of separation from a player getting on in years. Still, Acosta deserves credit for two good, team-leading games in a row…but, again, mind the opposition.
4) The Second Name I’m Penciling into the Starting XI
Alvaro Barreal. Over the season as a whole, I’d put Barreal on the same level as Acosta. He’s making good attacking runs off the ball, he’s good technically, his decisions have been good, and he keeps improving as a teammate - i.e., he makes the players around him better. The contrast with Brenner’s slow start is unavoidable - especially given they’re about the same age - but one of these players cost considerably less than the other.
5) The Guy…I Could Do Without
I hate to pick on him again, but Yuya Kubo is maddening as a deep midfielder. Even if I could do without the stupid fouls, and I still value the aggression/tackling, his decision-making is too damn slow for just about any position on the field. If Jaap Stam’s decision to continue starting says what I think it does - e.g., he sees Kubo as his best option - Cincinnati should clean house and get a proper defensive midfielder ASAP. That’s my top priority at this point.
Fin.
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