Highland Heights, Ky. (July 28, 2024) – Chicago Fire FC II (8-5-6-5) fell 5-0 at FC Cincinnati 2 (12-5-2-0) Sunday afternoon in Northern Kentucky. The match featured six Chicago Fire Academy players in the startling lineup with an additional five options on the bench. Five players – Charlie Norkett, Bryce Richards, Kruz Held, Josue Pfrommer and Damyan Villanueva – made their MLS NEXT Pro debuts in the match for Chicago.
Fielding the youngest side in team history, the Fire held their own for much of the first half and threatened to open the scoring early on. But the home side took advantage of Chicago’s aggression in transition, when Guilherme Santos recovered a ball and lofted it to Kenji Mboma Den on the left wing. The Cincinnati winger attempted to chip goalkeeper Patrick Los, who got a hand on the ball but could not keep it from going into the net. Shortly before halftime, a foul in the Chicago box gave Cincinnati a penalty kick, which Stefan Chirila finished for the 2-0 lead.
The match resumed in the second half in a manner similar to the first, with the home side earning a penalty kick shortly after the whistle. Los made up for the earlier penalty kick with a save on Chirila’s second effort, but the home side kept pushing for a third. On a set piece in the 58th minute, Mboma Den delivered a pinpoint cross into the path of Santos, who hit a header from short range to extend the Cincinnati lead. Moises Tablante added a goal of his own just four minutes later with a long distance shot from the run of play.
A flurry of substitutions in the second half, including the debuts of Held, Pfrommer and Villanueva, injected some energy into the Fire. But the hosts were comfortably in front and added a fifth via Benjamin Stitz to wrap up the match and start Chicago’s five-game road trip with a loss.
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Box Score:
FC Cincinnati 2 5:0 Chicago Fire FC II
Goals:
CIN - Mboma Dem (5) (Santos 2) (WATCH) 23’
CIN - Chirila (6) (Penalty) (WATCH) 40’
CIN - Santos (3) (Mboma Den 3) (WATCH) 58’
CIN - Tablante (3) (WATCH) 62’
CIN - Stitz (5) (Mangione 4) (WATCH) 90+1’
Discipline:
CIN - Gilbert (Yellow Card) 16’
CHI - Granda (Yellow Card) 38’
CHI - Blake (Yellow Card) 42’
CHI - Calle (Yellow Card) 51’
CIN - Santos (Yellow Card) 54’
CIN - Mangione (Yellow Card) 77’
CHI - Shokalook (Yellow Card) 82’
CIN - Daley (Red Card) 84’
Chicago Fire FC II: GK Los (Stechnjij, 66’), D Cupps, D Konincks (Pfrommer, 66’), D Norkett (Nagle, 45’), M Richards, M Calle, M Blake (Held, 45’), M Granda, F Poreba (capt.) (Villanueva, 80’), F Shokalook, F Soudan
FC Cincinnati 2: GK Morse, D Machado, D Gibert, D Schaefer, M Tablante (Castellano, 66’), M Benalcázar, M Ramos, M Daley, F Mboma Dem (Valoyes, 78’), F Santos (Mangione, 66’), F Chirila (Stitz, 71’)
Subs not used: GK Broz, D Kuisel, D Stout, D Matuskiewicz, M Hylton
Stats Summary: CIN / CHI
Shots: 21 / 4
Shots on Goal: 12 / 0
Passing Accuracy: 84.3% / 76.9%
Saves: 0 / 7
Corners: 6 / 2
Fouls: 17 / 17
Offsides: 2 / 1
Possession: 57.1% / 42.9%
Referee: Anya Voigt
Assistant Ref 1: Jake Brochu
Assistant Ref 2: Christian Little
4th Official: Ali Zolgharnain
