CHICAGO – FC Cincinnati won't be afforded the luxury of savoring its second win of the 2021 Major League Soccer season.
One of the busiest periods of the 2021 schedule saw FCC (2-5-1) on Wednesday bag a 1-0 victory on the road against Chicago Fire FC, but the club now turns to Saturday's game in Orlando against Toronto FC.
Cincinnati used a 50th-minute Alvaro Barreal set-piece goal as the decisive margin in the win against Chicago at Soldier Field. The victory allowed FC Cincinnati to jump from 14th to 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
More:Alvaro Barreal's free-kick goal gives FC Cincinnati 1-0 win against Chicago Fire FC
In order for FCC to solidify its escape from last place, though, it needs another result against Toronto – now the No. 13 team in the East after it blew a lead and lost, 3-2, to Nashville SC on Wednesday.
Consecutive results for FC Cincinnati would be a rarity for the club, and the first such case of that since the club rattled off points in three straight league matches during, and just after, 2020's MLS Is Back Tournament.
A victory could set FCC off on a new trajectory while a draw would afford the club a chance to stay out of the Eastern Conference cellar.
Here are some final thoughts on Wednesday's victory and the match to come, along with the possibility of Jurgen Locadia's final appearance for FCC this weekend.
FC Cincinnati took the points at Chicago but Bobby Shuttleworth still has FCC's number
Plenty of observers pointed out that Cincinnati’s finishing was lacking against the Fire, and it certainly was at times. But multiple things can be true of a given situation or scenario, and while FCC wasn’t clinical in front of goal, you also have to give Chicago goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth his due credit.
Shuttleworth made 11 stops against FC Cincinnati, tying a Chicago single-match record for saves (bear in mind Chicago's been in the league since 1998, so that's quite an accomplishment). And maybe we shouldn’t be surprised by Shuttleworth’s performance against FCC because he’s been frustrating Cincinnati for years.
Spoken differently, maybe we can cut Cincinnati some slack for a 1-0 win that initially appeared to leave room for nitpicking in the finishing department.
More:How FC Cincinnati used halftime changes to get 1-0 win over Chicago Fire FC, escape cellar
Wednesday night was Shuttleworth’s fourth career appearance against Cincinnati. He started twice against FCC in 2020 and, as a member of Minnesota United FC in 2018, started in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match at Nippert Stadium while Cincinnati was in its final USL season.
Turns out, Alvaro Barreal’s goal on Wednesday was the first Shuttleworth has conceded to FC Cincinnati — and he still almost stopped the shot but for Barreal’s inch-perfect accuracy on the take.
That 2018 Open Cup match went to extra time and eventually penalties. After making two saves from open play, Shuttleworth stopped two spot kicks and saw Minnesota prevail in the Open Cup.
OK, so it's true that in 2018 Shuttleworth faced a second-division roster. It's also true that the 2020 FCC team he started against was bereft of attacking consistency.
But four noteworthy appearances against one club is no fluke. Maybe FC Cincinnati was fortunate to sneak one past Shuttleworth, who seems to play with great confidence against this club, and escape Chicago with the victory.
Even in defeat, Shuttleworth was awarded MLS Team of the Week recognition for his performance in Wednesday's loss.
Is SaturdayJürgen Locadia’s final match for FC Cincinnati?
Jürgen Locadia reliability produces at least one agonizingly close chance in seemingly every FC Cincinnati game he appears in, and that was the case again at Soldier Field on Wednesday.
FCC goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer sprayed a long ball from the top of his penalty area and Locadia got on the end of it. It was a hard ball to corral — his control of it was skillful albeit wild. In the end, Locadia rounded Shuttleworth in a wide berth, which required him to get off a wide-angle shot. It was still a great opportunity as Shuttleworth had come off his line and was out of position, but Locadia knocked his shot off the outside of the right post. The ball caromed out for a goal-kick restart. So it goes.
Just as Locadia’s point-blank chance late in Saturday’s match against Colorado Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough did, Wednesday’s moment typified Locadia’s time at FC Cincinnati.
Skillful. Productive. Dangerous, and ultimately lacking the end product that he was expected to provide.
It may come to pass that these images of Locadia are his final flourishes in Orange and Blue, with his loan term from Brighton & Hove Albion set to expire on Wednesday. Locadia might have just one FC Cincinnati appearance left as Saturday’s match against Toronto FC in Orlando is the last game to be played during Locadia’s current loan term.
FC Cincinnati GM Gerard Nijkamp has already stated in an interview the club isn’t exercising the purchase option in Locadia’s loan deal, so some other means of retaining the player would be required if his stay is to be extended. Financially, extending the stay might not be in FCC’s best interest as Locadia is on a $2.5 million annual wage.
Locadia’s earned that money but it’s a stiff tab for the production FC Cincinnati’s received, which so far is one goal in 2021.
A final decision on Locadia's future hasn't been announced yet. You wouldn't be out of line to brace for his departure, though.
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Locadia joined FC Cincinnati on loan from Brighton prior to the 2020 season.
He scored on his debut and played well in preseason and in the matches prior to the pandemic forcing MLS to halt play last year. His loan was extended by a year to next Wednesday.
Three goals and a lot of frustration have resulted from his time at the club, and the up-and-down story of Locadia's spell in Cincinnati could be set to conclude.
First glance at Toronto FC...
The story ahead of the Chicago Fire match was that Chicago's attack had only produced four goals in 2021, and just two since April 17. One goal always seemed like it might have been enough for FC Cincinnati to take the win against the Fire, and that was the case.
Toronto, though, is more effective in the attack. Even without Jozy Altidore as his prolonged falling out with head coach Chris Armas drags on, TFC is a middle-of-the-pack side in terms of scoring with 12 goals on the season. That's the seventh-most in the East so far.
Toronto's lost consecutive matches by 3-2 scorelines but was highly competitive in both games. On Wednesday at Nashville SC, Toronto opened the scoring and took two leads in the match at 1-0 and 2-1 prior to Nashville's impressive comeback win.
On Saturday against Orlando City SC, TFC battled back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the match before conceding late to lose the match.
Jonathan Osorio figures to be one of the more dangerous players on the field for Toronto and leads the club with three goals in 2021.
There's a still a reason Toronto has fallen below FC Cincinnati in the standings, of course, and FCC should have some opportunities to find the back of the net once again.
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Toronto's overtaken FCC for the lamentable lead in goals against with 18 (Cincinnati's conceded 17 goals on the year). In fact, 18 goals conceded is an MLS-worst.
Maybe a match against TFC's porous defense could be the antidote to FC Cincinnati's scoring woes?
Luciano Acosta earns bench nod for midweek win at Chicago Fire
Someone from FCC probably deserved an MLS Team of the Week nod for the 1-0 win against the Fire. It ended up being Acosta, who earned a bench placement on the “TOTW,” which was unveiled by the league Thursday afternoon.
Acosta was very active in the match, firing off three shots and forcing Shuttleworth into two saves. His passing accuracy was 73.5%.
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