Even after front-office changes at FC Cincinnati, the club still pointed to a stretch of five home matches in October and sought to make them meaningful relative to the MLS standings.
Only half that aim was realized. The games so far have been very consequential to FC Cincinnati's playoff-contending opponents but FCC has only seen its season sink to new lows.
The latest disappointment was delivered by Orlando City SC, which remained fourth in the Eastern Conference after a 1-0 victory over FC Cincinnati Saturday at TQL Stadium.
Junior Urso provided the game-winning goal in the 13th minute for Orlando on a night when officiating decisions against FC Cincinnati loomed large.
A combination of those decisions and other missed opportunities resulted in FCC being shut out for the 12th time in 2021.
Cincinnati was blanked 13 times during the 2019 season, which was its first in MLS.
FCC interim head coach Tyrone Marshall, who echoed the sentiments of players that also addressed the media, said he was encouraged by the performance even as he lamented the continued lack of results.
"Great opportunity tonight to get three points," Marshall said. "Didn't happen but we keep moving and we look to Chicago (Fire) on Wednesday."
Just three shots hit the target for FCC, which managed precious few opportunities to equalize aside from chances cancelled out by the referee's whistle.
A last-ditch attempt at an equalizer hinged on a video-assistant refereeing decision and on-field review after FCC's Brandon Vazquez was hauled down in Orlando's penalty area in the 90th minute.
The video review went against the shouts for a penalty kick, however.
The MLS officiating crew, led by center official Marcos de Oliveira, and the league office didn't immediately respond to reporters' questions regarding the decision.
"It was a rough night tonight for the officiating crew obviously," Marshall said.
A week after a loss to Philadelphia Union confirmed Cincinnati's elimination from playoff contention, Orlando condemned FCC to a 4-17-8 mark in 2021.
FC Cincinnati is 1-10-2 since firing general manager Gerard Nijkamp Aug. 6, and is 0-4-0 since Jaap Stam was let go as head coach Sept. 27.
Urso's goal was his fourth of 2021. His shot skipped along the turf and squeezed through the narrow window between the late-diving FCC goalkeeper, Przemysław Tytoń, and the post.
While Tytoń appeared to be screened on the play, Cincinnati's defense sagged and gave Urso more than enough time and space above the penalty area to get a clean shot off.
FCC's best chance to equalize came 11 minutes after Urso's goal. A short corner played to Luciano Acosta ended up on the foot of Geoff Cameron at close range. Cameron snapped a shot off but Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese stood tall on his toughest test of the game.
In the second half, Gallese was spared from the equalizing goal off the foot of Brenner Souza da Silva in the 48th minute when the play was flagged for a foul against Kamohelo Mokotjo of FCC.
Cincinnati took issue with that call, too.
"I think the call was on me," said Mokotjo, who earned his first start since May 1 on Saturday. "I just headed the ball. I didn't even touch the guy but he (the referee) gave it anyway. I asked him to go check but he didn't. It's just one of those things. I just feel like in those instances where referees are in doubt, they should always go check but don't really know what the rule was there but, yeah, it was a bad decision for me."
Gallese avoided further work in the 66th minute when a foul on Alvaro Barreal resulted in play being blown dead despite a gathering FC Cincinnati attack led by Haris Medunjanin.
Had the advantage been played and the flow of the game allowed to continue – Medunjanin had the ball at his feet and was charging in on goal with a possible three-versus-two advantage – Gallese might have been called into action.
Asked whether he was given an explanation on the decision that stopped the would-be Medunjanin-led attack, Marshall said he wasn't provided with one.
"Haris had that opportunity where it was a three (versus) two and maybe if the play were, you know, let it play on, we probably could have had a chance there," Marshall said in his opening remarks. "And again, at the end. You know, I think Brenner scored a goal and it got called back. Soft foul. You know, again, it's a professional game. Guys are going to knocked (down)."
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