FC Cincinnati received a stiff test in its preseason finale against Orlando City SC and managed a tie.
FC Cincinnati traveled to Orlando City SC's Exploria Stadium and exited with a 2-2 draw after Orlando twice came back from a goal down.
More:FC Cincinnati GM Chris Albright: Club won't be finished product in time for Austin FC opener
Luciano Acosta scored twice for Cincinnati. His first goal came in the 25th minute, but Alexandre Pato leveled the score for Orlando at 1-1 in the 53rd minute.
Acosta curled home what looked to be the winner in the 77th minute but Orlando's Tesho Akindele tallied around the 90th minute to pull the teams even again.
The 2-2 score held through the final whistle in a match that marked the end of FC Cincinnati's second of two preseason trips to Florida.
More:MLS preseason: FC Cincinnati down Nashville SC, 3-2, in 120-minute match
FCC will continue preparing for the Feb. 26 regular season opener against Austin FC at its Mercy Health Training Center in Milford, as well as TQL Stadium in the city's West End neighborhood.
FC Cincinnati's personnel groupings
• Starting lineup (alphabetical) – Luciano Acosta, Tyler Blackett, Geoff Cameron, Allan Cruz, Ray Gaddis, Alec Kann, Yuya Kubo, Nick Markanich, Ronald Matarrita, Haris Medunjanin, Brandon Vazquez.
• No halftime substitutions.
• 60th-minute substitutions – IN: Zico Bailey, Nick Hagglund, Quimi Ordonez, Harrison Robledo; OUT: Cameron, Cruz, Medunjanin, Markanich.
• 76th-minute substitutions – IN: Atanga, Murphy; OUT: Blackett, Vazquez
Preseason overview
FC Cincinnati put forth some respectable performances and statistics this preseason. In a noticeable departure from past preseasons, FCC also avoided the kind of alarming, blowout losses.
While the preseason counts for little, the results FC Cincinnati's achieved so far in 2022 could signal newfound stability and consistency.
FCC finished its five-match preseason slate with an unbeaten 3-0-2 record. That included a 1-0-2 mark against MLS teams.
More:MLS preseason: FC Cincinnati downs St. Louis City SC in Florida, 4-0
Cincinnati's MLS opponents in preseason included Philadelphia Union, Nashville SC, and Orlando – all playoff teams from last season. Those clubs finished 2021 in the second, third and sixth positions, respectively, in the Eastern Conference.
FCC beat the University of South Florida Bulls and St. Louis City SC's reserve-league roster for the upcoming MLS Next Pro competition.
Acosta led FC Cincinnati in scoring with four goals. Nine different players contributed to the club's haul of 13 goals over the five matches.
Defensively, Cincinnati allowed five goals. Two of those came inside the first four minutes of games.
Cincinnati's offense twice canceled out early one-goal deficits against Philadelphia and Nashville to earn a draw and a win in those matches.
FCC's lone shutout was against St. Louis.
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