Statistically, he didn't log much that impacted the final score.
But physically, he gave it all he had.
Midfielder Júnior Moreno returned from injury for FC Cincinnati Saturday at TQL Stadium against Nashville SC, and came in during the final 30 minutes of a crucial three-game stretch without MLS All-Star forward Luciano Acosta.
Moreno entered the game after Cincinnati pulled even with Nashville, and helped FCC close the match out as the aggressor in an eventual 1-1 draw.
Moreno went out during the international break with a leg injury The last time he took the field for FCC was at Montreal on May 28, where he scored two goals, and the last time his feet touched the grass at TQL Stadium was against New England on May 21.
To say he, the team and the fans were anxiously awaiting this moment would be an understatement.
"I'm feeling good. Happy to be back in combat, feel the sensation for games and help the team," Moreno said postgame. "(My playing time) was intense. Obviously, the first ten minutes was... our best moment in the game. There was a lot of combat, I tried to be loud and keep the ball in the white sides and take it across, trying to find a chance to score."
Moreno and FCC head coach Pat Noonan both saw Saturday's game as a positive step in the Venezuelans' long, thought-out recovery process.
"It was good to have him on the field and you could see his presence right away," Noonan said postgame. "He connected passes, won balls, he just has a presence and I thought the minutes he played tonight were strong minutes for us."
Noonan said he was probably capped around that 30-minute mark, based on the amount of time he's been off. But, Noonan said he also thought Moreno could've gone longer based on the way the flow of the match – how much they possessed the ball and how little they needed to do in transition moments.
In the end, Cincinnati played it safer and limited Moreno to just 30-plus minutes.
Source link
