Thanks for reading this late-late-late recap of FC Cincinnati and watching some more post game thoughts with The Chromaniacs. My flight had no Wi-Fi and also no infotainment system. Luckily I downloaded a few episodes of Severance on my phone (it’s a really great show). That also meant I couldn’t look up any stats while on board the plane. I had some time on my vacation to write a recap and also give you a brief preview of Vancouver Whitecaps. Please enjoy. It’s about 9:30pm Wednesday in Seoul, which means it’s 5:30 am Wednesday back in San Diego. The final recap before break might also be up in the air. I’ll try to get that one out sometime next week. Cheers!
The one thing about the last four matches for San Diego FC is that they haven’t been boring, and they haven’t been losses. The stretch included a 2-2 draw against LAFC where you had to stay for the whole match to see how the result was going to turn out, a 1-1 draw against the Sounders that felt more like an unexpected result, a complete mashing of Austin FC at 5-0, and then a 3-3 draw against a high-scoring FC Cincinnati team. This latest matchup always felt like it was going to be a high-scoring affair. Cincinnati scored three in their previous match against Inter Miami but lost 5-3. When you score three goals, it should mean a win for your team, but last Saturday it just meant that the points were shared. FC Cincinnati was able to throw up a Hail Mary to earn that final point, and they succeeded. For San Diego, they need to figure out how to not drop points late in matches.
Leveling The Score
FC Cincinnati came out swinging in the opening 15 minutes as they were able to score quickly on a through ball from Evander to Kenji Mboma Dem to take an early 1-0 lead. Chris McVey did not look quick enough to track back to cover Mboma Dem, which led to a clear shot at goal for FC Cincinnati. There was also a breakdown in coverage in the midfield that led to Evander winning the second ball and sending the pass out to Mboma Dem. For San Diego, this was the sixth time they have conceded the opening goal this season, and the third time that the goal happened in the opening 15 minutes. San Diego’s record when conceding the opening goal is 0-2-4. Meanwhile, when San Diego scores the opening goal, their record is 4-3-1. Coming back from down a goal is already a difficult task for this San Diego team.
San Diego equalized the score in the 32nd minute as Kieran Sargeant sent a ball from the near side centrally to Marcus Ingvartsen, who was able to kick the ball into the back of the net for the score. Sargeant received his first assist while playing and starting at left back for the second consecutive match. Ingvartsen had a great finish on the ball to get it past a diving FC Cincinnati goalkeeper. As much as FC Cincinnati can score many goals in a match, they also concede just as many. Which is why Cincinnati currently has a -5 goal differential. The score would be leveled at the half, with San Diego looking great statistically. SDFC had 65% possession, eight total shots, two shots on target, and 13 touches in the box.
Now, the opening couple of minutes of the second half started with a bit of controversy on a foul call given by the referee. Evander fell straight down to the grass between a couple of SDFC players and sold a foul that completely looked like a dive. If any fan wants to review the replay, you can’t pick out a frame where contact was ever made by a San Diego FC player. But with a foul call, a free kick was given. Evander took the free kick yards away from the penalty area, kicking the ball directly and aiming for the top of the woodwork. Duran Ferree made a great save as the ball was diving under the crossbar. The save by Ferree was deflected out of play, giving FC Cincinnati a corner kick on the near side. This time, Evander’s corner kick went to the back post where Tom Barlow, who was subbed into the match at halftime, was waiting to knock the ball in to make the score 2-1. For San Diego, this was the sixth set-piece goal conceded this season. SDFC has the highest xG for set-pieces in the league at 6.81 and the sixth-highest goal percentage coming from set-pieces. It is almost becoming an automatic goal when a team is awarded a set-piece; from a corner or a free kick, the outcome for a goal by the opposing team is very high. San Diego needs to learn how to defend better off these set-pieces because it is starting to become a very troubling trend.
San Diego, now down a goal, needed players to step up to try and level the score. The man to step up was Amahl Pellegrino, with help from Pedro Soma, who was able to deliver an excellent pass from the midfield out to a streaking Pellegrino. Pellegrino completed the great run with an excellent finish inside the penalty area to level the score at two in the 66th minute. Soma, who came in at halftime, now has his second assist in consecutive matches. For Pellegrino, this was his second goal of the season. With the score level, San Diego was going to attempt to do something that hasn’t happened all season: take the lead late in a match.
Closing Time
With just seconds remaining in stoppage time, San Diego recovered the second ball, with Anisse Saidi winning possession at midfield and sending a pass toward Marcus Ingvartsen running toward the penalty area. Ingvartsen put a terrific strike on the ball, sending it into the back of the net for San Diego’s third goal. This was another brace for Ingvartsen, his second one of the season. This was Ingvartsen’s 11th goal of the season, which puts him in good company, ranking fourth in the league for most goals scored and fourth in goal contributions with 13. For Saidi, this was his first-ever assist. This marked the second goal contribution for SDFC off the bench, which was something SDFC fans were used to last season under Mikey Varas, who excelled at putting in players at the right moments. This was also the first time all season that San Diego added points after the 75th minute.
But then, after the restart and ensuing kickoff, FC Cincinnati did the improbable. The ball went out to the far side of the midfield to Obinna Nwobodo. Nwobodo kicked the ball into the penalty area. Chris McVey lost the aerial duel to Ayoub Jabbari, who won the ball and hit a header toward Tom Barlow, who kicked the ball in for the equalizer, and that was the end of the match. First of all, everyone thought the match was over after the SDFC goal; even the players on the pitch thought the game was sealed. For some reason, San Diego FC had their centerbacks pulled back, which opened up space and allowed a pass to get through. Chris McVey was beaten, but Manu Duah also lost track of his man and drifted towards the ball instead of tracking Barlow, which could have prevented the late goal in the first place. It was just a complete mental and physical lapse on a play that shouldn’t have happened. Regardless, San Diego earns a point at home and remains on a four-match unbeaten streak heading into their final home match against Vancouver on Saturday.
Matchday Preview: Vancouver Whitecaps
The Vancouver Whitecaps are the number one team in the Western Conference with 29 points and a goal differential of +29. Vancouver is tied for the third-most goals in the league at 30 and has the highest xG in the league at 32.12. This is a team that loves to shoot the ball, possessing the second-most shots in the league with 222 and the second-most shots on target with 84. Vancouver wants as many opportunities in the penalty area as possible, as they have the second-most touches in the league inside the box with 422. How they get the ball into the box is by sending crosses into the area. The Whitecaps have the fifth-most crosses with 185, with 45 of those crosses being successful passes, which ranks third-most in the league. The Whitecaps are also tied for the seventh-most through balls with 22. Attacking the most dangerous areas is how this team has become so successful, and San Diego must be a solid defensive team without making any errors to have a chance against this great Whitecaps team.
Defensively, the Whitecaps have allowed just 10 goals all season, which ties for the lowest total alongside Nashville and the Seattle Sounders. Furthermore, the Whitecaps rank first for the lowest xGA in the league at 11.12. This is not a team getting lucky defensively; they are a complete unit and a balanced team all around. The Whitecaps also have five clean sheets this season. How are they such a great defensive unit? The Whitecaps are a possession-based team. They like having the ball, which prevents the opposing team from shooting and scoring. The Whitecaps have allowed the lowest shots and shots on target in the league, with 106 and 36 respectively. This team does rank third-most in tackling with 259, which could explain why they have the second-most fouls in the league at 199. They are disciplined enough not to receive many yellow cards, but San Diego should expect a physical battle on the pitch Saturday night. Their upcoming match will not include starting goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, as he received a red card against the Houston Dynamo in a 1-0 loss. Takaoka has prevented four goals this season and carries a 71.9% save percentage.
There are a couple of key players to look at, starting with Brian White. Since joining the Whitecaps, Brian White has been remarkably consistent, recording over 17 goal contributions in league play in four out of his last five seasons with the club. This season, White has eight goals and the highest xG of any player in MLS. White currently sits third in Danger Zone Receptions with 53, trailing only Marcus Ingvartsen, who leads the list with 58. He is also tied for third in shots on target with 24 alongside Anders Dreyer. He wins duels in the penalty area as well, recording the second-highest number of aerial duels completed this season with 14, including one goal off a header. Brian White is a prolific striker, as we saw when he scored a brace in the first half of the conference final last year, and he will be responsible yet again for generating the majority of their goals this season.
Sebastian Berhalter has really added to his game this year. Berhalter has already tied a career high of seven goals in a season across all competitions and is close to a career high in goal contributions with 10 in league play (his previous high in league play was 14). Berhalter likes to shoot from outside the box often; he has the third-most shots from outside the box with 22 and has three goals to show for it. Berhalter has the fourth-most completed passes into the final third with 236 and has the 10th-most crosses in the league with 39. He also has the eighth-most long passes completed with 132 and the 14th-most progressive passes in the league with 78. Additionally, Berhalter is tied for third in key passes with 34 this season. He is not just a prolific passer, though; he defends well too. Berhalter ranks eighth in tackles with 34, has won possession 69 times, and has won 57 ground duels this season. Berhalter has become such an important piece in Vancouver’s squad. He is a vital member of the midfield and an all-around great player in MLS
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