Luciano Acosta scored a game-winner in the 85th minute, delivering FC Cincinnati a 2-1 road victory over Chicago Fire FC at Soldier Field on Saturday evening.
Cincy looked to have all three points slip from their grasp when Chicago's Jhon Durán scored an 83rd-minute equalizer, negating a 33rd-minute opener from the visitors that came from an own goal from Chicago center back Rafael Czichos.
Acosta ensured that wouldn't be the case, sliding home a low finish past Fire goalkeeper Gaga Slonina, whose gaffe on a ball played back to him helped deliver FCC a fourth straight victory in league play and an impressive fourth road win in seven matches away from TQL Stadium.
Chicago, meanwhile, continued their recent downturn, as the Fire still haven't won since a 3-1 home victory over Sporting Kansas City on March 19 and are winless in their last seven matches overall.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: The sample size remains relatively small in the early season, but FC Cincinnati continue to provide evidence of a legitimate turnaround in their first year under Pat Noonan. This latest three-point result, their sixth of the season, leaves them just one point shy of the total they accumulated all of last year. For Chicago, it was nice to see Durán find the scoresheet, but their recent attacking struggles persisted in this contest. For the season, the Fire have scored just eight goals in 11 games.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Instead of conceding a late winner like past iterations of the club have been prone to do, Acosta put this one back in the win column for Cincinnati.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Acosta has been doing this all season, finding himself among the league leaders in virtually every chance-creation metric, with Saturday's game-winning strike also giving him five goals. Should Cincy continue to string together positive results, the MVP buzz surrounding the dynamic Argentine is sure to grow.
Next Up
- CHI: Wednesday, May 18 at New York Red Bulls | 7:30 ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
- CIN: Saturday, May 21 vs. New England Revolution | 6 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
