CINCINNATI -- A wild three minutes midway through the second half of a Wednesday night game put FC Cincinnati on a rollercoaster of emotions, but in the end the Orange and Blue walked off the pitch feeling disappointed.
Despite playing most of the second half a man up on Bethlehem Steel, FCC managed to take a lead for less than a minute and settled for a 2-2 draw in front of 22,407 fans at Nippert Stadium.
Cincinnati grabbed a 2-1 lead by scoring two goals in a two-minute span but surrendered the equalizer in the 69th minute, right after the ensuing kickoff.
Here is a deeper look at the game:
THREE POINTS
1. Slow start.
FCC outshot Bethlehem 13-5 the first half but conceded 52.2 percent of possession during that span and ended up down 1-0 at the break. It wasn't Cincinnati's best start to a game, and the goal was one that could easily have been avoided. Derrick Jones' initial shot was blockedm but he fielded the rebound and managed to sneak one past the FCC defense, despite facing at least three players in front of him, for the early advantage.
"Obviously, Bethlehem was the better team in the first 45 minutes," FCC coach Alan Koch said. "They deserved to be a goal (ahead) and, quite honestly, I think we were lucky to only be down one. If you offered us a point at that stage, we would have taken it. We got ourselves back into the game, I was very proud of how the guys played in the second 45 minutes. Then you get greedy, you want to get the three points. … That was a very good Bethlehem team. Disappointed in the end that we only got a point."
2. Chaos created
The second half had its share of drama. Bethlehem played a man down for the final 38-plus minutes after Olivier Mbaizo was sent off for head-butting Nazmi Albadawi. He originally was issued a yellow card for a tackle and shove on Jimmy McLaughlin but took his emotions to another level when players from both teams began jawing at one another after the call.
The game only grew more chaotic as the teams combined to score three goals in three minutes midway through the second half, but Bethlehem's equalizer was especially disappointing to Koch. After Russell Cicerone gave FCC the lead in the 68th minute, Bethlehem took the ensuing kickoff and quickly snatched a goal on a wide-angle shot by Fabian Herbers.
"That's frustrating; you should never concede a goal straight after you scored," Koch said. "You've got to have the focus, and we always preach five-minute segments of the game. We should have managed that a lot better."
3. One point gained.
If you would have asked Koch at halftime if he would be happy with a draw, the answer would have been, ‘Yes,' but after a much-improved second half and the sudden shifts in momentum, there seemed to be little satisfaction in the point gained when three points were within grasp.
Still, FCC was able to widen the gap for first place in the United Soccer League Eastern Conference, sitting at 8-3-3 with 27 points – now four points up on second-place Louisville. The Orange and Blue have gained seven points out of nine possible the last three matches to regain the lead after briefly dropping a spot in the standings following the May 26 loss to Louisville, and eight of the next 10 games are at home.
PLAYER PERFORMANCES OF NOTE
Blake Smith: Smith earned his 11th start of the USL season and seems to be playing much better soccer as of late than at the beginning of the season. He had a hand in both of FCC's goals Wednesday.
On the first one, Smith sent in a cross to Danni Konig to create a chance but Konig couldn't finish right in front of the goal line. Fortunately, the loose ball popped back out to Nazmi Albadawi, who drove it home from the top of the box. Two minutes later, Smith assisted Russell Cicerone's go-ahead goal, which came off a header. His three assists this season rank second on the team.
Russell Cicerone: Cicerone's first goal for the Orange and Blue came in just his second start, but his play was impressive beyond scoring.
It seemed when the ball was on his foot, things began to happen. Cicerone displayed incredible speed and footwork Wednesday, and he ended up with six shots, including four on target. Cicerone said he was "a little bit fortunate" on his goal because Mbaizo was his mark on set pieces and had been ejected before that.
Nazmi Albadawi: Albadawi made a mark Wednesday, leading the team with eight shots and six chances created in addition to the goal he put away. He nearly scored in the first half, too, ripping a wide open shot from the top of the box, but Bethlehem keeper John McCarthy denied him with a great save.
