Photo courtesy FC Cincinnati
CINCINNATI – Throughout the club’s inaugural season in the USL, FC Cincinnati’s fans have given vocal support in their thousands at Nippert Stadium.
On Saturday night, with the club’s third-biggest crowd this season of 19,112 in attendance, Cincinnati Coach John Harkes believed his side began to find its own voice, as goals by Harrison Delbridge and Eric Stevenson lifted the team to a 2-1 comeback victory against Toronto FC II, extending the team's undefeated streak to nine games.
“The guys are finding a voice, which I want,” Harkes said following the contest. “Goals are going to be scored. It’s a competitive league and these guys go after it. Teams play and it is an exceptional environment. All of the players raised their game."
The massive crowd was stunned after just four minutes when Toronto’s Raheem Edwards scored on a dazzling individual effort. Picking the ball up just inside Cincinnati’s half on the left, Edwards drove forward, and then across the penalty area, waiting out the defenders as they went to ground to try and block his shot before finding a seam to shoot into the left side of the net.
The goal was Edwards’ fifth of the season, which surpassed Mo Babouli’s four goals which led TFC II a season ago. After falling behind for the first time in a five-game home stand that had seen the team go 3-0-1 entering Saturday, though, Cincinnati recovered well, and began to put pressure on the visitors’ goal.
Cincinnati’s leading scorer Sean Okoli had a claim for a penalty kick turned down, and Toronto’s Mitchell Taintor had to make a great clearance off the line to keep TFC II ahead at the break, but just around the hour-mark things turned in Cincinnati’s favor.
First in the 61st minute, Jimmy McLaughlin found space on the left to send a diagonal cross to the right corner of the six-yard area, where Delbridge placed a perfect header back across goal that left TFC II goalkeeper Quillan Roberts helpless. With Toronto still dazed from the opener, Cincinnati struck again two minutes later as a beautiful passing sequence found Corben Bone on the edge of the penalty area, and he found Stevenson breaking into the left channel unmarked for a simple low finish from 10 yards.
Photo courtesy FC Cincinnati
The goal was Stevenson’s second for the club, as the former Akron standout continues his comeback from a hip injury that saw him arrive in Cincinnati at the start of this season looking for a path back into the professional game.
“John [Harkes] gave me a second chance coming to play here,” Stevenson said. “Everything around the organization is unbelievable. It has been a whole process for me coming back. I haven’t had any setbacks so far so that has been awesome. I am really happy overall.”
Delbridge also played an important role at the back in his normal position, with his challenge on a golden shooting chance for Taintor late on a decisive moment as Cincinnati closed out the contest. After completing an undefeated home stand, and with the next clash for the River Cities Cup on deck as the side visits Eastern Conference leader Louisville next Saturday for the USL Game of the Week on ESPN3, Delbridge was pleased to have notched his first goal of the season, and by the continued strong reception the team had received in the stands.
“I have been looking for that goal for a while,” Delbridge said. “On top of that I am very happy for the boys and for the club. … We had another awesome crowd here tonight, which is unbelievable.”
Photo courtesy FC Cincinnati
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