PITTSBURGH – FC Cincinnati’s Djiby scored his second goal in as many games as the second-year club earned its first win of the season, defeating the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1-0 on Saturday at Highmark Stadium. It also marked the first FCC win for Head Coach Alan Koch, who spent last season leading Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 to the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs. Cincinnati played up a man for more than half of the match after Andrew Wiedeman drew a second caution against Pittsburgh’s Gale Agbossoumonde late in the second half. The Riverhounds fall to 0-1-1 (1 point) while Cincinnati moves to 1-1-0 (3 points).

Scoring:
55’ – CIN – Djiby (Andrew Wiedeman)

Three Things That Mattered:

• 1. The turning point of Saturday’s match obviously occurred at the close of the first half as Gale Agbossoumonde was issued his second caution – and subsequently sent off – in the 42nd minute after his late challenge against FCC’s Andrew Wiedeman. Wiedeman potentially could have had a strong run from the right flank, and Agbossoumonde’s bump was enough to warrant a second yellow card. Cincinnati took advantage of that benefit in the opening 10 minutes of the second half. Wiedeman’s right-footed cross from the left side found Djiby who snuck behind a defender. He smartly headed the ball low and into the right of the frame for the 1-0 lead in the 55th minute.

• 2. Cincinnati eluded a rare sequence in the opening 15 minutes in which its defense was ruled to have made a backward pass, which goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt picked up, assuming it was a deflection and not an intentional pass. Pittsburgh was awarded an indirect free kick just outside the six-yard area in the 15th minute. Kevin Kerr tapped the ball for Corey Hertzog, who tried to fire a shot into the left side of the frame, but Cincinnati’s jam-packed defense blocked the attempt to keep the match scoreless in the early going.

• 3. After the Hounds conceded three goals against the New York Red Bulls II last week, Pittsburgh Head Coach Dave Brandt elected to go with Trey Mitchell for his debut in net. Mitchell wound up with three saves on a night in which the club certainly could have allowed more scoring being down a man. Cincinnati out-shot Pittsburgh 16-10 as the host side perhaps was fortunate that FCC didn’t put much more on frame. It was not for lack of effort or philosophy as Alan Koch made an offensive-minded substitution such as Victor Mansaray late in the game to try and find that second goal.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:
Djiby, FC Cincinnati – The FCC striker found his second goal of the season and was in the mix for a potential brace on a couple occasions in the second half.

Upcoming Games:
Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Charleston Battery – April 8, 7 p.m. ET, MUSC Health Stadium
FC Cincinnati at Bethlehem Steel FC – April 9, 4 p.m. ET, Goodman Stadium