RECAP: Sounders fall short in Cincinnati, suffer first loss of the season

FC Cincinnati defeated the Seattle Sounders 1-0 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday night behind second-half goal from Brenner.

The Sounders almost secured an early goal in the 15th minute when a breakaway from Jordan Morris saw him dribble around FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano outside the box, but the Seattle forward wasn’t able to steer his shot on target. 

The rest of the half had the Sounders pinned back in their defensive half as dangerous FCC attackers Brenner, Brandon Vazquez and Luciano Acosta continued to apply pressure.

After a scoreless 45 minutes, the Rave Green managed to get their first shot of the second half right away with João Paulo missing just wide of the near post off a deflection from an opposing defender.  

Cincinnati found the opener in the 63rd minute when Brenner finished a shot to the near post through traffic. The goal was the Brazilian’s first of 2023 after scoring 18 last season.

The final twenty-five minutes of the match were back and forth. FC Cincinnati center back Nick Hagglund was sent off following Video Review for a last-ditch tackle on Raúl Ruidíaz, who was through on goal. 

The Sounders had plenty of other opportunities to tie it up, most notably Yeimar’s goal in the 90th minute that was waved off on Video Review for a foul in the buildup., But in the end, the Rave Green finished the match with their first loss of the MLS season.

THREE TAKEAWAYS

Raúl provides boost

Ruidíaz's presence in the second half was apparent as soon as he stepped onto the pitch. While players grew tired as the game progressed, his fresh legs brought a shift of energy onto the pitch that resulted in several build-ups in the attack and goal scoring opportunities throughout the last 30 minutes of the game. 

Yeimar impacts both sides of the pitch

Yeimar was impactful on both offense and defense throughout the duration of the match. While shutting down the trio of dangerous forwards on FC Cincinnati, he also had a few scoring chances in the second half as the Sounders committed numbers forward in search of an equalizer.

Another tough test

The Sounders will welcome defending MLS Cup Champion LAFC to Lumen Field next Saturday (1 p.m. PT; FOX, Watch free on Apple TV | TICKETS) as they look to get back to winning ways.