While FC Cincinnati’s roster has completely changed since the heyday of its USL Championship rivalry, Louisville City has retained a contingent of players well-versed in the intensity of this matchup.
TQL Stadium played host to its first Dirty River Derby during the Third Round of the 2023 US Open Cup as Louisville City made the trek north to take on its regional rivals for the first time since 2019. The visiting side maintained more possession and created more scoring opportunities. However, it was host Cincinnati that claimed victory with a late goal from Arquimides Ordonez in a 1-0 victory.
FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan was critical of his team’s outing, “Overall, I think it was sloppy for what we expect out of a lot of guys. But like I’ve said plenty of times before, the important part was that we advanced in the competition, they did a good job of winning the game in the 90 minutes.
“And certainly the guys that came on I thought did a good job.”
THERE HE GOES.
???? @Quimi_Ordo pic.twitter.com/DWXhC8kC7U
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) April 27, 2023
Only seven minutes into the match, Ordonez broke through LouCity’s backline unmarked and got around Louisville keeper Kyle Morton, but central defender Sean Totsch was there to block the shot. A few minutes later, veteran LouCity striker Cameron Lancaster fired off a goalbound shot that was blocked by FCC’s Alex Kann. Lancaster got the rebound and attempted a cheeky backheel shot that was a touch off the mark. It was Lancaster again at the 23-minute mark with a shot aimed at the near post that narrowly went wide.
The home team immediately responded with an opportunity of their own after Louisville defender Wes Charpie was stripped of the ball by Dominique Badji, who was denied a shot by LouCity’s Totsch. Lancaster participated in a similar sequence minutes later; won the ball pressing, but he went for a chipped shot that was off the mark. Both teams saw out the remainder of the first half without any more close calls. Louisville City slightly out-possessed and out-shot Cincinnati halfway through the match.
What a save. ???????? pic.twitter.com/9hBcwDJsPz
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) April 27, 2023
The back-and-forth affair continued into the second half. Both teams made changes around the 60-minute mark as Alvaro Barrela and Matt Miaga entered the match for Cincinnati and Wilson Harris and Josh Wynder came in for Louisville.
LouCity’s Harris got his head to a set-piece ball lobbed into the box in the 67th minute, but there was not enough power behind it to avoid Cincy’s Kann securing the ball. LouCity’s Ray Serrano and Amadou Dia entered the match in the 71st minute. Those changes marked a change in shape for the visitors. Louisville changed from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2.
FCC’s Barreal got into the action with a shot of his own that was secured by Morton in the 77th minute. Only a few minutes later, Louisville made yet another change, bringing in midfielder Tyler Gibson. Following that move, Cincinnati responded by subbing in Brandon Vazquez. At the 85th minute, Ordonez broke the deadlock, burying a cross from Barreal, sending the home supporters in the Bailey into a frenzy. Cincinnati’s Yuya Kubo came into the match in the 90th minute to help see off the club’s Open Cup victory seeing them enter the Fourth Round of the competition.
“Really encouraging performance from the group,” said Louisville City head coach Danny Cruz despite the result. “We created a ton of chances — certainly missed chances that we need to finish. But I know for a fact that my guys left everything on the field.”
With that win, FC Cincinnati improved to 10-4-2 all-time in the USOC. Despite having not been part of previous Dirty River Derbys, Noonan appreciates its significance.
“It’s always good to win the rivalry games, the games that have a little bit more meaning with certain players that have been a part of it with the fan base, with the clubs,” he said. “That part’s nice, you always want to win those games, regardless of how you win them.”