FC Cincinnati downs Toronto FC in seven-goal thriller to reach 10th win of 2024

TORONTO − FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan had to acknowledge the undeniable entertainment value of his club's 4-3 win over Toronto FC, even as it was the kind of entertainment that soccer managers and head coaches don't find entertaining at all.

"Certainly a wild one but pleased that the guys were able to come out on top," Noonan said afterward at BMO Field. "Not what we typically see in terms of just the chaos and how back-and-forth that was. I guess from an entertainment standpoint, the viewers got their money's worth."

Sergio Santos scored the fourth and decisive goal for FC Cincinnati in the third added minute of nine tacked onto the second half, breaking for good a 3-3 tie. The goal was the second in as many games for Santos, and was the final salvo on a night many of the combatants described as chaotic.

Noonan was in good spirits but appeared visibly fatigued following the contest, which was one where his sideline instructions seemed to go out the window for large stretches of a second half in which two playoff-caliber teams combined fox six goals and six lead changes. A lively crowd of 27,941 supercharged the environment, and some first-half physicality from Toronto made for a powder keg of a Major League Soccer match.

The match was one of the best of the MLS season to date in terms of back-and-forth action, and it saw FC Cincinnati improve to 10-2-3 and 33 points in the standings. The victory was FCC's seventh in a row, breaking a club record set about this time last year during a similarly dominant run.

A Toronto FC side that was widely praised ahead of the contest by FC Cincinnati dropped to 7-7-1 but looked fit to remain a fixture in the Eastern Conference playoff race even after finishing 2023 last in all of MLS.

"It's tough to win on the road, and I think, certainly, the Toronto group is playing with some confidence and some momentum. There was good energy in the building tonight," Noonan said, "so it made for an entertaining game."

How the goals were scored at BMO Field

Compared to the second half, the opening 45 minutes was modest for how it proceeded.

Toronto took a 1-0 lead into the intermission. Their physicality seemed to frustrate FC Cincinnati and disrupt its technical style. "The Reds" also took full advantage of a sloppily-conceded corner kick by FCC as Deiby Flores put the hosts in front on 25 minutes.

Come the second half, FCC fired back at the hosts. Looking more confident in their own style, Luca Orellano scored his second goal of the season from the top of Toronto's penalty area to knot the match in the 53rd minute.

Luciano Acosta assisted on Orellano's opener, which extended Acosta's club-record for consecutive matches with a goal contribution (nine). The play was also the start of Orellano's brightest night in Orange and Blue.

Two minutes later, Orellano simply out-ran and overtook a Toronto FC defender, allowing Orellano to break in on goal for a two-on-one opportunity alongside 19-year-old Venezuelan teammate Kevin Kelsy. Orellano's shot was saved by TFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson, but Kelsy gathered the rebound, composed himself, and made seemingly effortless work of his finish for a 2-1 lead.

The goal was Kelsy's third since joining FC Cincinnati on-loan from Ukrainian side, Shakhtar Donetsk.

In a memorable performance for Toronto, highly-paid Italian star Lorenzo Insigne then started to take control of the proceedings, dribbling through FC Cincinnati's defense and firing a ball of the inside of FCC defender Ian Murphy's foot. The shot was deflected in and officially record as an own-goal for Murphy in the 63rd minute, but the score was a product of Insigne's imagination.

In the 79th minute, and with Santos inserted into the game off the bench, FCC nearly won a penalty kick as Santos was tripped up in the TFC penalty area. With referee Victor Rivas looking on nearby and poised to call for a penalty kick, he allowed play to continue as Santos fell to the grass but the ball rolled to Orellano.

Orellano then dinked the ball in off Johnson's far post for 3-2. FC Cincinnati ran to the southwest corner of BMO Field to taunt the opposition fans. Boos rained down but FCC was in front.

"The way he (Luca) takes the goals, I've got to look back at them but I don't think the second one was an easy finish," Noonan said. "He was certainly, probably, the most impactful player on the field in terms of our chance creation and our goals."

Once again, the FCC lead was short-lived. Center back Miles Robinson was whistled for fouling a Toronto attacker in his own penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick taken and scored by Insigne for 3-3 in the 85th minute.

Nine minutes of second half added time

When the fourth official held up his digital sign on the sideline indicating nine minutes would be added to the opening 90, FC Cincinnati knew it had time for another goal.

"I was actually telling (Gerardo Valenzuela) that... I told him 'I think there's another goal in this game,' starting right back Bret Halsey said. "Sure enough, we got one."

On the left flank, Acosta went on one of his trademark slaloming runs with the ball seemingly tethered to his feet. But rather than look for his own shot, he dished the ball to Cincinnati midfielder Yamil Asad. The ball got caught in Asad's feet and he overran it, but that left it setup perfectly for Santos to poke home in the 93rd minute.

Of course there was more drama to come, though. A direct ball played in by Toronto to Insigne saw the diminutive Italian knock the ball past FCC goalkeeper Roman Celentano to knot the match at four, but Insigne was whistled for offside on the play. A video-assistant referee (VAR) check confirmed that decision.

FCC then managed to survive the remaining seconds to claim the win, which improved its road record to 6-1-1 − the best mark of its kind in MLS.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati downs Toronto FC in seven-goal thriller