Youth debuts, stars in FC Cincinnati win over Toronto
At TQL Stadium on Wednesday, an FC Cincinnati squad without key players such as Brandon Vazquez, Matt Miazga, Yerson Mosquera, and more defeated a visiting Toronto FC side currently sitting at No. 14 in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer. Cincinnati’s 3-0 routing of Toronto featured some marquee milestones for the club and its players.
Among them include midfielder Luciano Acosta’s ninth goal this season, putting him in elite company with MLS greats by reaching career totals of 50 goals and 50 assists in the league. Among them also include Santiago Arias’ first MLS goal, as well as FCC already besting their win tally from last season.
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Most notable, arguably, or most surprising, at least, is the amount of youth that got to put itself on display and into the spotlight of TQL Stadium for the first time.
Three debuts for the orange and blue
Coach Pat Noonan made the dreams of three young players come true on Wednesday, as FC Cincinnati 2 player Bret Halsey was called upon, 18-year-old Gerardo Valenzuela debuted, and 15-year-old Stiven Jimenez stepped onto an MLS pitch for the first time.
“When Pat (Noonan) called my name,” Jimenez said, “I was like, ‘my dreams are coming true.’ I felt like I was dreaming.”
Jimenez, who became the youngest player in FC Cincinnati's history to sign a first-team contract last November, has been with Cincinnati's organization since 2019 and is now the youngest player to appear in the MLS this season, fifth youngest MLS debutant ever. Valenzuela is only FC Cincinnati's seventh FCC Academy player to have signed a first-team contract.
Both Jimenez and Valenzuela appeared for less than five minutes of the victory, while Halsey came on in the 75th minute on the left flank. Regardless of the amount of time each played, the experience and opportunity was invaluable.
“It’s just good for them to be out there experiencing a real game and being a part of an important win.” Noonan said of the three debutants. “That’s pretty cool when you can get that many guys debuts against a good team and still win a game.”
Young talent continues to excel
FC Cincinnati finished the game with eight players on the field born in or after the year 2000. Roman Celentano, Alvaro Barreal, Ian Murphy, and debutant Bret Halsey were all born in 2000. Jimenez and Valenzuela, as well as Quimi Ordonez, Malik Pinto, and Marco Angulo were all born after that. That would make for nine of the 11 players on the pitch, but Halsey’s debut came by way of substituting Barreal.
Cincinnati’s young talent doesn’t just play, though. It’s some of Major League Soccer’s best.
Celentano is now tied for the most clean sheets in the MLS with nine, one short of doubling his 2022 total. Barreal features in the top 20 in the league for assists with five, while also tacking on two goals. Players such as Murphy and Angulo are actively seeing their minutes skyrocket for the top team in the MLS as the season schedule and roster fluctuations ramp into chaos. Loanee center back Yerson Mosquera, 22, who’s been occupied with international duty in Columbia, has started in 16 of a possible 18 games this season.
“The coaches have done a great job of getting out there and finding young talented players, and I’m glad we’ve been able to get out there and perform,” 21-year-old Angulo said after the game.
Angulo provided an assist and ran an impressive display of field coverage in his 68-minute shift Wednesday, adding to his 12 appearances in the MLS this season that have shown improvement every time in his eyes as well as his coaches.
“We talk about Marco’s quality with the ball and his ability to play out of pressure, and I actually thought defensively he was stronger than his on the ball stuff. I think he’s improving on that side of the ball, which is helping him get more minutes, but we’re still finding way to get him in spots where he can impact the game with the ball,” Noonan said. “I thought he had an impact in the game that helped us to win.”
Whether Cincinnati’s veteran talent is traveling with the U.S. Men’s National Team for the Gold Cup or out on the sidelines with a knock, Noonan has made it clear that his young talent is capable of appearing on the MLS pitch and contributing to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.