What we learned from FC Cincinnati's win against Nashville SC at Geodis Park

NASHVILLE − FC Cincinnati didn't beat Nashville SC with great panache. They didn't need style points to register a head-turning victory that will reverberate around Major League Soccer.

Through a workmanlike effort and matching Nashville's physicality in a hostile environment, FC Cincinnati emerged victorious in its first-ever trip to GEODIS Park Saturday with a 1-0 win.

What the club might lack for flare, it's more than making up for with consistent and quality results.

FC Cincinnati now sits as a deserving second-place team in the Eastern Conference, and they have the victories against Nashville and Seattle Sounders FC, two of the league's biggest and best clubs, to back up their case.

Big wins are starting to become routine in 2023, but also hard-fought. Here's what we learned from FCC notching their latest victory:

Brandon Vazquez is back

In truth, Brandon Vazquez probably hadn't gone away because he was still playing well despite lacking a goal through four matches. But the wait for his first score of 2023 was still becoming a distraction, and Vazquez finally punched home his first of the year to put the whole conversation to bed.

The true value of his 48th-minute goal went far beyond a 1-0 lead for FC Cincinnati, and that was told by his facial expression. Vazquez screamed and emoted for longer than usual after he thrashed home the rebound from an Alvaro Barreal shot.

The score was Vazquez's first since a Jan. 25 USMNT game, and his first for FC Cincinnati since the opening-round MLS Cup playoff win against the New York Red Bulls.

Pressure on Vazquez was mounting as his goalless drought started to lengthen. Supporters and pundits were starting to take notice. But right as the alarm bells seemed set to start ringing, Vazquez silenced them.

"Oh man, it felt like a bunch of weight off my shoulders," Vazquez said in a loud, rambunctious locker room after the game. "Obviously, I want to do the best I can possible in finishing opportunities. In previous game, even if it's off by a few inches, it's frustrating. Finally putting one in the back of the net feels so, so good."

FC Cincinnati's team defending is greatly improved. That makes it easier to steal a win with just one goal like it did in Nashville. If Vazquez can start to string together multiple matches with goals, FC Cincinnati could become even more potent than what they've shown through five matches.

Malik Pinto's memorable MLS debut

Some context: FC Cincinnati had a glaring need in its midfield against Nashville. Regular starter Junior Moreno was away on international duty with Venezuela and the next logical options to replace him were hurt (Yuya Kubo) and also on international duty (Marco Angulo).

Enter Pinto, whose work ethic stood out most from his MLS debut and saw him play simple, effective, hard-working soccer in Moreno's absence. His night was highlighted by a 50-yard run to chase down reigning MLS Most Valuable Player Hany Mukhtar. Pinto successfully got a poke in to disrupt the slaloming run from Mukhtar.

FC Cincinnati then took possession and scored about a minute later.

Pinto came off in the 63rd minute for Santiago Arias due to cramps, but the plan was for him to stay in longer, Noonan said.

The cramps were probably the only thing that didn't go great for Pinto on the night. And not only did he contribute materially to a victory but Noonan can now be certain he has a proven, battle-tested option in Pinto.

Noonan explained multiple players were considered to replace Moreno but Pinto won the coaching staff over with his play in training during the week leading up to the game.

"Sometimes you don't know and you throw a player into the lion's den because of unforeseen circumstances," Noonan said. "In this case, we thought about ways we could have experience on the field but it's 'let's give the kid a chance. Let's go like-for-like (with Moreno) and see how this plays off. And he looked like an experienced player on the field, connecting the right passes, not trying to do too much. He didn't seem overwhelmed by the moment, so it's just a good sign early on where we can say, 'OK, we know Malik can handle this.'

"And what I'll tell to him is understand that this is why you got on the field. You've still got some players ahead of you, and that's OK. But you did the most with your opportunity to now build the confidence of yourself, the coaching staff and your teammates. That was certainly, in a young player's early time in a first-team environment, an impressive starting point."

Roman Celentano stuffed Mukhtar, Zimmerman

Shutouts are as much a team statistic as they are a goalkeeping stat, and especially in FC Cincinnati's case as the club endeavors to defend with 11 players and occasional high pressing.

In the case of Saturday's game, it was very much a goalkeeping stat that highlighted the efforts of Roman Celentano, who now has three shutouts through five matches after having five all of 2022.

Celentano had three show-stopping saves in the first half. The first was against none other than Mukhtar. The next two came just seconds apart as Celentano pushed an initial shot away before denying USMNT star Walker Zimmerman's close-range effort with his face.

"Any save is a good save," Celentano said of stopping Zimmerman with his face.

Celentano hadn't been spoken of much through the club's first four matches. He was playing well but was potentially overshadowed by other players on the team. Even in the 3-3 draw with Chicago Fire FC, Celentano didn't have much if anything to do with Chicago's attacking burst.

But just in case you forgot how important he is to this team, he offered up Saturday's match as evidence that he's as valuable as any other player wearing the FC Cincinnati badge.

A rivalry rejuvenated?

Nashville SC continued to insist on the idea of a living, breathing rivalry between FC Cincinnati and Nashville SC. A pregame hype video was dedicated to that very subject, and it was complete with some gem highlights from the 2018 United Soccer League meetings between the clubs.

These teams definitely looked set to create a rich rivalry back in 2018, but two full years with no matches and a series somewhat dominated by Nashville since then drowned out the intensity from this head-to-head.

But GEODIS Park was packed (28,453 attended the game) and boisterous. Like the Seattle Sounders match at TQL Stadium, players and coaches likened Saturday's game to a playoff environment against a playoff-caliber opponent.

"It's a big confidence boost for us because we know the quality that (Nashville) has and the work rate that we have," Vazquez said, "and to be able to translate that onto the field and be able to pick up three points in a tough environment... is a confidence booster for us and we're really happy about it."

Perhaps most interestingly, FC Cincinnati players played into the rivalry narrative via their on-field demeanor. FCC held back on engaging with Nashville SC's rivalry talk via social media. Noonan said the coaching staff didn't address the subject of a rivalry with their players, but the players' gestures and body language was evocative of having a passion for playing, and beating, Nashville.

"It felt like the Seattle game, like a playoff-type game where it's two good teams (and) the crowd's into it," Noonan said. "We certainly aided in that with some of our antics, which we'll talk about but those are important games for us to be part of early on because we're figuring out ways to win them and that's important in the long term. I loved the atmosphere. The stadium was great. The field was great. It was a good experience."

Time to go home

After two week's worth of road matches and having taken four of a possible six points, FC Cincinnati will ride high on its return to TQL Stadium for consecutive home matches starting Saturday against Inter Miami CF. Philadelphia Union come to Cincinnati April 8.

Three of FCC's next four games are at TQL Stadium, and the the environments should be raucous. They're the only undefeated team left in the east and supporters will surely match those results with their trademark passion.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Analysis | FC Cincinnati beats Nashville SC in MLS Eastern conference