Atlanta v Cincinnati
Amaya's first goal lifts FC Cincinnati over nine-man Atlanta United
Frankie Amaya scored his first career goal in the 76th minute, and FC Cincinnati took advantage of nine-man Atlanta United to pull off a stunning 1-0 victory Thursday in the MLS is Back Tournament near Orlando.
The win was the first of the season for Cincinnati (1-0-3, 3 points), and an even bigger upset within Group E at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Cincinnati lost its opener 4-0 to rival Columbus, but prevailed thanks to an undisciplined Atlanta side that finished the match with nine men.
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The American-born, 19-year-old Amaya showed his strength and accuracy with a bending strike from just outside the center of the box, beating an outstretched Brad Guzan into the far-left corner for the game's lone goal.
For Atlanta (2-0-2, four points), the loss could be a crushing blow to its hopes of reaching the knockout round. Playing without injured star Josef Martinez (torn ACL), Atlanta opened the tournament with a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls.
This marked the first time in club history that Atlanta has failed to score in back-to-back regular-season MLS contests. It obviously did not help that they played most of the match a man down.
Atlanta went down to 10 men when midfielder Jake Mulraney was sent off in the 26th minute for a pressing foul that also happened to be his second yellow card of the match. However, Atlanta's Pity Martinez had a point-blank chance late in the first half, but Cincinnati keeper Przemyslaw Tyton was up to the task.
It appeared Martinez was set for a penalty shot in the final seconds of the first half after being fouled deep in the box. However, a VAR check ruled he was offside before the infraction.
Cincinnati eventually stepped up the pressure. When Adrien Regattin found Amaya amid some traffic, the talented youngster drilled his left-footed attempt into the goal, and enough for FCC to record its first league victory since Sept. 14.
Atlanta dropped to nine men when JJ Williams was slapped with a red card late in stoppage time.
Game Information
MLS Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Union | 34 | 20 | 6 | 8 | +22 | 66 |
| FC Cincinnati | 34 | 20 | 5 | 9 | +12 | 65 |
| Inter Miami CF | 34 | 19 | 8 | 7 | +26 | 65 |
| Charlotte FC | 34 | 19 | 2 | 13 | +9 | 59 |
| New York City FC | 34 | 17 | 5 | 12 | +6 | 56 |
| Nashville SC | 34 | 16 | 6 | 12 | +13 | 54 |
| Columbus Crew | 34 | 14 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 54 |
| Chicago Fire FC | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | +8 | 53 |
| Orlando City SC | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | +12 | 53 |
| New York Red Bulls | 34 | 12 | 7 | 15 | +1 | 43 |
| New England Revolution | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | -7 | 36 |
| Toronto FC | 34 | 6 | 14 | 14 | -7 | 32 |
| CF Montréal | 34 | 6 | 10 | 18 | -26 | 28 |
| Atlanta United FC | 34 | 5 | 13 | 16 | -25 | 28 |
| D.C. United | 34 | 5 | 11 | 18 | -36 | 26 |

