Photos: twitter.com/fccincinnati and twitter.com/bengals
The Queen City is celebrating recent wins by both FC Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Bengals.
It was a banner weekend for sports fans in Cincinnati.
On Oct. 15, FC Cincinnati cemented its first-ever playoff victory in its quest for the Major League Soccer Cup. The Cincinnati Bengals followed that on Oct. 16 with a nail-biting win over New Orleans Saints.
FC Cincinnati
In the club's first-ever playoff game, FC Cincinnati defeated the New York Red Bulls 2-1 on Oct. 15. The victory marks the team's first time contending for Major League Soccer's crown as well as its first playoff triumph. With the win, the Orange and Blue has set a club record for the longest consecutive stretch of games in which the team has scored – 14, when counting both the regular season and the postseason.The game at Red Bulls Arena in New Jersey was scoreless until the second half, with New York scoring in the half's third minute and Cincinnati captain and attacking midfielder Luciano Acosta tying it up in the 74th minute. FC Cincinnati forward Brandon Vazquez scored the winning goal in the 86th minute, giving New York almost no time to rally.
"I just think we have experienced so many challenging moments that it allows us in the biggest moments now to come out on top," head coach Pat Noonan said.
Next, No. 5 seed FC Cincinnati will face No. 1 seed Philadelphia Union in the Eastern Conference semi-finals on Oct. 20 on the road at Subaru Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
"It’s neat. This is a cool story in terms of my last job and our group getting to this point not having been here before," said Noonan, who had been an assistant coach for Philadelphia prior to taking the reins at FC Cincinnati in December. "A very good opponent we get to match up against. This should be fun."
The winner of the Cincinnati/Philadelphia game will advance to the conference finals round, followed by the crowning matchup. See the full 2022 MLS Cup bracket on the MLS website.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals gave fans another last-minute win that the team has become known for. During the game against the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 16, the Bengals trailed 26-24 with less than two minutes in the fourth quarter when quarterback Joe Burrow connected with wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who then ran a 60-yard touchdown. That put Cincinnati over the top for a 30-26 win."I knew right where I was going," Burrow said. "We start doing that and we're going to get one-on-ones, and that's how we won today."
Louisiana is familiar territory for Burrow and Chase. Burrow played at Louisiana State University in 2018 and 2019, earning the Heisman Trophy and a host of other awards. Likewise, Chase excelled at LSU in 2018 and 2019 and earned numerous awards, including being named the best receiver in college football.
"It means a lot actually, just knowing I got the advantage on beating New Orleans coming back after the season to talk a little trash, so that's good," Chase said. "They all love the Saints. It's good to come back home and rub it in their face a little bit."
Fans can fill their bellies on Oct. 17, thanks to that Bengals win. As the regional chili chain has done in the past, Gold Star gives fans one free regular 3-, 4- or 5-Way with the purchase of another one of equal or greater value the day after the Bengals win. The Who Dey Way promotion is good all season long no matter if the win occurs on home turf or elsewhere. The promo is available at all Gold Star locations for drive-in, carry-out, dine-in and online; mention the Who Dey Way special when ordering.
The Cincinnati Bengals' next game will be against the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 23 at Paycor Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. The team's most recent game at Paycor Stadium gathered the largest crowd in club history.
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