It wasn't always pretty, but that doesn't impact the bottom line: FC Cincinnati have their first win of the Jaap Stam era.
Cincy beat Atlanta United 1-0 to take a big step forward in Group E of the MLS is Back Tournament, thanks in no small part to a 26th minute ATL red card as well as a golazo by 19-year-old midfielder Frankie Amaya. It's actually the first time the club won a competitive match since September 14 of last season and just the second time they took all three points since July 13 of last year.
“Whew, it’s been a long time since we won," defender Kendall Waston told reporters after the game.
Cincinnati set up in a more defensive style than their opening game of the tournament, with Stam opting for a 5-3-2 system to hopefully negate Atlanta's attack. It worked according to plan, even before Jake Mulraney's red card meant Atlanta would have to sit back. Cincy didn't quite take full advantage of their numerical superiority after the dismissal, waiting for their first shot on target to come in the 60th minute and carved out just a 0.92 expected goals, a third of which came on a late Brandon Vazquez header deep into stoppage time.
“The players have worked very hard for this little success — I’m saying little, if you look at the game it’s a big success, but it’s a small step going forward," Stam said. "We needed this, the players deserved this. We need to make a lot of steps, we’re aware of it, but this is a good win.”
Still, Stam and his players have plenty of reason to feel good. The win firmly keeps them in contention of advancing to the knockout rounds, while a win over Atlanta might be their best as an MLS club, no matter the circumstances in which it came. Atlanta actually ended the game with two red cards, though the second came with just a minute of stoppage time left.
“This is huge for us," Waston said. "Winning always brings happiness. This is a great way to improve things and it’s way better to fix things when you win. It’s going to help us keep believing and trusting in the process.”
The shift to a 5-3-2 was something that's been in the works since Stam took over. He prefers his teams be adept in multiple formations, primarily the 4-3-3 he debuted in their 4-0 loss to Columbus Crew SC last week and the 5-3-2 against Atlanta. They set up to be cautious and defend first.
"Everybody knows what situation we are as a club, we’re starting a new project and building the club," Stam said. “... We need to be realistic in where we are as a team. If you play against one of the best teams in the league, you cannot think we need to press high, control possession and create 10 chances. It’s never going to happen in soccer. Our set-up, we did very well.”
One win doesn't immediately reverse the club's fortunes, but it's a start. Stam's project continues on Wednesday against the New York Red Bulls (8 pm ET | ESPN/Deportes; TSN in Canada), with a place in the knockout rounds up for grabs.
“We worked together as a unit and pulled off the win," Amaya said. "Now we look at Red Bulls.”
