A two-week break from MLS play had FC Cincinnati fans anxious to see their team in action once again, and there was plenty of reason to show up to Saturday’s fixture with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the Los Angeles Galaxy into town. The Swedish superstar was kept in check, but a sold-out Nippert Stadium — the league’s largest crowd over the weekend at 32,500 — witnessed Cincinnati’s latest setback, which was all but sealed with a pair of goals in the first 15 minutes of play. 

Defensive lapses dig another early hole

With 17 matches under their belt, only the Colorado Rapids have conceded more goals than Cincy’s 35. For the second time in as many league games, they dug an early hole to climb out of by conceding twice in the first quarter of an hour. The first goal came when goalkeeper David Bingham launched a ball over the top and a bit of poor marking and reaction time gave Emmanuel Boateng enough space to rifle a shot into the lower right corner.

It only took the Galaxy three minutes to capitalize on another instance of sloppy play at the back as a mixup between Nick Hagglund and Mathieu Deplagne allowed the ball fall to Fabio Alvarez, who made no mistake in doubling the advantage.

Lapses in concentration and poor communication are going to have to be cleaned up hastily if the team is to avoid early deficits and salvage the season in the remaining 17 matches.

Controlling the game

For a team near the bottom of the league in average possession (47.9%), the ability to suck the life out of the opposition and dictate the run of play simply hasn’t been there. Nevertheless, the Orange and Blue have been working to build a possession-oriented style of play under interim coach Yoann Damet and saw their efforts pay off in a big way on Saturday night, as they held a 64.5-35.5 advantage and were able to grow into the game as a result after the pair of early goals. The passing game is also seeing steady improvements, despite a run of poor results. Damet’s men completed more than double the Galaxy’s passes (478-234).

Frankie Amaya thrives in the No. 10 role

With numerous absences in recent weeks due to international duty and injuries, Frankie Amaya has been the beneficiary by way of six starts in the last seven matches. The top draft pick out of UCLA has yet to find the back of the net for the Orange and Blue, but he is continually growing in his ability to combine with teammates and pose a threat going forward.

On Saturday, he was Cincy’s most dangerous player on the field and often had defenders off balance and guessing with intelligent runs into space and acute passing. He attempted (6) and completed the most dribbles (5) and was consistently a threat in between the lines. At just 18 years of age, Amaya just might provide the answer for Cincy in the playmaking role for years to come if he is able to consistently develop under Damet and the next head coach.

Impatience in the final third

As much as Cincy dominated possession and were able to move through the back and midfield, their ineffectiveness in the final third prevented any genuine chance of a comeback. They often resorted to launching balls into the box with little to no accuracy — only three of a whopping 21 crosses were on target.

Whether that was in Damet’s gameplan (I highly doubt it) or simply a product of impatience, the team is in dire need of a boost of creativity in the attacking third. Spraying long balls into the area was never going to pay dividends against a very good team in the air. They were thoroughly dominated in aerial duels by a line of 22 to eight, and seven of those eight were won by center back Hagglund alone.

Cincinnati have an opportunity to rebound when they travel to Minnesota United on Saturday. With a new coaching hire and general manager Gerard Nijkamp taking over in the not too distant future, supporters in southwestern Ohio will be hoping changes at the top can change the team’s fortunes in a big way through the summer and fall.