Toronto FC II earned their first win of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro campaign after beating FC Cincinnati 2-1 in their home opener at York Lions Stadium on Saturday afternoon, courtesy of first-half goals from Charlie Sharp and Markus Cimermancic.
TFC II Head Coach Gianni Cimini made three changes to the starting lineup from last weekend’s trip to Columbus, with Kristjan Fortier, Andrei Dumitru and Jordan Perruzza making way for Lucas Olguin, Mark Fisher and Charlie Sharp.
Playing in front of their home fans for the first time in nearly seven months, TFC II capitalized on a strong start and scored the afternoon’s opening goal in the 12th minute at York Lions Stadium. Following a neat passage of play down Toronto’s left side, Jesús Batiz’s headed attempt from Julian Altobelli’s cross was struck the crossbar, only for the rebound to fall kindly to Charlie Sharp, who made no mistake in finding the net to open his account for his new club.
The Young Reds made their attacking dominance count and doubled their advantage in the 42nd minute. Markus Cimermancic ran onto a through ball from Altobelli before chipping Cincinnati goalkeeper Hunter Morse to score his first goal of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro campaign and give the home side a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
FC Cincinnati 2 captain Nico Benalcazar pulled one back from the penalty spot for the visitors in the 64th minute, after Tristan Pusztahegyi fouled Stefan Chirilla in the box.
The Young Reds’ defensive resolve was tested in the closing stages but the hosts successfully held off pressure from the Orange and Blue to maintain their 2-1 lead and secure their first win of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
Toronto FC II (1-2-0; 3 points) return to York Lions Stadium next to host New England Revolution II on Friday, April 19 (7:00 p.m. ET) in Toronto, Ontario. The match will be available to watch on MLSNEXTPro.com and the MLS YouTube channel.
Scoring Summary:
TOR – Charlie Sharp 12’
TOR – Markus Cimermancic 42’ (Julian Altobelli)
CIN – Nico Benalcazar 64’
Misconduct Summary:
TOR – Tristan Pusztahegyi 16’ (caution)
TOR – Adam Pearlman 24’ (caution)
CIN – Stiven Jimenez 29’ (caution)
CIN – Amir Daley 33’ (caution)
TOR – Dékwon Barrow 80’ (caution)
TOR – Mark Fisher 83’ (caution)
Lineups:
TORONTO FC II – Adisa De Rosario; Tristan Pusztahegyi (Marko Stojadinovic 77’), Adam Pearlman, Ythallo; Nathaniel Edwards (Theo Rigopoulos 77’), Lucas Olguin, Markus Cimermancic, Jesús Batiz; Mark Fisher, Julian Altobelli (C) (Philip Igbinobaro 77’), Charlie Sharp (Dékwon Barrow 51’)
Substitutes Not Used: Shafique Wilson, Lazar Stefanovic, Luca Accettola, Kristjan Fortier, Matthew Catavolo
FC CINCINNATI 2 – Hunter Morse; Brian Schaefer, Gaël Gilbert, Nico Benalcazar (C); Amir Daley, Yair Ramos (Stefan Chirilla 46’), Peter Mangione, Stiven Jimenez (Yeiner Valoyes 86’), Isaiah Foster; Ben Stitz (Justin Hylton 74’), Jesús Castellano
Substitutes Not Used: Kayne Rizvanovich, Alejandro Guido, Juan Machado, Connor Stout, Nicholas Samways, Justin Hylton
Notables:
- Toronto FC II earned their first win of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season.
- Charlie Sharp scored his first goal on his first start for TFC II.
- Markus Cimermancic scored his first goal of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
- Philip Igbinobaro made his debut for Toronto FC II after entering the match in the 77th minute.
- With today’s win, Toronto FC II hold an all-time record of 4W-1L-4T across the club’s first nine home opener matches (United Soccer League, USL League One and MLS NEXT Pro).
