High Point, North Carolina (June 15, 2024) – Carolina Core FC fell to FC Cincinnati 2 at home, 3-1, on Matchday 14 of the MLSNP campaign.
Goal-Scoring Plays
CCFC – Josuha Rodriguez, 19th minute: Josuha Rodriguez scored a header inside the box past FCC2 keeper Paul Walters. The goal is Josuha’s first of the MLSNP season and his third in all competitions.
FCC2 - Brian Schaefer, 22nd minute: Brian Schaefer heads in the goal after a deflected shot.
FCC2 - Jesús Castellano, 54th minute: FCC2 defender Jesus Castellanos controlled the ball in the box and fired a shot past CCFC keeper Alex Sutton. The goal was assisted by Mboma Dem.
FCC2 - Amir Daley, 56th minute: FCC2 defender Amir Daley scored a right-footed shot assisted by Jesús Castellano.
Postgame Notes
- CCFC dominates possession in home defeat
- Josuha Rodriguez scores first MLSNP goal
- MLSNP debut for Alenga Charles
- CCFC vs. FCC2 | MLSNP Box Score
Carolina Core FC dominates possession in home defeat
Carolina Core FC took on FC Cincinnati 2 in their second home game of their inaugural season. Despite dominating possession and outshooting their opponent, CCFC fell by a score of 3-1 on the night. Forward Josuha Rodriguez scored the first goal of the match in the 19th minute, nodding home a cross from midfielder Facundo Canete. The goal was Josuha’s first of the MLSNP season and his third in all competitions. The assist by Canete was his fourth of the campaign. Goals from Brian Schaefer, Jesús Castellano, and Amir Daley would bring the match to 3-1 in favor of the visitors.
Josuha Rodriguez scores first MLSNP goal
Josuha Rodriguez opened the scoring in the 19th minute of the match with a headed goal off of a cross by CCFC midfielder Facundo Canete. The opener was Josuha’s first of the MLSNP season and his third in all competitions. Josuha’s goal capped off a well-rounded performance after recording three shots, two of which were on target.
CCFC midfielder Alenga Charles makes MLSNP debut
CCFC midfielder Alenga Charles made his MLS NEXT Pro debut against FC Cincinnati 2. The Tanzania-native entered the game for CCFC striker Papa Ndoye in the 58th minute of the match. Charles recorded one shot and 15 passes on the night, with a 93.8% pass accuracy.
Lineups
Carolina Core FC — Alex Sutton; Christian Diaz, Ibrahim Covi, Kai Thomas; Jathan Suarez (Carlos Mario Diaz - 62’), Santiago Cambindo, Facundo Canete, Derek Cuevas, Jacob Evans (Federico Stachuk - 79’); Papa Ndoye (Alenga Charles - 58’), Josuha Rodriguez (Tyler Freeman - 69’).
Substitutes not used — Angel Aguas, Robert Bailey, Drake Hadeed, Aryeh Miller, Jeremiah White IV.
FC Cincinnati 2 — Paul Walters; Gaël Gilbert, Brian Schaefer, Isaiah Foster; Amir Daley, Nico Benalcazar, Stiven Jimenez (Yair Ramos - 87’), Jesús Castellano (Alejandro Guido - 79’), Peter Mangione (Moises Tablante - 58’); Guilherme Santos, Kenji Mboma Dem (Ben Stitz - 58’).
Substitutes not used — Hunter Morse, Juan Machado, Yair Ramos, Connor Stout.
Next Game
Chattanooga FC hosts Carolina Core FC on Saturday, June 22 at Finley Stadium. The match kicks off at 7:00 PM ET with a live stream available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
2024 MLS NEXT Pro
Carolina Core FC vs FC Cincinnati 2
Saturday, June 15, 2024 – Truist Point (North Carolina)
Carolina Core FC record: 1-7-3 (8 points – 15th in East)
FC Cincinnati 2 record: 8-4-1 (25 points – 3rd in East)
Scoring Summary:
CCFC: Josuha Rodriguez (Facundo Canete) – 19’
FCC2: Brian Schaefer – 22’
FCC2: Jesus Castellano (Mboma Dem) - 54’
FCC2: Amir Daley (Jesús Castellano) - 56’
Misconduct Summary:
CCFC: Facundo Canete (caution) – 20’
CCFC: Christian Diaz (caution) – 67’
CCFC: Federico Stachuk (caution) – 84’
FCC2: Nico Benalcazar (caution) – 85’
CCFC: Kai Thomas (caution) – 90+3’
Referee: John Matto
Assistant Referees: Colin Ashley, Jessica Carnevale
Fourth Official: Josiah Parke
Weather: Sunny, 85 degrees
Attendance: 4,022
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
CAROLINA CORE FC POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Roy Lassiter
On how the team played…
"Overall, we had very good moments. We had good attacking shots and crosses throughout the game. We got the first goal, then right after that they scored, which affected things a little bit. Overall, I would say that we still stayed on track. Entering the second half, FC Cincinnati 2 responded with two goals in an instant. I wanted to give our fans more than what we did tonight; I wanted the three points. We were prepared going into the match, but in this league, you can be prepared to win a match, but you have to execute and play the match. Cincinnati came in and did what they needed to do, and they are a bit more seasoned than us. We're just going to keep moving forward.”
On differences from the first home game…
“A lot of things have changed since the first home game. Today we stayed more as a group and stayed a little bit more compact. Our mentality was also a little bit more connected. FC Cincinnati 2 still got three goals, which I do not like, and we did get a goal, but we deserved to have more goals. We had the chances, we had the corners, we had the attacking abilities, and we just couldn’t put it away. We had more offensive desires and offensive opportunities in this game than we did last time, and on top of that, we didn’t fall apart as a group. We stayed connected; we stayed together even though we were trying to attack them, trying to look for the goal, trying to get the goal even though we were 3-1 down.”
