Luciano Acosta, of FC Cincinnati, grabs his leg after being challenged by a Red Bull defender
Cincinnati, Ohio – FC Cincinnati and the visiting New York Red Bulls played to a 1-1 draw Saturday night in front of 24,476 fans at TQL Stadium, the largest home crowd of the season.
FCC move to 7-7-5 (26 points) with the club’s third straight draw. The Red Bulls hold on to first place in the Eastern Conference with a 9-5-6 mark (33 points).
FC Cincinnati scored first in the 20th minute with the team-high ninth goal of the season from Brandon Vazquez.
The forward got in behind the Red Bulls defense and ran on to a through ball from Luciano Acosta. Vazquez’s initial shot on target was saved by New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, but Vazquez followed up on the rebound and tapped in the contest’s opening goal.
FC Cincinnati and the visiting New York Red Bulls played to a 1-1 draw Saturday night in front of 24,476 fans at TQL Stadium, the largest home crowd of the season.
FCC move to 7-7-5 (26 points) with the club’s third straight draw. The Red Bulls hold on to first place in the Eastern Conference with a 9-5-6 mark (33 points).
FC Cincinnati scored first in the 20th minute with the team-high ninth goal of the season from Brandon Vazquez.
The forward got in behind the Red Bulls defense and ran on to a through ball from Luciano Acosta. Vazquez’s initial shot on target was saved by New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, but Vazquez followed up on the rebound and tapped in the contest’s opening goal.
Luciano Acosta of FC Cincinnati claps as he walks off the field after receiving a red card during their game agains the New York Red Bulls at TQL Stadium, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday, July 9, 2022. [Alex Eicher | Loveland Magazine]FCC midfielder, Álvaro Barreal, takes a shot on New York Red Bulls’ goal at TQL Stadium, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday, July 9, 2022. [Alex Eicher | Loveland Magazine]FCC forward, Brandon Vázquez, dribble the ball after fouling Red Bulls defender, Dylan Nealis, at TQL Stadium, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday, July 9, 2022. [Alex Eicher | Loveland Magazine]New York Red Bull, Cristian Cásseres Jr, heads the ball away from FC Cincinnati forward, Brenner, at TQL Stadium, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday, July 9, 2022. [Alex Eicher | Loveland Magazine]Brandon Vázquez, of FC Cincinnati, takes a shot on goal where he later scores off a deflection at TQL Stadium, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday, July 9, 2022. [Alex Eicher | Loveland Magazine]Luciano Acosta, of FC Cincinnati, grabs his leg after being challenged by Red Bull defender John Tolkin at TQL Stadium, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday, July 9, 2022. [Alex Eicher | Loveland Magazine]FC Cincinnati defender, Raymon Gaddis, clears the ball away from the New York Red Bulls at TQL Stadium, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday, July 9, 2022. [Alex Eicher | Loveland Magazine]Luciano Acosta, of FC Cincinnati, takes a shot on the Red Bulls’ goal at TQL Stadium, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday, July 9, 2022. [Alex Eicher | Loveland Magazine]New York Red Bull defender, Cristian Cásseres Jr, reaches for the ball at TQL Stadium, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday, July 9, 2022. [Alex Eicher | Loveland Magazine]Luciano Acosta of FC Cincinnati works around New York Red Bull defender, Aaron Long, at TQL Stadium, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday, July 9, 2022. [Alex Eicher | Loveland Magazine]
Mason, Ohio – Eighteen-year-olds Leylah Fernandez and Carlos Alcaraz have advanced into the Western & Southern Open main draw, both winning a pair of straight set matches this weekend to qualify.
Fernandez dropped just two games in defeating Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse to reach her second W&S Open main draw while Alcaraz collected the win against Belarus’ Ilya Ivashkato clinch a spot in his first Cincinnati main draw. Canada’s Fernandez squares off against American Allison Riske in the main draw’s first round, with Spain’s Alcaraz setting up an opening matchup with Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.
Su-Wei Hsieh, less than a month removed from winning the Wimbledon doubles title, did not lose a game in the first set and cruised her way to the women’s main draw with a victory over Cleveland native Lauren Davis. Italy’s Jasmine Paolini defeated 2019 US Open quarterfinalist Donna Vekic to punch her ticket to the main draw.
A pair of qualifiers advanced with 6-0 third sets on Sunday. Shuai Zhang, a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2019, defeated Marie Bouzkova while Caroline Garcia earned her seventh straight Cincinnati appearance with her win over Fiona Ferro.
Tommy Paul was victorious in an all-American duel against Tennys Sandgren in a two-hour, thirty-three minute, three set battle, while fellow American Marcos Giron climbed his way into the main draw with his victory over Germany’s Dominik Koepfer. Two-time Major finalist Kevin Anderson saw his way into the field with 7-6(3) 6-4 win over American Steve Johnson.
France’s Richard Gasquet will make his 15th Western & Southern Open appearance, which is now tied for third-most Western & Southern Open appearances in the Open Era, following a three-set win over Spain’s Jaume Munar. Gasquet advances to face two-time champion Andy Murray on Monday night, a rematch of a 2019 first round match in Cincinnati.
Mason, Ohio – The Western & Southern Open returned to Mason for the first time since 2019 Saturday, where several players put themselves one step closer to the main draw.
Wins that highlighted the day from the WTA Tour included France’s Fionna Ferro’s victory over 2021 Wimbledon quarterfinalist and No. 1 seed in the qualifying tournament Viktorija Golubic. Ferro will battled fellow countrywoman Caroline Garcia for a spot in the women’s main draw Sunday on Stadium 3 at 10 a.m.
Mason native and 2021 NCAA National Champion from the University of Texas Peyton Stearns gave her local fans a show against 2021 Wimbledon Doubles champion Su-Wei Hsieh. Hseih, however, clawed her way to the win and advanced in the qualifying tournament.
After attending Western & Southern Open matches growing up in Mason, Stearns fulfilled a dream with the opportunity to compete in front of her hometown fans Saturday.
“It was awesome. There were definitely a lot of emotions out there as you could tell at the beginning (of the match) and at the end and during the match,” Stearns said. “Some nerves kicked in, but being out there was so much fun.”
Four Americans defended their country’s home turf in Saturday’s qualifying round, where Tommy Paul, Steve Johnson, Tennys Sandgren and Marcos Giron all inched closer to main draw spots. Paul defeated South Korea’s Soonwoo Kwon and Sandgren knocked off France’s Jeremy Chardy, where the two Americans will duel for a spot in the main draw Sunday. Johnson collected the three-set win over Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori while Giron was victorious over Cincinnati native and former Ohio State Buckeye JJ Wolf.
Wolf, a four-time winner on the ATP Challenger tour, competed in the Western & Southern Open qualifying draw for the fourth straight year.
“Coming home is the best feeling for me, having so much family and also friends in the standards,” Wolf said. “I can’t even explain the feeling even on a day like today where I didn’t feel my best. I was still having so much fun out there.”
The main draw action begins Sunday for the ATP with a full slate of main draw play on tap from Monday, Aug. 16. The schedule for the week is available here.
All tickets, including full series, mini-plans, single session and hospitality packages, are now on sale and information about available tickets can be found here.
The Western & Southern Open, an ATP Masters 1000 and a WTA 1000, is part of the US Open Series and is held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.
Cincinnati, Ohio – FC Cincinnati lost 0-2 to the Colorado Rapids last Saturday night at TQL Stadium. The contest was the first sellout in the history of the stadium.
Colorado Rapids (5-2-1, 16 pts.) struck first in the 21st minute when Michael Barrios snuck in behind the FC Cincinnati defense and laid the ball off to Diego Rubio, who slotted it home. Jack Price’s through ball in the 72nd minute found Jonathan Lewis, whose left footed shot gave the match its final score line.
The contest was the first sellout in the history of the stadium.
FC Cincinnati (1-5-1, 4 pts.) outshot Colorado Rapids 22-7 and had seven shots on target to Colorado’s two, but were not able to find the back of the net. Both the team’s 22 shots and seven shots on goal were season-highs.
On Wednesday night, Álvaro Barreal’s 50th minute free kick game-winning goal was one of a club record 12 shots on goal as FC Cincinnati defeated the hosts Chicago Fire SC, 1-0, at Soldier Field.
Orange and Blue look ahead to Saturday night matchup with Toronto FC in Orlando
FC Cincinnati looks to win its third road contest of the season Saturday night when it takes on Toronto FC from Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Kickoff is set for 7 PM ET, and the game will be televised on WSTR 64, carried on the radio on ESPN 1530, streamed regionally on fccincinnati.com/stream, out of market on ESPN+, while an audio stream will be available via the iHeartRadio app.
Read the SCORING SUMMARY of the Colorado Rapids matchup, MISCONDUCT SUMMARY, and POSTGAME QUOTES below…
Colorado Rapids 2, FC Cincinnati 0
TQL Stadium | Cincinnati, Ohio June 19, 2021
SCORING SUMMARY COL – Diego Rubio (Michael Barrios) 21’ COL – Jonathan Lewis (Jack Price) 72’
Colorado Rapids: William Yarbrough, Keegan Rosenberry, Lalas Abubakar (Drew Moore 70’), Danny Wilson, Auston Trusty, Sam Vines (Braian Galvan 90’), Kellyn Acosta, Jack Price, Cole Bassett (Nicholas Mezquida 84’), Michael Barrios (Nicholas Benezet 46’), Diego Rubio (Jonathan Lewis 46’)
Bench: Clint Irwin, Oliver larraz, Andre Shinyashiki, Collen Warner
COL – Kellyn Acosta (caution) 23’ CIN – Brenner (caution) 45’ CIN – Edgar Castillo (caution) 45+6’ COL – Lalas Abubakar (caution) 45+6’ COL – Jack Price (caution) 61’ COL – Danny Wilson (caution) 90+2’
Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Ast. Referees: Eric Boria, Adam Wienckowski
4th official: Danielle Chesky
VAR: Guido Gonzales Jr.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik
Weather: 80 degrees and partly cloudy
Attendance: 25,054 (sellout)
GAME NOTES
Head coach Jaap Stam made three changes from the previous match against New England, with Edgar Castillo, Alvaro Barreal, and Isaac Atanga replacing Ronald Matarrita, Caleb Stanko and Jürgen Locadia.
Edgar Castillo started for the Orange and Blue to make his first appearance with the club. The 34-year old U.S. International, and former Colorado Rapid, played 77 minutes in the left back spot.
Franko Kovačević made his first appearance for the Orange and Blue this season, and just his second appearance in total, coming on for Brenner in the 82nd minute.
With the loss, FC Cincinnati’s record this season through seven MLS matches comes to 1-5-1 (4 points). FCC’s all-time record against the Rapids drops to 0-2-0.
Zico Bailey, Calvin Harris, and Maikel van der Werff were all excluded from the matchday squad due to injuries.
Luciano Acosta wore the captain’s armband for the third time this season.
The Orange and Blue utilized the maximum five substitutions for the third time this season.
POSTGAME QUOTES
FC Cincinnati head coach Jaap Stam
“It’s a little bit from our side tonight unbelievable that we are sitting here on our side and we haven’t scored a goal. I think in how we played, how we started the game, how we went forward first half as well, sometimes impressing as well sometimes defending in a block. Doing that very well, creating very good opportunities to score ourselves. We didn’t pull the trigger ourselves.
I think we gave that goal away because one ran in behind and that ball went over the top and he was through. It’s a goal you can’t concede like this but it happens. That’s a little bit of the situation sometimes that we are in now as well in the stepping stones that we need to make and the process that we are, that sometimes we are making little mistakes and wrong choices, that’s going to cost us.
On the other hand we create we go forward you create opportunities and you can’t finish them off. Second half we kept on pushing, we spoke about what to do in the second half. We dominated big parts of the game, we created quite a few opportunities to score. Even opportunities sometime that you need to pick someone else up who’s in a better position to score.
We couldn’t do that and on the break, I believe they score that second goal and I think that’s their only shot of the second half on target. It went in, I still need to see it back. It’s all about and we spoke about it in other games as well, other games that we’ve been losing, for example, the Miami game here at home. Come back into the game you get opportunities but you give away a third goal and you cannot score yourself enough goals. New England towards the end of the game as well you create the opportunities but we cannot unfortunately pull the trigger so you don’t get a point out of it as well. Today I think we should’ve had more but should’ve could’ve it’s about…. If you get the opportunities you need to finish them off yourself as well. We also know, where we are. You’re always talking about things that go wrong but it’s not a thing that you need to write always because it’s easy also to write my comments and everybody thinks oh they must’ve played a bad game and that’s not the case because I think we played very well. We did very well. we created a lot and even in that we could’ve done better its very positive in how we approached the game and what we achieved eventually and that’s a part of what we are looking for and making progress and eventually I’m very confident we’ll get there.
Also in making these steps and making changes and maybe there’s more you never know what’s going to happen. You start here and then you’re building your way up there. It’s a lot better to start here and ending up there. That’s not building and we all know how that goes. We try to work on that every day, every game. Also you’re working with human beings, like you guys don’t always write the same piece. Players don’t always make the same decisions on the pitch. That’s at times how it goes as well.’’
On the credit he gives to Rapids keeper:
“Yeah I give him credit also we sometimes make it easy because we shoot that ball against him so he doesn’t need to do a lot if you pick an angle and you take a corner then it goes in probably but that also got to do with players when you’re under pressure. Sometimes you don’t have the time to make a decision and you just need to shoot and pull the trigger. So that happens as well but he made good saves. The difference is that we give them two opportunities and they score two. We get seven very good opportunities and I’m still very on the low side maybe and we cannot score and that’s unfortunate.
When you see the plays as well everyone is very disappointed down, because also we speak about it every week the players feel that they are close. If you can’t reward yourself then it becomes more difficult at times to get that boost to make that next step and that’s what we are looking for.’’
On two opposing shots becoming two opposing goals.
“We are aiming to do that even more, not to concede but to have more shots and opportunities. Yeah and I’ve been there myself as well, it’s very difficult when you play a game against a team and the other teams have quality as well. It’s not like we are playing and we are making progress and we are bringing other players in. The other teams are doing the exact thing and they also started from where they ended last season.’’
FC Cincinnati midfielder Allan Cruz
Note: translated from Spanish to English
On playing in front of the home crowd
“It’s great to be playing at full capacity, unfortunately we weren’t able to get the win for our fans. We just want to take this as a learning opportunity moving forward.”
On the opportunities pushing forward
“As you saw, we had opportunities to finish and score those goals. I think sometimes we were missing just the calmness to finish those plays. With regards to my position, it’s my natural position and I feel comfortable in that position. Sometimes I think I need to be a little more in the box and have more opportunities to score, but overall I like that position. Obviously, (Colorado goalkeeper Yarborough) had some good saves. We had a few opportunities and we didn’t finish them off. When you have those opportunities and you can’t finish them, there is a little bit of frustration.
On his time with Costa Rica during the international break
“I was away but while I was away I was playing. I’m always training when I’m with my national team. Coming back to the team (FC Cincinnati), it’s good to be back, thank God I’m back, we just need to get those wins.”
FC Cincinnati defender Edgar Castillo
On his first appearance and start with the club “I felt a little nervous but I think I did good, just not the result we wanted. I think overall we played good but it’s luck, we don’t have any luck. We created so many chances and it’s a matter of putting it in. It was just unlucky for us but we have to keep our head up and keep going”
On his role stepping into the starting XI in front of TQL Stadium
“We all prepare, I train so whenever Jaap needs us, he needed me today. (You) just have to try to be ready whenever needed. It’s beautiful to have people back in the stands, it’s amazing. It’s unfortunate we did not get a win today.”
Two medical professionals in the Ohio Senate reintroduced a bill that would criminalize physician inaction in “botched abortions,” but say the bill is more about having a reporting system, something that already exists in state law.
The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Terry Johnson, R-McDermott, who currently works as a drug addiction treatment physician, and former ER doctor Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, who still appears to work in a physicians group.
Johnson said while the bill has punitive aspects for physicians, it is primarily a measure to “provide a reporting system” for abortion procedures in which the baby is born alive after a “failed abortion,” which research shows could only happen closer to the full term of a pregnancy. Full term is considered 40 weeks gestation.
In Ohio, abortion is legal up to 20 weeks gestation.
While he said data has settled the dispute in the General Assembly last year that cases of “born alive abortions” were rare or non-existent across the country, Johnson also said the new bill was necessary to find out if it occurred in the state.
“We don’t want to overlook the fact that we would like Ohio to determine whether this actually happens in Ohio or not, and if it does, we can record it and we can take a cold, hard look at the results of that,” Johnson told the Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee.
When asked about current law on infant death, Johnson acknowledged that federal law already makes infant homicide a criminal offense. But when asked to provide an example of occurrences in Ohio, Johnson said the state doesn’t collect that data.
“In states where they do have a reporting form and where they do pay attention to this, they can gather data and they prove that it happens,” Johnson said. “How would we know in Ohio? We don’t check it.”
Source: Ohio Department of Health
State law already requires information about abortions to be reported to the Ohio Department of Health by the physician who performs the abortion, using forms that don’t include identification of the person receiving the abortion. The forms are used to create a yearly abortion report.
In compliance with current state law, physicians also have to report post-abortion complications, including the number and type of complications and the treatment for those complications, along with the gestational age for each procedure.
The 2019 state abortion report — the most recent data from the state — said more than half of all abortions in Ohio happened at less than nine weeks gestation, and 26% happened nine to 12 weeks into pregnancy.
Under the category of “failed abortions” in “post-abortion care for complications” data included in the report, 27 happened at less than nine weeks gestation, and the other 21 happened at nine to 12 weeks.
None were reported in gestation higher than 12 weeks.
Of the 356 abortions reported at 19 weeks or more gestation, only one pregnancy was found to be viable, with the majority of viability testing done through ultrasound.
The CDC considers “early preterm” birth to be less than 34 completed weeks of gestation, and a women’s health webpage for the University of Utah Health says infants are not considered to be viable until after 24 weeks gestation, with the chance of survival before 24 weeks at less than 50%.
Johnson said Senate Bill 157 is identical to Senate Bill 208, which he brought to the last General Assembly. That bill passed through the Senate but never received a committee hearing in the House before the GA ended at the end of 2020.
In his testimony along with his cosponsor, state Sen. Huffman pointed to a report from the nationwide anti-abortion organization Family Research Council, citing CDC data of 143 occurrences of live births following abortion procedures between 2003 and 2014, amounting to about 13 per year.
That report also cited a 2018 study that found the median survival time for those born after the termination of a pregnancy between 20 and 24 weeks gestation was only 32 minutes.
Vinton County in rural Southeast Ohio was the last county in the state to record a positive case of COVID-19.
It also appears to be the first without any cases remaining — at least for the time being.
The sparsely-populated Vinton County has not been as hard hit by the pandemic as in other places of Ohio, and the recent data is the most optimistic yet.
Over the past few weeks, not a single resident in Vinton County has tested positive for COVID-19. There has likewise not been a hospitalization since May 20.
When the state health department published its most recent chart of county-by-county case rates, the one named for former Congressman Samuel Finley Vinton ranked the lowest. During the two-week period of May 19 through June 2, Vinton County didn’t recorded any new cases of the virus.
Thus, the case rate was an even zero — the first county to achieve that since the early days of the pandemic.
The next challenge? Boosting the county’s vaccination rate
Vinton County has a history of figuring out creative solutions to problems. When the county suffered as a food desert, local officials secured grant funding to allow fresh produce to be sold at gas stations and at a drive-thru convenience store.
Decades ago, the construction of a man-made lake threatened the survival of a historic covered bridge. The local agricultural society decided to save it, so a group of laborers spent two days moving the 25-ton bridge across the county. It now rests on the Vinton County Fairgrounds, where guests travel through it each July to reach the front entrance.
Health officials are continuing to work toward getting residents vaccinated.
The case rate may be promising, but the vaccination rate is hardly so. Only 30% of Vinton County residents have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The county lags behind the state percentages in every single age category, most alarmingly with the older demographic.
Across the whole state, 77% of Ohioans aged 60 or older had received at least one shot as of June 4. In Vinton County, the number was just 59%.
Part of the problem is geographic access. Vinton County has no hospital and only a few other medical care facilities. The health department is offering walk-in appointments at its location in the county seat of McArthur; there have also been shots offered at a local pharmacy and at a primary care clinic within the small village.
Outside of McArthur, though, options have been limited. Vinton County is one of the least densely-populated counties in Ohio, and it is also among the most forested. Many residents live in very rural areas, traveling significant distances outside of the county for medical services and other errands in places like Chillicothe and Athens.
We had another great day visiting vaccination sites in Ohio. The teams in Monroe, Morgan, and Vinton counties are doing great work to spread awareness about the vaccine and to vaccinate those who wish to receive a shot.
The trip to and from the Vinton County Health Department, which now offers walk-in vaccine appointments, can require a round trip of more than an hour. That’s if fortunate enough to have transportation in the first place. There is little in the way of public transit in rural Ohio; those without vehicles or are too old to drive rely on transportation services provided by private companies as well as the senior citizens center in McArthur. Volunteers for the latter spend their free time driving elderly passengers to various appointments, grocery stores and
If it’s difficult for some residents to get to McArthur, health officials therefore strive to meet people where they are.
Cassie Carver, a public health nurse for the Vinton County Health Department, said the department has been active in promoting the vaccine in the community. Officials have traveled to schools, churches and workplaces like area sawmills to educate on the importance of getting vaccinated.
The health department recently hosted a mobile vaccination clinic at a farmers market in the smaller village of Hamden. Carver said the department plans to conduct more outreach during the upcoming summer months.
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