Cincinnati assistant head coach Dominic Kinnear insisted that the team’s slow starts were "alarming" and needed to be put right ahead of the visit of CF Montreal.
With head coach Pat Noonan serving a suspension, Kinnear watched on as his side conceded two goals in six minutes against Inter Miami, with Luis Suarez netting both in a 2-0 victory for the Eastern Conference leaders.
Despite the result, the Orange and Blue remain second in the standings, but have Leagues Cup winners Columbus Crew breathing down their necks and the advantage of having two games in hand.
Kinnear believes that starting fast will set the tone for the remainder of the season, explaining that it must start sooner rather than later ahead of the playoffs.
“It's cause for alarms,” Kinnear said of the team conceding early in four of their last six matches. “It's the intensity and the, you know. I think at times, the lack of understanding of how the other team is going to come out.”
“These are some very important games. There are playoff positions and trophies on the line. You know, for me, that was a flat 10 minutes. As flat as I've seen coming out of the locker room.
“Are we out of shape? No. Is the preparation not there; are they understanding the opponent? I think everything is in line there. Sometimes that's the unknown answer. But you know, I won't disagree. We have come out flat and it's something we need to address for sure."
Montreal, meanwhile, returned from their Leagues Cup campaign with a whimper as they were thumped 5-0 by New England Revolution - their heaviest defeat of the season.
The result leaves the team in 11th place in the Eastern Conference table, but just a point behind Atlanta United, who occupy the final playoff spot in the division.
Head coach Laurent Courtois criticised his players for a combination of individual errors that led to the defeat, bemoaning his squad for a lack of discipline during the contest.
"We thought we had made the personal or tactical adjustments in the second half to turn things around, but when you lose your discipline, it becomes complicated,” Courtois said.
“There were individual errors that hurt. It's difficult for me to talk about positives tonight, even if we thought there was room for improvement.
“We struggled in transition and ran out of ideas in the second half.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta
Luciano Acosta has been the standout for Cincinnati this season, registering 26 goal involvements (11 goals and 15 assists) in 25 league appearances.
In his 15 appearances against Montreal, Acosta has found the back of the net seven times, level with the San Jose Earthquakes as the most he has struck against an MLS opponent.
Montreal – Joseph Martinez
Josef Martinez has scored seven regular-season goals against Cincinnati, tied with Gyasi Zardes for the most in regular season play.
MATCH PREDICTION: CINCINNATI WIN
While Cincinnati are the favourites to emerge victorious at the TQL Stadium, they have lost their last four straight regular season matches after losing just four of their previous 24 league games (W16 D4) dating back to last October.
The Orange and Blue conceded two goals in the opening six minutes of their loss to Inter Miami. Prior to that encounter, Cincinnati had conceded just once in the opening six minutes of matches since the start of the 2023 season.
But Montreal have struggled away from home and are winless in 13 straight away matches in all competitions (D4 L9) dating back to March. This is the club’s longest road winless run since going 34 without a win on their travels from September 2013 to May 2015.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Cincinnati – 63.3%
Draw – 19.5%
Montreal – 17.2%
Charlotte FC v Atlanta United: Smith lays down unbeaten challenge to Crown squad
Dean Smith has set his Charlotte FC players the challenge of remaining unbeaten from now until the end of the season, starting with their MLS fixture against Atlanta United.
The Crown returned to league action after their Leagues Cup exit with a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls, as Karol Swiderski saw his penalty cancelled out by Elias Manoel.
Smith’s side extended their unbeaten run in the MLS to four matches, sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference standings but four points off fourth place.
And with the playoffs growing ever closer, Smith is keen to build a winning mentality among his players and is confident that his side will improve as the campaign progresses.
“I want them to be sharper,” Smith started. “They have worked really hard in the last three weeks, and they have had some rest when they have needed it. They will be good.
“I don’t worry about the players fitness wise; they are a strong group and I think as the season goes on now we will get better.
“The challenge for them now is keeping this unbeaten run going until the end of the season and I believe we can go and do that.”
Atlanta, meanwhile, marked their return to MLS action with a 2-0 defeat to LA Galaxy, halting their two-game winning run in the competition.
The Five Stripes currently occupy the final playoff place in the Eastern Conference, but a win will see them close the gap to the sides above them with the luxury of a game in hand over Toronto.
But after their showing against the Galaxy, interim head coach Rob Valentino is hoping for a quick start at the Bank of America Stadium this time around.
"I feel like we gave them the first one, or they didn’t have to earn it as much which is really disappointing because they defended so hard and aggressive for a good chunk of time," Valentino said.
"I was hoping that as we got the subs on they could make an impact. Unfortunately, we were chasing the game 1-0 and that changed quite a bit for us."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Charlotte FC – Karol Swiderski
Karol Swiderski scored Charlotte's only goal in their 1-1 draw with the Red Bulls, his second strike in two regular season games since returning from a loan spell with Hellas Verona.
Swiderski is the only player in club history to score in three straight league games (October 2023).
Atlanta United – Saba Lobjanidze
Saba Lobjanidze attempted five shots in the Five Stripes’ defeat at the Galaxy last time out.
It was the 141st time an Atlanta player took at least five shots in a regular season match, more than any other MLS team since they joined the league in 2017.
MATCH PREDICTION: CHARLOTTE WIN
Charlotte have won each of their last two matches against Atlanta, with both wins coming away from home. In fact, three of the last four meetings between the two sides have been won by the visitors.
The Crown, however, have drawn five of their last seven home matches (W1 L1) in all competitions. They have lost only two of their last 24 at home dating back to June 2023 (W10 D12).
Atlanta United have lost four straight regular season away matches for the first time since a six-match run in 2019. The Five Stripes have won just two of their last 17 matches away from home dating back to last September (D7 L8).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Charlotte FC – 50.3%
Draw – 25.1%
Atlanta United – 24.5%
Las Palmas 1-1 Real Madrid: Vinicius spot-kick salvages a point for Los Blancos
Vinicius Junior's penalty ensured Real Madrid left the Estadio de Gran Canaria with a point as they drew 1-1 to Las Palmas on Thursday.
Alberto Moleiro had given the hosts a shock lead in the fifth minute, but Vinicius would net from 12 yards to swing the encounter back in their favour, however, Carlo Ancelotti's star-studded line-up were unable to find a way through.
A frantic start to proceedings saw Moleiro produce a moment of magic to skip beyond Aurelien Tchouameni and Eder Militao before firing low into the far corner.
Madrid would register nine shots in the opening 45 minutes, three of which were on target, but they were unable to test Jasper Cillessen in the Las Palms net.
However, parity would be restored when defender Alex Suarez was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area, with Vinicius stepping up to score from the spot.
Kylian Mbappe endured another difficult outing in front of goal, with only two of his nine shots on target as he still awaits his first LaLiga goal for his new side.
Ancelotti's side sit fourth in the early-season standings with five points from their first three games, four behind rivals and table toppers Barcelona.
Data Debrief: Vinicius on target as Mbappe's struggles continue
Vinicius has now scored all his four penalties for Real Madrid in all competitions, all of which have come in 2024.
The Brazilian looked Los Blancos' biggest threat in the forward areas, contributing an expected goals (xG) of 1.23 to Madrid's 2.81 total.
However, it was another night to forget for Mbappe. The Frenchman is the player in the top five European Leagues this season who has had the most shots this term (17) and who has the worst difference between xG (1.8) and goals scored (none).
Las Palmas 1-1 Real Madrid: Vinicius penalty salvages a point for Los Blancos
Vinicius Junior's penalty ensured Real Madrid left the Estadio de Gran Canaria with a point as they drew 1-1 to Las Palmas on Thursday.
Alberto Moleiro had given the hosts a shock lead in the fifth minute, but Vinicius would net from 12 yards to swing the encounter back in their favour, however, Carlo Ancelotti's star-studded line-up were unable to find a way through.
A frantic start to proceedings saw Moleiro produce a moment of magic to skip beyond Aurelien Tchouameni and Eder Militao before firing low into the far corner.
Madrid would register nine shots in the opening 45 minutes, three of which were on target, but they were unable to test Jasper Cillessen in the Las Palms net.
However, parity would be restored when defender Alex Suarez was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area, with Vinicius stepping up to score from the spot.
Kylian Mbappe endured another difficult outing in front of goal, with only two of his nine shots on target as he still awaits his first LaLiga goal for his new side.
Ancelotti's side sit fourth in the early-season standings with five points from their first three games, four behind rivals and table toppers Barcelona.
Data Debrief: Vinicius on target as Mbappe's struggles continue
Vinicius has now scored all his four penalties for Real Madrid in all competitions, all of which have come in 2024.
The Brazilian looked Los Blancos' biggest threat in the forward areas, contributing an expected goals (xG) of 1.23 to Madrid's 2.81 total.
However, it was another night to forget for Mbappe. The Frenchman is the player in the top five European Leagues this season who has had the most shots this term (17) and who has the worst difference between xG (1.8) and goals scored (none).
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