Miracle on grass: FC Cincinnati downs Columbus Crew SC

Pat Brennan | Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption Biggest moments from FC Cincy's win over Columbus Crew SC FC Cincinnati beat MLS opponent Columbus Crew SC, June 14, 2017

UPDATE: FC Cincinnati will host MLS team Chicago Fire in the Open Cup Round of 16. Read more on that here.

A Nippert Stadium crowd of 30,160 stood frozen as Djiby Fall’s second-effort headed shot lofted through the humid night air.

Even some of the Futbol Club Cincinnati and Columbus Crew SC players on the field during Wednesday's fourth-round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup game stood still as the would-be decisive play in the match unfolded.

The Djiby header in the 65th minute was his second headed attempt following a centering pass from left back Justin Hoyte. Djiby jostled with and eventually out-muscled Crew defender Hector Jimenez to earn a deserved second attempt on the ball.

The ensuing shot fluttered just beyond the outstretched left arm of Crew SC goalkeeper Brad Stuver, who fell to his back and rolled into his net.

Stuver didn't bother looking up at what came next.

The ball gently rippled the side netting of the goal in Nippert’s north end. It slid down the back of the net and then bounced back out through the goal mouth.

Pandemonium ensued. FC Cincinnati fans flailed limbs, bounced, hollered and hugged.

It was a goal – the biggest one in FC Cincinnati history, and Djiby's third in three U.S. Open Cup matches this season.

That tally proved to be the eventual game-winner as Cincinnati (7-5-4 overall) upset Crew SC of Major League Soccer, the country's top-flight league, 1-0.

"Obviously, we're ecstatic. Great performance by our guys," Cincinnati manager Alan Koch said afterward. "We gave them a plan to go out and execute tonight, and they did it."

With the victory, FC Cincinnati proceeded to the U.S. Open Cup's Round of 16. Its opponent and destination will be determined Thursday during a random drawing and subsequent coin flip conducted by the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF).

The Round of 16 matches are scheduled to be played June 28, although they can be rescheduled within a few days of that date to accommodate the schedules of the teams involved.

FC Cincinnati made its intentions in the match clear prior to kickoff as Koch's announced lineup was worthy of a regular season United Season League match.

Crew SC countered in-kind. Head coach Gregg Berhalter rolled out a lineup that featured nine regular starters, some of which are capped internationally.

But Berhalter's designs of bullying second-division FC Cincinnati with big-name talent were only partly realized.

Crew SC outshot (11-4), out-possessed (60 percent) and generally did everything in the game better than Cincinnati. Crew SC also created 17 chances to Cincinnati's four, but couldn't crack a new-look FC Cincinnati formation.

Koch aligned his side in a 3-2-3-2 formation. As the numerals suggest, that meant just three defenders in the back for some of the contest and five in defense at other times. Djiby and second-leading scorer Danni Konig stretched the field as they were stationed together up top for the hosts.

“We played with three in the back tonight, and we spoke to the guys to ensure they played compacted," Koch said. “The Crew’s movement is fantastic and our group had to manage that movement and keep them out of dangerous areas. We played against a very, very good team. It was a challenge all around. We possessed as much as we could and managed when we didn’t have the ball.”

Even as Columbus failed to score, they still managed to keep FC Cincinnati at arm's length, although allowing Cincinnati to hang around was always a dangerous proposition, Berhalter said afterward.

That danger ultimately proved deadly when Djiby struck with less than 30 minutes to go. The goal was his ninth in all competitions for FC Cincinnati. It sparked the most raucous celebration Nippert had ever seen for a soccer match.

From that point on, FC Cincinnati buttoned up its defense as best it could, although Crew SC still created enough chances to tie and win the game as the game clock bled out.

Goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt was pressed into five saves while also gathering one cross and a punch.

The shutout was the 15th of his FC Cincinnati career and his fifth this season in all competitions.

After the final whistle, the orange and blue scenes around Nippert were starkly contrasted against two sections in the north end of the stadium jammed with Crew SC supporters. There, the patrons stood solemnly as the rest of Cincinnati rejoiced in a moment it couldn't have dreamt of even two years ago.

Some of those Crew SC fans appeared to engage Berhalter in a verbal spat following the match, according to reports from The Columbus Dispatch.

"We wanted to win the game. That was the objective," Berhalter said in post-match remarks. "In the start of the game specifically, I think we lacked urgency. I think that lack of urgency resulted in way-too-slow ball movement. We had some good positions but it wasn't quick enough. I think speed was going to be the key to hurting (Cincinnati) - moving the ball quickly.

"It's frustrating, no question. The deciding moments of the game are usually in both penalty boxes and I think we came up short in both penalty boxes today."

FC Cincy coach Koch: 'To be quite frank, it was awesome' FC Cincinnati defeated Columbus Crew SC, 1-0, before 30,160 fans during a Wednesday, June 14 match at Nippert Stadium. FC Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch spoke to members of the media afterward.

Djiby was visibly emotional after his goal. When the game ended, he dropped to his knees and slapped the turf. He was hardly the only person affected by the night's events.

FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding appeared to be emotional during impromptu post-match remarks.

Berding also said he'd be buying beer for supporters at a local pub after the game.

"It's pretty special," Berding said. "I told the team, in all of our wildest dreams when we started this wonderful club in this wonderful sports town, we wouldn't have dreamed as big of a night like tonight... I wouldn't have dreamed tonight, so, incredibly special. I mean, I'm speechless, really. A stunning night.

"It's a special statement for Cincinnati beyond just FC Cincinnati. Just our city – what happened out there tonight with the crowd and the environment, the energy. I mean, that's a big league soccer experience right there... It's bigger than just the owners, the staff – it's for the city."

The win was the most significant on-field achievement in FC Cincinnati history. The result made Ohio's only MLS side the No. 2 club in the state, if only for one night – that's how several fans said they viewed it.

That, along with the match attendance being third-best in FC Cincinnati history and one of the best in U.S. Open Cup history, made the whole occasion an undeniable statement in the ongoing MLS expansion race.

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Berding said he hadn't communicated with any MLS representatives this week, but added, "I would imagine they were certainly aware of the attendance."

THE ROAD AHEAD: THE ROUND OF 16 DRAW

Of the 16 teams remaining in the U.S. Open Cup, 13 are MLS sides.

Only FC Cincinnati and Sacramento Republic FC remain from the USL ranks while Miami FC of the North American Soccer League (NASL) is the last club standing from its second-division league.

The Round of 16 pairings will be determined Thursday during an 11 a.m. drawing and subsequent coin flip to determine host sites. The USSF, which stages the U.S. Open Cup, will oversee the drawing and coin flips, which will also be live-streamed on the organization's Facebook page.

The final 16 clubs have been divided into groups of four based on geography.

FC Cincinnati's next opponent will be drawn from a South Region that includes MLS sides Atlanta United FC and Chicago Fire, and Miami FC of NASL.

The regional breakdowns include:

CENTRAL: Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Sporting Kansas City.

EAST: D.C. United, Philadelphia Union, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls.

SOUTH: Atlanta United FC, Chicago Fire, FC Cincinnati, Miami FC.

WEST: LA Galaxy, Sacramento Republic, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC.

OPEN CUP NOTES

• Hildebrandt and FC Cincinnati backup goalkeeper Dallas Jaye have combined for shutouts in the club's three Open Cup matches. Opponents haven't scored on Cincinnati in 370 minutes of Open Cup play.

• Djiby has scored all three of FC Cincinnati's goals in the Open Cup.

• Justin Hoyte's assist on Djiby's goal against Columbus allowed the left back to tally an offensive point (three total) for the second consecutive game following his game-tying goal against Charlotte last Saturday.

• Champions of Ohio: FC Cincinnati has now beaten both Columbus Crew SC of MLS and AFC Cleveland, the defending champions of the National Premier Soccer League, in this year's Open Cup.