Around mid-morning Tuesday was an opportune moment to ask FC Cincinnati forward Darren Mattocks about the club's lack of offensive productivity in 2019.

It's a subject he'd been stewing on earlier Tuesday, and even prior to that.

"It's one thing if you're not scoring goals and maybe you're unlucky, the ball's just not going in," Mattocks said, "but it's a different thing if you're not creating chances. I feel like we haven't really been creating goal-scoring chances on a consistent basis. I think that's the frustrating part. If players are out there and working hard and creating chances and it's not going in, we're fine with that because at least we're actually close to the end product.

"It's super frustrating when we're playing and we're struggling to create chances. Definitely, that's got to change. I think that's the biggest problem for us offensively because we're doing a good job keeping the ball but if you're keeping the ball and not creating chances, then it's pretty much for nothing."

FC Cincinnati's on the fraying edge of the playoff picture, and for some critics, they've been out of it for a while. Players on the team disagree on that point, but most will concede the necessary goals just haven't been there so far this year.

Part of the problem is that FC Cincinnati's had to compensate for its defense, which has bled goals. With 51 scores allowed through 22 matches, any team would be hard-pressed to produce enough offense to keep up with that many goals conceded.

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But even setting the porous defense aside, FC Cincinnati is hurting for offensive firepower by any measure.

Sunday's 2-0 defeat against New England Revolution marked the 10th shutout in all competitions for FC Cincinnati this season.

At one point this year, Cincinnati stretched a goalless drought to 527 minutes.

The club's 21 goals are tied with Columbus Crew SC for the lowest sum in MLS.

So, what's the problem?

Common themes play into the lack of scoring, as do circumstances and challenges unique to each game.

Each match is different, as interim head coach Yoann Damet said Tuesday of Sunday's loss to New England.

"Different teams offer you different things," Damet said. "We have to adapt. You can see last week against D.C. (United), they were very deep, very compact, very disciplined, so it's more difficult to break down. Every game is different for us. It's more focusing on the movement, on what we expect of each position. We've shown that we're able to possess a lot, maybe, laterally. We need to add some more vertical movement, some more runs in behind. We need to be also more in sync, and at the end of the day it's also the end product in the box, so a bit more efficiency in the box."

Generally speaking, Cincinnati can possess the ball. The link from the back to the midfield well enough and, as Damet said, move the ball laterally,

It's in the attacking third of the field where things come undone.

According to Mattocks, who's scored twice this year, that's at the crux of the problem.

Cincinnati has the fewest shots (225) and the second-fewest shots on goal (76) in MLS this year.

Threatening dead-ball situations are in short supply, too.

Cincinnati has the third-fewest penalty-kick attempts (two; both converted) and the third-fewest corner kicks (95).

"The numbers don't lie, especially in a case like that. It means we're not in the final third enough," Mattocks said. "That's exactly what it says... Created not even 100 corner kicks and we're past the midway of the season, so that definitely shows we're not in the offensive third enough and creating chances."

Between injuries and international duty, FC Cincinnati's struggled to get all of its top players on the field at the same time. Bad luck has taken its toll in that sense.

But Mattocks said FC Cincinnati has the players to pump goals in and go on a run back into the playoff picture, adding "something's got to change if we want to salvage something for the rest of the season."

"Everyone's working hard. Everyone's doing their best, but at the end of the day you have to be realistic," Mattocks said. "If you're not creating chances, if you're not creating goals, then we've got to change something.

"I'm very realistic. I'm not going to be naive for the entire season. We've scored (the fewest) goals in the league, and it's never OK. If you have pride, if you want to be a good pro, you have to be the best you can be every day. Sometimes you've just got to face reality. If it's just not good enough, then it's just not good enough."

'BEYOND THE NET' at The Holy Grail Tavern & Grille

Join Enquirer FC Cincinnati beat reporter Pat Brennan and contributor Lindsey Patterson on Wednesday at 7 p.m. for a live chat with Kendall Waston, captain of the Orange and Blue. The Holy Grail is located at 161 Joe Nuxhall Way at The Banks in Downtown.