Patrick Brennan and Charlie Hatch

pbrennan@enquirer.com

Futbol Club Cincinnati's history is short but fast-growing. Already, players from the first two iterations of FC Cincinnati have stepped forward to etch their names into early chapters of club history.

Across 51 games, names like Sean Okoli, Mitch Hildebrandt, Eric Stevenson, Harrison Delbridge, John Harkes, Alan Koch, Austin Berry and Djiby Fall have left indelible marks on FC Cincinnati's first two seasons with memorable individual efforts.

But which performance is the greatest FC Cincinnati's fans and observers have witnessed?

Following Cincinnati's penalty-kick victory against the Chicago Fire in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16, many fans would likely install goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt as the club's best single-game performer, and that may be true.

But Hildebrandt's performance of June 28 is only the most recent single-game outing of note. Fans being honest with themselves will be able to recall other great moments worthy of consideration.

So, let's lay the big moments out and rank'em. Enquirer FC Cincinnati beat writers Patrick Brennan and Charlie Hatch independently ranked FC Cincinnati's top three single-game performances and compared notes afterward. Below is what they decided.

Comment in the comments section with your own top three.

PATRICK BRENNAN:

1. Dan Williams vs. Crystal Palace FC (July 16) – Man of the Match against the English Premier League's Crystal Palace FC and a handful of saves in his first meaningful appearance in an FC Cincinnati shirt before a rapt throng of more than 35,000 at Nippert Stadium? This is a no-brainer.

Some will relegate goalkeeper Dan Williams' performance against Crystal Palace to the lower reaches of any ranking of the best single-match performances in club history because he didn't play the whole game, which was also a friendly. That doesn't make what Williams did that night any less incredible, though.

Mitch Hildebrandt's 10 save, three-PK-stop performance wasn't altogether shocking because Hildebrandt's consistently demonstrated he's the best goalkeeper in United Soccer League. Williams had to scratch and claw just to reach the bench against Crystal Palace. Then, Williams faced opposing talent that was at least equivalent to what Hildebrandt faced against Chicago, and Williams performed beautifully. It was the stuff of fairytales.

Charlie Hatch, in his own words from a story that resulted from the Palace match, helps me make my case for Williams vs. Palace as the best performance in club history: "At one point in the second half, reserve goalkeeper Dan Williams saved a point-blank shot in his debut against Palace’s Andros Townsend, the club’s new record-signing for $15 million. Townsend has experience with the English national team; Williams was playing with the (NPSL) Cincinnati Saints last summer at Withrow High School. The contrasts have never been so vivid, and for FC Cincinnati, they may never be again."

Crystal Palace thanks FC fans for ‘phenomenal’ turnout

2. Mitch Hildebrandt vs. Chicago Fire (June 28) – Hildebrandt's stymying of the Chicago Fire – and five saves against leading MLS goal scorer Nemanja Nikolic – is quite possibly the story of the summer in American soccer. Certainly, it's the story of the season for FC Cincinnati, USL and the U.S. Open Cup.

You can't understate anything about that match for Hildebrandt, from his preparation and game study with FC Cincinnati technical staffers to his execution. There is nothing to nitpick here. As team goalkeeper coach Dave Schureck told The Enquirer, it may have been a once-in-a-career performance, but it was also something Hildebrandt didn't stumble into via lucky breaks. He earned each save and PK stop, and each was special.

3. Djiby Fall vs. St. Louis FC (April 16) – For the occasion of FC Cincinnati's much-anticipated 2017 home opener, Djiby Fall made a memorable first impression on a USL record crowd for a home opener with four goals. It was unquestionably the best offensive performance in the club's history, which is saying something. Even though FC Cincinnati is less than two seasons old, it boasts the 2016 USL Golden Boot winner as well as some other fantastic, individual moments in the offensive half of the field.

But there's a "but." You can nitpick this performance. Just as Williams' and Hildebrandt's special performances weren't possible without help from teammates, Djiby's four goals were as much a product of the consistently useful service he was provided as they were his individual ability.

Partly as a result of that fine service, three of Djiby's goal on the night were tap-ins, or scored on an unsighted St. Louis goalkeeper. And none of the goals were scored from beyond about eight yards out.

Great moments can obviously occur from close range, but Djiby was the benefactor of great balls played into better positions. His teammates were equal contributors to his four-goal night to remember.

CHARLIE HATCH:

1. Mitch Hildebrandt vs. Chicago Fire – Hildebrandt played the best match of his life in his club's most important one. "Mitch says no" chants have long been a standard at Nippert Stadium, but no chant will ever replicate the wall of sound the stadium generated when the goalkeeper stopped his third penalty kick in four attempts to upset the Chicago Fire, then the best team in the country.

His performance, which included 10 saves, was as equally surprising as it was impressive. Hildebrandt was impenetrable and gave Cincinnati one of its best sporting moments in recent history. No other player performance is anywhere close.

2. Djiby Fall vs. Saint Louis FC – Signed from the Kazakhstan Premier League to replace the reigning league MVP, Djiby had a big role to fill. After his four-goal masterpiece in FC Cincinnati's 2017 home opener, though, the Senegalese forward showed he could not only be Sean Okoli's replacement, but be Djiby Fall: one of the best forwards in the league.

That night against Saint Louis FC showed a man at the peak of his powers, while also equaling his most goals in a year (six) since 2010. That was only the fourth match of the season...

3. Dan Williams vs. Crystal Palace FC – In two seasons, Dan Williams has played 15 minutes for FC Cincinnati. All of them came against English Premier League-side Crystal Palace. With Cincinnati already trailing 2-0, Williams substituted Dallas Jaye with the sole purpose of enjoying a chance to play a club from the best league in the world. Williams followed with some of the best saves an FC Cincinnati keeper has had to date.

Within seconds of entering play, he stopped Andros Townsend's wicked strike. He rattled off two more saves shortly after. When the match ended, the club awarded him man of the match, and in his postgame interview, Williams shook his head in disbelief.

If there was ever an individual who personified FC Cincinnati's rapid trajectory, it's Williams, who played before crowds of 150 people the summer before with the Cincinnati Saints. Before more than 35,000 people, he looked like a world class goalkeeper capable of suting up with the English visitors.

Honorable mention: Alan Koch vs. Columbus Crew SC (June 14)

Sure, it might seem odd to include a coach in a list of top performances, but FC Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch provided his squad with the perfect tactics to unravel Columbus 1-0 in the inaugural "Hell is Real Derby." Opting for a new formation, Cincinnati appeared confident and composed. Deploying two forwards for the first time wore down the Crew SC backline, too. But the substitutions were the best example of a coach knowing what variety of players will deliver the best result. Subbing Justin Hoyte in for Matt Bahner at right fullback ultimately led to the game-winning goal, when Hoyte's cross was headed twice by Djiby for the goal. If anyone criticized Koch for the season's rough start, any thought that he wasn't the best man for the job stopped instantly.