FC Cincinnati blows two-goal lead, draws last-place Toronto FC II 3-3 on Wednesday night

Charlie Hatch | chatch@enquirer.com

Show Caption Hide Caption FC Cincinnati players reflect on Father's Day FC Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch and Emmanuel Ledesma discuss the significance of Father's Day in their lives.

After taking a seventh-minute lead via Nazmi Albadawi, first-place Futbol Club Cincinnati blew a two-goal advantage in the second half to draw last-place Toronto FC II 3-3 on Wednesday night at Lamport Stadium.

With the draw, FC Cincinnati’s lead in the United Soccer League Eastern Conference standings drops to three points after Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC beat Louisville City FC 1-0 on the road. Through 16 matches, Cincinnati has 31 points. Second-place Pittsburgh has 28.

Here are takeaways from the game.

Two points lost

FC Cincinnati had a two-goal lead entering the 70th minute before allowing two goals in five minutes to draw a home side that had only collected two points from its first 14 games. The visitors entered the match with 30 points from 15 matches.

Cincinnati's control of the match ended in the 62nd minute when holding midfielder Ritchie Ryan slid to block at shot, then rolled over in agony. When he was helped off the field two minutes later, he couldn't put pressure on his left leg and the injury appeared to be to his ankle.

With the defensive midfielder absent, Corben Bone substituted into the match and immediately found himself trying to preserve Cincinnati’s lead it built in the first half rather than pushing forward and trying to find a fourth goal.

Cincinnati remains unbeaten against Toronto through five matches, but this is the first draw.

The positives

FC Cincinnati's first half performance overwhelmed the home side entering the break.

Following Albadawi's goal, Toronto equalized in the 28th minute, but the visitors responded with two goals in two minutes. Emery Welshman gave Cincinnati a 2-1 lead in the 38th minute when he finished a cross from Albadawi. Emmanuel Ledesma doubled the lead in the 40th minute with a top-corner shot from a Welshman cross.

All three attacking players had a goal and an assist through 45 minutes.

Breaking a club record

With his assist to Albadawi in the opening minutes of the match, Ledesma earned his eighth assist of the season, which is a new single-season record for the third-year club.

In addition, his goal later in the half was his eighth this season, which also leads the team. He and Danni Konig had seven goals before Wednesday. Konig was a second-half substitute against Toronto.

Homecoming

Returning to his hometown, forward Welshman's goal was his second of the season.

Born in Mississauga, a Toronto suburb, Welshman was later drafted by Toronto FC with the 16th overall pick in the 2013 Major League Soccer SuperDraft. He eventually made a couple appearances for the first team before being released.

During Cincinnati’s visit to Lamport Stadium, there was an audible section cheering for the Guyana national team forward, who was substituted for Konig in the second half.

Quick turnaround

FC Cincinnati hosts 12th-place Ottawa Fury FC on Saturday night at Nippert Stadium. The Fury has won three of their last five games.

When the clubs last met, Cincinnati won 3-0 on April 28 in Ottawa. Kenney Walker earned the No. 1 play on ESPN's SportsCenter that night after scoring from 45 yards out to open the scoring in the 68th minute. Bone scored a minute later before Ledesma chipped the goalkeeper in the 77th minute.