Patrick Brennan

pbrennan@enquirer.com

CINCINNATI - When the dust settled on one of the most chaotic weekends in Futbol Club Cincinnati's short history, what remained was a familiar sight.

On his second day on the job as head coach following John Harkes' unexpected Friday firing, Alan Koch led FC Cincinnati in a preseason game against Oklahoma City Energy FC, and it was played at the club's trademark uptempo and attacking pace.

John Harkes: 'I am extremely proud' of FC Cincinnati

As expected, FC Cincinnati was a largely unrefined product during the 3-2 defeat at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, but the team showed glimpses of the qualities that are expected to buoy it throughout 2017.

Energy FC's Alejandro Covarrubias put his team in front in the 14th minute off a quick-restart, set piece goal.

FC Cincinnati countered in the 60th minute to tie the game at one. Newcomers Djiby Fall and Darryl Fordyce combined on the score.

Fordyce settled a waist-high pass and booted the ball home from about 12 yards out.

Energy FC then went back in front via two unanswered goals by Wojciech Wojcik in the 72nd and 83rd minutes.

FC Cincinnati scored to make it 3-2 in the 89th minute off a well-executed short-corner set piece.

Defender and Cincinnati native Austin Berry finished the play off from close range, but the 3-2 scoreline held through to the final whistle.

“We played against a good OKC team,” Koch said in a team news release. “At times, it showed that it was our first game of the preseason, but there are a lot of positives to build on. The players have some minutes behind them, we started implementing a system of play and a lot of character was shown. We are excited to build on those things further this week.”

FC Cincinnati returns to action Wednesday in Bradenton against the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer.

MATCH NOTES

FC Cincinnati lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation at the outset of Sunday's game.

The starting lineup shouldn't be viewed as any kind of window into what the club will roll out for the USL season, but for what it's worth, it consisted of:

Mitch Hildebrandt (GK), Pat McMahon (D), Paul Nicholson (D), Harrison Delbridge (D), Tyler Polak (D), Kenney Walker (D), Aodhan Quinn (M), Kadeem Dacres (M), Eric Stevenson (M), Casey Townsend (M), Victor Mansaray (F).

Koch made nine substitutions at halftime.

Analysis: Overall, a positive first outing

FC Cincinnati now has live game action on film it can break down. And when they watch it, they'll see that the back line wobbled — and not just because they let three goals in.

The Covarrubias goal was as much a mental lapse as anything, both in conceding a foul in that part of the field and then not being prepared for the ensuing free kick.

A few clearances also went up the middle and in front FC Cincinnati's goal.

Essentially, the rust was there for all to see. It was what you'd expect from the group's first game.

They'll also see some positives. FC Cincinnati's attacking style shone through.

In the midfield, Casey Townsend was a tank. He seemed to take a physical beating in the first half, but he never backed down and helped link the back line to the attacking players.

Newcomers, such as Kadeem Dacres, Victor Mansaray, Fall and Fordyce, all saw plenty of the ball and made good use of it when it was at their feet.

Dacres and Mansaray in particular looked like they were in regular-season form in terms of pace, touch and creativity.

Cincinnati's defenders also rushed forward to join the attack — a hallmark of last year's team, which finished with the third-best record in the United Soccer League.

It was a decent first outing for the Queen City club, but there's a long way to go between now and the USL opener at Charleston Battery FC.