Luca Orellano found the back of the net late in the second half and Roman Celentano delivered a seven-save shutout as FC Cincinnati edged Real Salt Lake 1-0 on Saturday night, snapping Salt Lake’s five-game unbeaten streak. With the win, Cincinnati claimed top spot in both the Eastern Conference and the Supporters’ Shield race.
Orellano entered the match in the 63rd minute, replacing Gerardo Valenzuela, and made his presence felt just before full time. His decisive goal in the 87th minute came off a well-placed pass from Tah Brian Anunga, who recorded the first assist of his MLS career. The goal was Orellano’s second of the season after scoring 10 during his rookie year.
Celentano’s clean sheet was his eighth of the season for Cincinnati, which improved to 15-6-3. The result pushes them one point clear of Nashville SC and the Philadelphia Union at the top of the East and in the league-wide table.
Real Salt Lake (8-11-4) had picked up four wins during its recent unbeaten run. On Saturday, goalkeeper Rafael Cabral made three saves but couldn’t prevent the visitors from snatching all three points.
Cincinnati forward Evander da Silva Ferreira saw his club-record streak of scoring in five straight matches come to an end. Still in his debut season, Ferreira has already equaled the club’s single-season record for multi-goal games with five. His 15 goals are just three behind Luciano Acosta’s franchise-best mark.
Under head coach Pat Noonan, FC Cincinnati has been particularly strong against Western Conference opponents. The club now holds a 15-4-5 record in those interconference matchups since his arrival.
Saturday’s game marked the third-ever meeting between Cincinnati and Real Salt Lake, and the second to take place in Utah. The away team has won all three matchups in the short series.
Next up, FC Cincinnati will head south to face Inter Miami on Saturday, while Real Salt Lake returns to host the San Jose Earthquakes.
