Kévin Denkey Scores Twice as FC Cincinnati Beat Atlanta United 3-1 to End Winless Run

FC Cincinnati walked into Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night carrying six straight league matches without a win and the general aura of a team that had forgotten what three points felt like. Kévin Denkey reminded them.

Denkey scored twice, Tom Barlow added the go-ahead goal in the 84th minute, and Cincinnati beat Atlanta United 3-1 in front of 36,286, per the club. It was only Cincinnati's second road win of the season, according to the AP, and it completed a sweep of the season series after a 2-0 home win over Atlanta back in February.

"It's nice to have the feeling that the group does in the other room there. It's been a while, but it comes at a very important time," Pat Noonan said to open his postgame press conference.

Forty-Five Minutes of Feeling It Out

The first half was competitive, busy and goalless. Atlanta had the better of the early ball, and Miguel Almirón nearly opened the scoring in the seventh minute when he slashed a left-footed shot wide from the middle of the box. Barlow skied one over at the other end a few minutes later, then fired another just wide in the 29th.

Atlanta's best spell came around the 40th minute. Tristan Muyumba, who had already forced Evan Louro into a save in the 16th, tested him again from the right side of the box, and Elías Báez followed up with a shot from the center that Louro also kept out. Atlanta blocked shots, Cincinnati blocked shots, and Almirón kept drifting offside. It went to the break 0-0.

Denkey Breaks the Seal

The opener in the 52nd minute was a lovely piece of old-school strike-partner work. A long ball arrived for Barlow, he flicked it on with his head, and Denkey ran onto it, beat a defender, went around Lucas Hoyos and finished into the empty net. Cincinnati's report says it was Denkey's 15th MLS goal of the season.

"I followed the flick," Denkey said. "I know Tom, and I believe in his flick."

Atlanta came back hard. Giuliano Galoppo forced Louro into another save in the 57th minute, Júnior Alonso headed over from point-blank range after a corner in the 62nd, and in the 69th minute Almirón finally got his reward. Cincinnati failed to clear a ball in a crowded box, and Almirón reacted first, taking a pass from Breel Embolo and finishing from close range. Atlanta's club recap says it was Embolo's first assist for the club.

Cincinnati Find Another Gear

The equalizer could have broken a team on a winless streak. It did not. Cincinnati dealt with injuries to Miles Robinson and Obinna Nwobodo, both replaced in the second half, and still found the next goal. In the 84th minute, Kyle Smith stepped up to win the ball near the top of the box and drilled a pass into Barlow, who controlled it and fired into the top left corner. Both Barlow and Smith were making their 200th MLS appearances, per Cincinnati.

Atlanta pushed through eight minutes of added time, but the last word belonged to the visitors. In the seventh minute of stoppage time, Ender Echenique broke forward, waited for Denkey's run and slipped him in, and Denkey struck first time into the bottom left corner.

"To have that insurance goal was certainly meaningful because you saw even after that they were putting us under pressure," Noonan said.

The Difference Makers

Kévin Denkey took a team-high six shots, put three on target and scored twice. The AP has him at 16 goals for the season, already one better than his total through his first 29 league games last year. Cincinnati says he has scored in three consecutive matches.

Tom Barlow scored one and set up another with that flick. The AP credits him with eight goals this season, a career high.

Evan Louro made five saves, according to ESPN, in what AP described as his third start of the season. "Everyone was just running for each other and working for each other," Louro said of the defensive effort.

Miguel Almirón scored Atlanta's goal, but he was also flagged offside four times. Atlanta's club notes say he has been involved in eight goals since the World Cup break, a team high in that span.

The Turning Point

Smith's ball-winning moment in the 84th minute. Atlanta had the momentum after the equalizer and the crowd behind them, and if they break out of that sequence, the next chance probably falls to them. Instead Smith snuffed out the counter before it started and turned defense into the go-ahead goal in one motion. That is a center back reading the game better than anyone else on the field.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Atlanta held 55.7 percent of the ball.
• Shots: Atlanta outshot Cincinnati 16-13 and led 6-4 in shots on target.
• Saves: Louro made five. ESPN credited Atlanta with none.
• Blocked shots: Cincinnati blocked seven Atlanta attempts.
• Offsides: Atlanta were caught seven times, four of them Almirón.

What It Means

Cincinnati move to 9-9-9 with 36 points. The club says the result left it ninth in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand, back above the playoff line. It also ended the six-match winless run, and Barlow summed up the relief: "It's been a long time since we won on the road, so it feels nice." Next is New England at home on Wednesday.

Atlanta fall to 7-6-15 with 27 points, and the loss ended a three-match unbeaten run, according to the AP. Jay Fortune did set a club record for Homegrown appearances with 86, per Atlanta, which is a nice footnote on a rough night. Atlanta play at CF Montréal on Wednesday.

The Closing Take

Denkey's postgame line said it best: "When you fight as a team, good things happen." It sounds like a poster in a high school locker room, sure. But after six games of searching, Cincinnati finally looked like a team that believed the poster.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional details from the AP recap via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by FC Cincinnati.