FC Cincinnati finally wins in the new TQL stadium

FC Cincinnati coach Jaap Stam was in the mood for joy when his team finally clinched their first ever win at the brand new TQL stadium.

After playing their first two and a half years in Major League Soccer at Nippert Stadium, the Orange and Blue moved to their new home on May 16.

Stam’s men have only scored five points, drawn five times and lost four in their first nine games in the new arena.

Cincy finally got rid of that particular monkey on Saturday, with goals from Brenner and Haris Medunjanin on either side of halftime in a 2-0 win over Toronto FC – the only team among them in the Eastern Conference.

“Yeah, that’s nice, you know the fans who show up at every game and they’re always positive, so that’s good,” Stam told reporters of his experience winning in front of 22,636 spectators at TQL Stadium.

“We’re very happy about that, and that’s how it has to be, especially when you’ve taken the lead, you move on towards the end of the game. You could also feel the tension growing in them, they got louder and louder towards the end because they also feel that victory will be there.

“That gives us a great feeling, it’s great to see the fans involved like that, we all want that.”

Left-back Ronald Matarrita also dedicated the win to the fans of Cincinnati FC thanks to their relentless loyalty during the club’s difficult start to the MLS.

“We had to celebrate with the fans first, they were there for all the results. To get them to win, we had to celebrate with them,” said the Costa Rican international.

“Getting back to the locker room has been really positive and we will use this experience to move forward and build because of the events that happened on the pitch tonight.”

Despite the win, Cincy remains in 13th place in the east and 25th overall with just 20 points from 22 games, leaving them 11 behind the playoff spots.

Stam’s side face a difficult journey to a formidable Atlanta United side on Wednesday night before hosting NYCFC over the weekend.