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Cincinnati boss praises Chidozie Awaziem composure in MLS Cup game
Published
3 months agoon
By Saheed Afolabi
FC Cincinnati manager, Patrick Noonan has heaped praises on defender, Chidozie Awaziem in his debut Major League Soccer game.
The Knifey Lions defeated Querétaro with a lone goal to top their group standings in the league cup.
Noonan said the game plan was to allow the Super Eagles international play 45 minutes but his impression and influence in the game made him play 90 minutes.
He lauded the 27-year-old consistency and control of defense line which contributed to the clean sheet earned.
“The plan was not for him to go 90,” Noonan was quoted by Cincinnati.
“(We were going to) see where we’re at at halftime and I thought because of the way the first 45 was played, that he could carry on.
“He was going to be honest with us about how he was feeling as the second half progressed.
“And I thought that the way he controlled his running, the way we were able to control the tempo with the ball at times, didn’t consistently put our back line in spots where they had to defend the space, he managed it for himself in the game in a good way.”
FC Cincinnati are second on the Major League Soccer (MLS) Eastern Conference table with 48 points from 25 matches as they trail league leaders, Inter Miami with five points.