CINCINNATI — FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano is finding his form at just the right time for the Orange and Blue, who are preparing for their fifth consecutive MLS Cup Playoffs appearance. After a difficult season defensively, Celentano has recorded two clean sheets in his last three matches, helping Cincinnati improve its results heading into the postseason.
His latest performance came Saturday against the Philadelphia Union, when Celentano made six saves in a 1-0 victory at TQL Stadium. Five of those saves came in the first half, when Philadelphia created most of the attacking opportunities and outshot Cincinnati 10-2.
The Union threatened early and often, forcing Celentano into several saves before Cincinnati had established much of an offensive presence. He stopped a Bruno Damiani header in the fifth minute and later denied Nathan Harriel on a header from a Kai Wagner cross.
Those saves allowed Cincinnati to stay even until Ayoub Jabbari scored in the 70th minute. Celentano and the defense protected the narrow lead the rest of the way, securing a victory that guaranteed Cincinnati another postseason appearance.
The shutout was Celentano's fourth of the season and the 49th of his club career across competitions. It also continued a stretch that included a 2-0 victory over D.C. United on October 24, when he made two saves.
Between those shutouts, Celentano allowed two goals in a 2-2 draw at Inter Miami. Cincinnati had taken a 2-1 lead late in the match before Miami equalized in the 90th minute, illustrating that the Orange and Blue still have work to do when protecting leads against high-end teams. But, even here, Cincinnati's defense has vastly improved from where it was just a month ago and Celetano is a big reason why.
Saturday's performance was another example of how much difference a goalkeeper can make in a close match. Philadelphia finished with 15 shots to Cincinnati's seven, and the visitors created several opportunities before Jabbari finally broke the scoreless tie.
Cincinnati will need more performances like that as the postseason approaches. The Orange and Blue have enough attacking talent to create scoring opportunities, but they cannot expect to win every match by outscoring their opponents. Or have Denkey save them in stoppage time.
Celentano has shown that he can help Cincinnati win even when the offense isn't producing at its best. With Supporters' Shield winner Nashville coming to TQL Stadium on Saturday, the goalkeeper will have another chance to build on his recent performances before the playoffs begin.
