Fanendo Adi got a rousing welcome from the home fans at Nippert Stadium as he made his FC Cincinnati debut in a 1-1 draw with Nashville SC in USL action on Saturday night.
Hailed by a "Cincinn-Adi here we go!" sign hanging in front of Cincy's supporters groups in "The Bailey" end of the stadium, Adi came off the bench to rapturous applause from the crowd of 27,426 when he replaced goalscorer Danni Konig in the 72nd minute.
The strapping striker directed one shot on target, a firm goalbound header that was parried away from the net by Nashville goalkeeper Matt Pickens, but could do nothing about the 85th-minute equalizer scored by NSC's Tucker Hume. Despite that setback, Cincinnati's unbeaten streak has now run to 11 matches and they remain clear of the pack atop the USL standings.
Acquired from the Portland Timbers for a hefty package of allocation money and other considerations on Monday, Adi will become FCC's first-ever Designated Player when the Orange-and-Blue make their MLS expansion debut. In the meantime, the Nigerian will seek to help Cincy secure a USL championship before they move up from the second division.
