""His performances in pre-season [warranted his debut]. He has been very consistent with his play," said Noonan after their win in the Champions Cup. "I think you saw his ability to play forward. He finds some really good passes that can help us break pressure and get his team-mates in good spots with some space to attack. "I thought his physical duels and aerial duels were better than what we've seen."
"The centre-back won the joint-most duels in the match (seven), the most aerial duels (five), recorded the second-most passes (74) and touches (94), while also completing both of his dribbles. Chirila also played the full 90 minutes in their pre-season friendly against the Houston Dynamo, and Noonan says those starts were a result of the teenager's hard work. "His performances in pre-season [warranted his debut]."
Andrei Chirila, a 17-year-old centre-back, made his first-team debut in a 4-0 Champions Cup win and produced strong statistical returns: joint-most duels (seven), most aerial duels (five), second-most passes (74) and touches (94), and two completed dribbles. Chirila played a full 90 minutes in a pre-season friendly and earned first-team starts through consistent preseason performances and hard work. The player demonstrated the ability to play forward, find passes to break pressure, and win physical and aerial duels while showing occasional visible frustration when connections faltered. FC Cincinnati reached the Eastern Conference semi-finals last season; Atlanta finished 14th in the East.
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