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FC Cincinnati at Louisville City FC: 5 Things to Know

The 7th iteration of the Dirty River Derby goes back to the shores of Kentucky as FC Cincinnati will head to the Bluegrass State to play Louisville City FC. Here are 5 Things to Know going into Saturday night’s match as well as the new March to Matchday Podcast.

Where: Louisville, KY – Slugger Field
When: Saturday, August 12th at 7:30 p.m. EST
Form: FC Cincinnati – 6th Place  (8W-7L-7D, 31 pts.), Louisville City FC – 4th Place ( 10W-4L-5D, 35 pts.)

YOUR FAVORITE PEOPLE THIS WEEK – Ref Assignments:
REF: CHARLES MURPHY
AR1: Walter Heatherly
AR2: Maggie Short
4TH: Kevin Fikar


March to Matchday #23: Louisville City FC – Podcast

Join host Bryan Weigel for the newest show in the CST lineup. March to Matchday will provide an in-depth preview of the upcoming opponent as well as how FC Cincinnati can best defeat them. This show will hopefully fit in your drive time to work, to the pub on game day or lead you right up to game time. We hope you enjoy March to Matchday today!

Don’t forget you can now download and subscribe to Cincinnati Soccer Talk on iTunes today! The podcast can also be found on Stitcher Smart Radio now. We’re also available in the Google Play Store.


5 Things to Know

credit: Alex Vehr – Cincy Sports Photos

Gettin’ Djiby With It

Djiby was suspended last Saturday for the game against Orlando City B, and he’s suspended for the Tuesday US Open Cup match against the New York Red Bulls for yellow card accumulation. It’s a foregone conclusion that Djiby will take the pitch and start against LouCity. Since the six game suspension that LouCity convinced the USL to hand down to Djiby, there has been no love lost between the clubs. In the two meetings since, Djiby has played and scored each time against his nemesis. The Senegalese Striker seems to relish the opportunity to answer the boys in purple by putting the ball into the back of the net. His goal celebrations are always special against LouCity, even when he doesn’t score them.

The Bailey Travels to the Bluegrass (part 2)

Two charter buses and countless amount of cars will be heading down I-71 Saturday to support the Orange & Blue. The last time, the “Traveling Bailey” was loud. Many commented that they had turned Slugger Field into a home field for FC Cincinnati. LCFC Chairman and President John Neace has made a call to arms to bring out as many people as possible try to take back the home field advantage. LouCity is expecting a sell out crowd of 13,131. No doubt, fans of the Orange and Blue will rise to the occasion make our boys feel at home. After Streamer-Gate, when the Louisville faithful lost their minds at the 2’s of streamers that fell onto the field of play, you can expect a lot of streamers at this game.

Rotation Rotation

Starting to sound like a broken record, but Coach Koch is once again needing to deal with fatigue and rotation issues. This game is followed only 3 days later by the Open Cup Semi-Finals against the New York Red Bulls. Some choices are obvious, like Djiby and Greig for Louisville since neither can play in the Open Cup. König will be our lone #9 for Red Bull so he probably won’t even make the 18 for this game and midfielder Aodhan Quinn is out for Louisville with card accumulation. That makes Bone and Walker likely centers though we could see Marco Dominguez take the pitch to rest one of them for Tuesday. Last time in Louisville, former LCFC player Kadeem Dacres did not see any playing time. I would expect to see Dacres get a stab at his former teammates again to help with rotation as well. Besides, everyone loves to show up their former club.

Questionable Form

Though many will point at LouCity’s position in the table, with 3 games in hand, and think they are doing well, their form as of late has not been great. Not only have they dropped in recent weeks from second to fourth position, but a trend is emerging from their past games. Three of the clubs 4 losses have come in over their past 7 matches. When Louisville plays teams from the bottom half of the table they win, but when they play Charleston, Charlotte or Cincinnati, they are at best getting a point. In 3 matches so far this season, LouCity has only come away with 1 point. They will need to turn that fortune around to have a shot in the playoffs.

credit: John Klare – John Klare Photography

Formation

With 20 guys (17 field players) on his roster, Coach and struggling beekeeper, James O’Connor doesn’t have many options. The only real question is whether he employs a 3-5-1-1 or a 4-2-3-1 formation to start. In general, O’Connor seems to prefer 4 in the back at home and 3 in the back when away. We saw a 4-2-3-1 formation when the two clubs last met at Slugger Field. However, that didn’t go well for the Purple Kingdom. Will O’Connor decide to change it up and try the 3-5-1-1 formation? This will allow former FCC striker Luke Spencer to start the game up top instead of coming in as a late sub. If that happens, look for Spencer to try to make a point on the pitch against his former club.

 

Stay tuned to Cincinnati Soccer Talk for more news and information including our Growler Cup Predictions leading up to the Louisville City match!


At Louisville Plans

Molly Malones and SweetWater Brewing Company are sponsoring a bus to Louisville. As of Tuesday evening, there were 17 spots left available. The price does NOT include a ticket to the game. You’ll need to get your own ticket to the game (see below). The bus will travel from Molly’s in Covington to Molly’s in Louisville where passengers will have the option to enjoy some drink specials. Those that choose to stay for the specials can ride the bus over to the stadium at 6 pm.

The Bailey Bastards have also put together a bus trip sponsored by Bucket Heads and Modelo Beer departing Cincinnati at 3:15 pm. The bus is sold out, but they are hosting a tailgate at Slugger Field (currently planned for the east lot) upon arrival and all are welcome. The cost for the tailgate is $25 which includes food and Modelo Beer. If you’d like to join, you must DM Chris Weimer or send an email to baileybastard@gmail.com by the day before so they can bring enough food. Payment will be collected at the tailgate.

Die Innenstadt are planning to tailgate alongside the Bailey Bastards so look for the large loud gathering of Orange and Blue. One of their members is a brew master and is planning to bring a few kegs of his own recipe to share with fellow tailgaters.

The Pride will be meeting with The Coopers at 1 pm at ReSurfaced Phoenix Hill for a game of soccer. The Plastic Cup is over but the two supporters groups enjoy the rivalry so much they are meeting for a friendly. Since it is a friendly, roster rules are relaxed and non-Pride members are welcome to play. They plan to return to Slugger Field after the match and tailgate in the West Lot with The Coopers.

Queen City Firm are meeting up at Garage Bar in Louisville.

For everyone who attends the match, you are strongly encouraged to join the march. The march is expected to start around 6:30 pm at the Bailey Bastards’ bus which should be parked in the East Lot. Follow @BaileyBastards on Twitter for up to the minute updates.

If you haven’t purchased your ticket yet, make sure you do so soon. LouCity is anticipating a sell out. To get tickets in the FCC section, click HERE and use group code “FCC2017.”


Viewing Parties

The supporters groups will be taking up residence at their favorite away match viewing locations. See the list below for more information.

Die Innenstadt: Rhinehaus OTR – 19 E 12th St, Cincinnati 45202
The Pride: Ladder 19 – 2701 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45219
The Bailey Bastards: Bucketheads6507 Harrison Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45247


Viewing

TV: This contest is set for a 7:30 p.m. EST kickoff on Saturday night. The match will be broadcast on Star 64 (WSTR) or by streaming internet on the USL YouTube Channel. It can also be seen at FC Cincinnati’s pub partners.

RADIO: None


@billwwolf for @CincySoccerTalk

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