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FC Cincinnati at Toronto FC II: 5 Things to Know

FC Cincinnati travels to the Ontario Soccer Centre to do battle in their final regular season match vs. Toronto FC II. The Reds sit in last place but may make a more difficult foe than their record suggests. Check out our 5 Things to Know as the Orange & Blue return to the Great Northern Territory for USL match #32 of 2017.


Where: Vaughn, Ontario – Ontario Soccer Centre
When: Saturday, October 14th at 7:30 p.m. EST

Form: FC Cincinnati – 8th Place (11W-10L-10D, 43 pts.), Toronto FC II – 15th Place (6W-18L-7D, 25 pts.)

YOUR FAVORITE PEOPLE THIS WEEK – Ref Assignments:
Not provided due to Canada CSA assignments


Podcast – Playoff Breakdown & Other Topics:

We were unable to record a March to Matchday this week due to unforeseen circumstances. However, you can check out this week’s CST podcast for a great recap of last week and the lead up to Saturday’s match. Host Nick Seuberling, Co-hosts, Boston Brazzell and Yosief Tzeghai.

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

We Are In: FC Cincinnati received some help Thursday night as the Tampa Bay Rowdies eliminated 9th place Orlando City B 2-0. The 2nd place Rowdies traveled to their Floridian-rival and played a scoreless match through the first half. A goal by Georgi Hristov in the 74th minute sent the visitors ahead and a stoppage-time stunner from Sebastian Guenzatti sealed the playoff appearance for the Orange & Blue. With the result, Cincinnati can drop all three points and still qualify for their 2nd straight USL playoffs.

Giant Killers: While Toronto comes into Saturday night’s finale in the last place in the USL Eastern Conference, they certainly have some impressive wins to their name. Toronto has dispatched Louisville, Charlotte, and Charleston (all top-4) over their past 2 months of play. TFCII are a different squad at home than they are on the road. 17 of their 25 points have come at the Ontario Soccer Centre so a win or even a draw is not a given for FC Cincinnati. TFCII were defeated 1-0 at Nippert Stadium in May, so revenge could be in order as the youngsters will look to end 2017 on a high note.

Get Back on Track: Prior to Saturday’s drubbing at the hands of Ottawa, FC Cincinnati had been on a six-match unbeaten streak. An early goal, coupled with the loss of Kenney Walker due to suspension saw FC Cincinnati unorganized and out of sorts. It is imperative that the club show well in Ontario on Saturday and gain some confidence going into the playoffs. Will Coach Koch employ a different tactical approach this week to get FCC on the front foot vs. sitting back and absorbing the pressure? Having more structure in the midfield will be imperative in easing the pressure on the back line of Cincinnati.

Individual Better than the Collective: With Toronto’s lack of points, many would assume the quality of player is lacking as well. That is not true for the Young Reds. Forward Shaan Hundal leads the team with 6 goals on the season, 4 for which have come in his last 3 matches. The 18 year old Canadian has not taken care of all his chances in 2017 but is a promising young player that has featured numerous times in the Canadian U-20 squad. CB’s Mitchell Taintor and Brandon Aubrey (depending on TFC MLS status) could look to end the season on a high note against Djiby or Danni Konig. Head Coach Jason Bent has dealt with an ever-changing squad that has rarely been the same week to week. The most consistent starter for TFCII is Brian James who leads the team in minutes and starts out of his defensive midfielder position.

Who is Gonna Be the Guy: This has been the question FC Cincinnati fans have asked for the past few weeks. Who will be the guy to lead FC Cincinnati as they look to advance in the 2017 playoffs. Will Djiby step up and will the squad to victory or could it come from midfielders Kenney Walker or Corben Bone? One player that looks to get back into the squad after a small knock is midfielder Andrew Wiedeman. This veteran has showed time and time again that he knows how to get results and I hope to see him in the XI for the remainder of the season. Can Wiedeman or his counterpart on the left Jimmy McLaughlin answer the call? We need at least one FCC player to put in the performance to ensure success for the entire squad.


Player of the Year Voting

Vote for our 2017 CST FC Cincinnati Fan-Voted Player of the Year award! Voting is live through Sunday night. Get over to the ballot here.


Supporter Groups Pregame Match Parties

We encourage all fans to get out to one of the special watch parties hosted by the pub partners of FC Cincinnati. Fans can join local supporters at Molly Malone’s Covington, Maloney’s Pub & Molly Malone’s Pleasant Ridge. You can also join the local supporters groups at their preferred watch party locations below.

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
Queen City Firm: J Taps Sports Bar & Grill – 6441 Glenway Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45211
The Bailey Bastards: Bucketheads – 6507 Harrison Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45247


Viewing

TV: This contest is set for an 7:30 p.m. EST kickoff Saturday night. The match will be broadcast live on WSTR STAR 64. The match will also be broadcast at FC Cincinnati’s pub partners or by Streaming internet on USL’s Youtube station.

RADIO: NONE


@bryanweigel for @CincySoccerTalk

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