FC Cincinnati returns to beautiful Nippert Stadium to take on one of the USL’s “MLS2” teams, the Orlando City B. Here are 5 Things to Know going into Saturday night’s match as well as the new March to Matchday #9 podcast!
Where: Cincinnati, OH– Nippert Stadium
When: Saturday, May 13th at 5:00 p.m. EST
Form: FC Cincinnati (2W-3L-3D, 9pts.) 7th Place, Orlando City B ( 2W-3L-3D, 9pts.) 8th Place
THIS REFEREE WILL BE NICE AND NOT ISSUE FCC ANY CARD THIS WEEKEND – Ref Assignments:
REF: CALIN RADOSAV, AR1: Benjamin Hall-Volpenhein, AR2: Matthew Fotia, 4TH: Benjamin Miller
March to Matchday #9 – Podcast with Guest Michael Citro of @TheManeLand
Join host Bryan Weigel @bryanweigel as he welcomes Special Guest Michael Citro (@ManeLandMichael) of @TheManeLand Orlando City SB Nation site. Bryan and Michael 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 #9!
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
GET OUT OF THE GATE – FC Cincinnati has played eight games so far this season but outside of the Saint Louis 4-0 thrashing, they have struggled to put full games together. Last year the team would play strong for 75-80 minutes and then concede a late goal. This year the team has struggled to get out of the gate and have played from behind in six games. The only two wins have come in matches where they have scored first. Let’s hope they play for an entire 90 minutes starting at the initial whistle.
NEW BLOOD – The team is not standing pat this year. Last year the team made one move during the season, Casey Townsend. But this year the team has just completed its second in-season move. The team traded Andy Craven to Oklahoma City for forward, Danni Konig. Konig had a monster year in 2015 scoring 20 goals and then followed it up with a disappointing 2016, scoring only 4 times. With Djiby out for another 4 games, the team is hoping Danni returns to his 2015 form and that his big frame (6’2″) will fit into the same type role that Djiby played. My feeling is that we will we see Danni-boy Saturday. The only question is has he had enough time with the team to understand the team tactics?
HOME COOKING- It’s old news that Cincinnati has huge crowds (19,608/game this yr). The club has already stated that we have over 15,000 tickets sold, so there should be a good crowd on Saturday evening. Can we get to 20,000? In Nippert, the Orange and Blue have averaged 1.67 pts/game, while only averaging 0.8 pts/game away. The team needs to start claiming 3 points in a game and the crowd can help push them at critical moments during the flow of the game.
LET’S GO ON A RUN- Both these teams come into Saturday’s game tied on points (9 pts.) and that puts them tied for 7th place in the Eastern Conference. If there ever was a moment in time that this team needs to make a run this may be the point we look back on. The team has six of the next seven games at home. With an unfriendly end of year schedule for home games, the team needs to make a solid run now. The May schedule should be the easiest month for the entire year. Grabbing 10 out of 12 points would be a great month.
DEFENDING THE DEN- Orlando City are known as the Lions and although they are the “MLS2” side they have come a long way from last year’s squad. The Lions have had good form as of late (1W-1L-3D) and they hope to keep that up after a good showing vs. Saint Louis FC. This year it has been difficult for teams to crack their back line, nobody has scored more than once on them other than Louisville and New York. Orlando will not allow you into their Den easily, but offensively they struggle to score. MLS loanee and former academy product, Pierre Da Silva could cause some problems for FC Cincinnati. Orlando won’t be a pushover. There is a chance for us to see several high-profile players on Saturday including Conor Donovan, Albert Dikwa, Victor “PC” Giro, Kevin Alston and Richie Laryea among others.
Stay tuned to Cincinnati Soccer Talk for our Growler Cup Staff Predictions and more news and information leading up to the match!
Supporter Groups Pregame Match Parties
We encourage all fans to get down to Clifton early and enjoy themselves at the areas many restaurants and pubs. Many Supporter Groups hang out in the “Short Vine” area where you can join in the march to Nippert Stadium. Some of these locations can be rowdier than others, but families and opposing fans are encouraged to come out and join the various groups.
Die Innenstadt: Mecklenburg Gardens – 302 E University Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45219
The Pride: Ladder 19 – 2701 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45219
Queen City Firm: Mio’s Pizzeria Pub – 2634 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45219
Queen City Mafia: Short Vine Bearcat Statue Lot – 2700 Block of Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45219
The Legion: Taste of Belgium Clifton – 2845 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45219
The Bailey Bastards: Hang Over Easy – 3 W Charlton St, Cincinnati, OH 45219
For more information and how to join the supporters march, check out our matchday guide!
Local Broadcasts
TV: This contest is set for a 5 p.m. EST kickoff on Saturday night. Broadcasting partner Sinclair Broadcasting Group will now air all FC Cincinnati home & away matches. Saturday’s match will be live on Star64 (WSTR). The match will also be broadcast at FC Cincinnati’s pub partners or by Streaming internet on USL’s Youtube station.
RADIO: You can listen LIVE on FC Cincinnati’s radio partner ESPN 1530 AM which will simulcast the TV broadcast team. Tom Gelehrter will return as the play-by-play announcer for the team’s home matches along with Kevin McCloskey providing color analysis and Lindsay Patterson reporting from the sideline.
@khoetker for @CincySoccerTalk
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