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FC Cincinnati vs. Rochester Rhinos: 5 Things to Know

Saturday will be a quick turnaround for the Rhinos as they travel to Cincinnati after a 2-0 win in Rochester on Wednesday night. That win came courtesy of Toronto who took a red card early and played a man down most of the match. Rochester now sits in 6th place, only one point behind FC Cincinnati. A Cincinnati loss would at bare minimum swap the teams in standings. The Rhinos also hold two games in hand over FC Cincy. Winning on Saturday would give the Orange and Blue distance and remove one of those games in hand. This is the second and last time these teams meet in the regular USL season. Rochester won the 1st game 1-0 in NY. In 2016, FC Cincinnati tied the Rhinos 1-1 at Nippert.

Where: Cincinnati, OH – Nippert Stadium
When: Saturday, July 29th at 7:00 p.m. EST

Form: FC Cincinnati – 5th Place- USL  (8W-6L-6D, 30 pts.), Rochester Rhinos – 6th Place- USL  (7W-3L-8D, 29 pts.)

YOUR FAVORITE PEOPLE THIS WEEK – Ref Assignments:
REF: GUIDO GONZALES Jr., AR1: Cory Richardson, AR2: Art Arustamyan, 4TH: Michael Nickerson


March to Matchday #21: Rochester Rhinos – Podcast

Join host Bryan Weigel for the newest show in the CST lineup. March to Matchday will provide an in-depth preview of Rochester 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

Put Up 3: Rochester plays a tight defensive game. They make it hard to score but also rarely put up multiple goals. In fact, Rochester has not scored more than two goals since April. If FC Cincinnati can duplicate what they did against Harrisburg, three goals may prove too difficult of a recovery for the Rhinos. It is likely that Rochester will roll out a counter biased attack. That attack has the ability for anyone in place to score, which ten different goal scorers on the year for the northern team proves. A defender, Wal Fall, has four goals and is tied with Jochen Graf as team goal leaders. FC Cincinnati needs to watch the counter when pushing forward.

Spread Out: Last year Rochester was able to get a draw by parking the bus on a slim Nippert field. They do not have the same fortunes this year as the Nippert pitch has grown. FC Cincinnati will need width to force Rochester out of a tight defensive cluster. This is the type of match where speed and passing accuracy are necessary. Expect Cincinnati to possess the ball and pass from right to left looking for an opening. Drawing Rochester out of their shell isn’t an easy task, but Cincinnati needs to make it count when those opportunities arise. Some creative plays by Djiby, Konig, and Jimmy could break down the wall and allow for scoring opportunities.

Away Woes: Rochester are 6-1-3 at home and 1-2-5 away. That is a dramatic difference in form when playing outside of New York. Fans at Nippert need to show up and get loud. The Rhinos will play for an away draw but FC Cincinnati is strong at home. The Bailey needs to do their part and keep the energy level high. Other sections, in turn, can feed off that energy. An early Cincy goal would also be key to crowd energy. The Rhinos just played on Wednesday and will be tired. Let’s make their road struggles continue!

Tight Standings: As mentioned in the introduction, the Eastern Conference standings are tight. Three other teams besides the Rhinos play twice this week. FC Cincy was helped out on Wednesday as both Charlotte and Charleston settled for a draw. Both are top four squads, and Cincinnati is fighting to get a home playoff spot. Taking three from Rochester not only keeps teams behind you from jumping, it allows Cincinnati to inch closer to the top dogs. Tampa Bay is only one point ahead with an equal number of games played. If Cincinnati wins on Saturday and Tampa draws or takes a loss, Cincinnati will jump to 4th. Cincinnati is 6-1-4 at Nippert this year (against USL opponents), so a home playoff match would be a major strategic advantage. The playoff race will come down to the wire this year.

Make them count: One of the more recent positive trends for FC Cincinnati has been shooting accuracy. Shots have been on frame with several going in (8 of 15 last week for 3 goals). Earlier in the season, Cincinnati was firing off a decent number of shots. However, few ended up on frame and even fewer in the net. The new trend of fewer but more accurate shots is working. Forwards have also been playing smart and getting the ball to the guy with the best chance. Djiby even got his first assist last Saturday, setting Konig on goal. With the attacking players working in harmony, Cincinnati becomes a hard team to defend. Djiby is no longer the only answer. Defenders will struggle to keep eyes on all of the Cincinnati weapons.


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. The Supporters March Should begin at approx. 6:00 p.m.

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!


Viewing

TV:  This contest is set for a 7 p.m. EST kickoff on Saturday night. Broadcasting partner Sinclair Broadcasting Group will now air all FC Cincinnati home & away matches. The match will be live on Star64 (WSTR). It will also be broadcast at FC Cincinnati’s pub partners or by Streaming internet on USL’s Youtube station. 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.

RADIO: Simulcast of the TV stream on ESPN 1530AM


@BostonKeith for @CincySoccerTalk

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