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FC Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds: 5 Things to Know

FC Cincinnati returns to Nippert Stadium for their second regular season home match of the 2018 season. Will you join in the ORANGE OUT? Check out our 5 Things to Know for FC Cincinnati’s match against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.


Where: Cincinnati, OH – Nippert Stadium
When: Saturday, April 21st at 7:00 p.m. EST

2018 Form: FC Cincinnati – T-6th Place (2W-1L-1D, 7 pts.), Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC – 5th Place (2W-0L-2D, 8pts)

YOUR FAVORITE PEOPLE THIS WEEK – Ref Assignments:
REF: GREG DOPKA, AR1: BENJAMIN HALL-VOLPENHEIN, AR2: KEVIN LOCK, 4TH: NOAH MATOS


March to Matchday Podcast – FC Cincinnati vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC:

Join host Bryan Weigel (@bryanweigel), as he previews FC Cincinnati’s fifth USL regular season match of 2018 as they face Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Joining Bryan on this week’s show is guest Mike Sparks (@MikeDSparks) of the Mon Goals Podcast (). 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!


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 through the Heart: Pittsburgh is going to make things tough, they are allowing only 211 successful passes per game against them, FCC allows 293 per game as a reference.   The Hounds break up passes and counter quickly creating some solid opportunities, so teams must be careful when going through the heart of their defense. FCC may love going wide to create opportunities but Cincinnati must demonstrate some willingness and success going through the center of the Hound’s defense.  If FCC can create a couple dangerous chances in this manner it will free up more space on the wings.  If FCC is really successful, the wingers will not just cross the ball when free but attack the byline and slot the ball centrally to an attacker.

The Finisher:  Cincinnati has only 3 goals in 4 games. But that doesn’t mean they have not had opportunities.  The last two games the Orange & Blue have had three to four solid opportunities but did not get the shots on target.  Success on one of those shots against Louisville and one against Bethlehem is the difference of three more points in the standings.  These are the moments Koch selected these guys and they need to start finishing these golden chances.

Getting Gelly:  The two most recent games have not created the success on the scoreboard we had hoped for.  However, when you look inside some of the numbers there appears to be some measure of success building within the team. The team created the highest number of expected goals (xG)  against Bethlehem this season and the highest possession percentage.  We did not just take shots, but a higher quality of a shot as well. This game against the Hounds may provide an idea of how well the team is understanding each other (Gelling) and the system.

Orange Appeal: This week’s game is an Orange Out, all FC Cincinnati fans are being asked to put on anything orange you can find.  With the recent stadium saga and the preliminary stadium design (Orange Allianz Stadium), maybe the fans can turn majestic Nippert into an Orange glowing ring for the boys and we can see how amazing that looks.

Zero: The Riverhounds have yet to concede a goal this year and they will not be an easy nut to crack for Cincinnati.  The Hounds’ keepers have not had a lot of work this season, in four games they have had to make four saves.  Regardless of the quality of opponent, (Ottawa/Toronto/Penn/Nash), only surrendering at a rate of one shot on target a game is impressive.


Growler Cup – Round 6

Returning for 2018 is our Growler Cup! If you contribute $5/ month or more as a supporter of the site, you are entered into the Growler Cup prediction contest. Supporters of the show along with our hosts will predict the score and result for the upcoming week’s match. We have changed the rules for 2018. You get 3 pts for picking the correct result, 1 pt for correct FCC goals and 1pt for correct opponent goals. There will be many opportunities to win as well in 2018. Along with the overall champion (2017 – Chris Dimeo), fans can get on our show to chat with the staff or partake in a trivia contest by scoring the most amount of points in a given month. You will see the predictions of our staff below. Please consider supporting the site at CincinnatiSoccerTalk.com/Support.

Week 5 Recap: FC Cincinnati 1, Bethlehem 1

Staff Standings:

10 Ken
8 Yosief
8 Boston
7 Seubs
7 Bryan
6 Brad
6 Griffin
6 Bill
4 Trisha
4 Rob
2 Ben

 

Supporter Groups Pregame Match Parties

We encourage all fans to get down to Clifton early and enjoy themselves at the area’s 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. 3:00 p.m.

Die Innenstadt: Mecklenburg Gardens302 E University Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45219
The Pride: Ladder 19 – 2701 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45219 – Will move to Top Cats – 2820 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45219
The Pride Norden: Ladder 19 – 2701 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45219 – Will move to Top Cats – 2820 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45219
Queen City Firm: Mio’s Pizzeria Pub2634 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 7:00 p.m. EST kickoff on Saturday night. Broadcasting partner Sinclair Broadcasting Group will now air all FC Cincinnati home & away matches. The broadcast duo of Tom Gelehrter and Kevin McCloskey will provide the play-by-play and color analysis to FCC fans live on WSTR Star 64.  Lindsay Patterson will be reporting from the sideline. The match will also be broadcast at FC Cincinnati’s pub partners or by Streaming internet on ESPN+.

RADIO: ESPN 1530 AM

Stay tuned to our Twitter handle – @CincySoccerTalk, for updated information.


@khoetker of @CincySoccerTalk

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