The Cincinnati Dutch Lions travel to first-place Chicago Saturday for a 4 p.m. start in hopes to repeat the result they earned during their last trip. Cincinnati earned three points the last time it faced Chicago FC United. Chicago has already locked up the Division Championship, but Cincinnati is still looking to earn a playoff spot and is in need of a victory after splitting their two matches last weekend.
The Dutch Lions sit in second place, two points ahead of Dayton and three points ahead of Flint City, who has a game in hand. Cincinnati needs to win these last two matches or hope for a little help from its “friends.”
Cincinnati has split the season series with Chicago so far and hopes to pull out the victory, as it needs these last six points to secure that playoff spot. CDLFC controls its own destiny at this point. Win these two, and it is in the playoffs.
Cincinnati defense needs to put the heat on Wintermeyer
Forward Gerit Wintermeyer has six goals and four assists this season for Chicago. If the Dutch Lions expect to come away with all three points today, they need to stop him. It is possible that Chicago decides to rest Wintermeyer though, given that they have already clinched the division title, which could benefit Cincinnati. Chicago has 12 players that have at least one goal this season though, so it’s not like sitting Wintermeyer would make this match a cakewalk for Cincinnati.
Around the division
Saturday would be a great night for West Virginia to get its first win of the season. A win against the Flint City Bucks would help Cincinnati in securing that playoff spot. The last match against the Bucks, although it was an exhibition, resulted in a 7-0 win for Flint City. In matches that have counted in the standings, West Virginia has kept it close with a 1-1 draw and a 1-0 loss.
The best possible results Cincinnati could hope for in these two matches would be two draws, with each team only coming away with 2 points. Dayton defeated Flint City 2-1 in their other matchup this season, but it was a very good matchup. Dayton had a 2-0 lead, and Flint City made a push to put one on the board in the 79th minute. Both Dayton and Flint City need these points to try to leapfrog Cincinnati. These matches should be extremely physical and good matches to watch.
Recommended for you
