FC Cincinnati will try to further its winning streak when the league-leading side travels to Vancouver for a late-night matchup with the Whitecaps.
FCC comes into this match with a 12-game winning streak. In the last few matches, it has felt like the cavalcade of matches kind of caught up to them. Despite that, the team has kept winning. The team might have gotten lucky with some of its last few matches being against some lesser competition, with matches against Chicago, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, NYCFC and New York Red Bulls.
Because of that, this upcoming matchup with the Whitecaps will be a little bit different, especially considering FCC is the visiting side against a Western Conference team.
Since the middle of the season so far, Lucho Acosta has really started to come on and dominate. The FCC captain has scored seven goals on the season and also assisted on three. The league lead in goals is 10 shared by multiple players. He has started to cook in the last few matches and we’ve seen him really start to enjoy his style of play.
But, the player that has truly shined of late has been Alvaro Barreal. For me, he was absolutely the Man of the Match against Pittsburgh. Yes, he had one of the best goals I’ve ever seen, but then he also sent in an enticing corner kick that allowed Santiago Arias to thunder home the goal that put the game out of reach. His play on the left wing opens up so much for FCC and allows the side to be as good as it is. Fans should enjoy him while he’s here, because sooner rather than later he’ll make his way to Europe.
The Opposition
The Vancouver Whitecaps are currently sixth in the Western Conference with a record of 5-6-5. The Whitecaps have scored 26 times on the season and allowed 20 of them, compared to FCC’s 26 and 15 respectively.
In the Western Conference, Vancouver is second for most goals scored so far on the season. This is going to be a strength-on-strength matchup, as FCC’s defense is one of the best in at least the Eastern Conference.
The upcoming home side has multiple players with a good tally of goals. The team’s leading scorer is former New York Red Bull Brian White, who has tallied six goals on the season. Apart from that, Simon Becher has scored four times, with Julian Gressel and Pedro Vite on three apiece.
This might be one of the most spread-out offensive attacks FCC has gone up against so far this season. FCC’s defensive work rate will need to be top-notch to not allow the Whitecaps to get going, or it could be a long night.
Whoscored.com said that some of the strengths of the Whitecaps include stealing the ball from the opposition and creating scoring chances. It also said that some of their weaknesses include defending against set pieces and stopping opponents from creating chances. Whoscored.com also said the team’s style of play includes often attempting crosses, taking a lot of shots and attacking through the middle.
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