FC Cincinnati will look to get the top seed in its Leagues Cup group with a positive result against NYCFC following its regulation win over Querétaro on Thursday.
FCC comes into Monday’s matchup with its Querétaro win, but prior to that, the team held a three-game losing streak. In that losing streak, FCC only scored two times and allowed seven goals, an astronomical amount considering the team’s roster build. However, that obviously changed due to injuries.
It remains to be seen how head coach Pat Noonan will view Monday’s match. Does he think this is a game that needs to be won to avoid a more difficult matchup, or would he prefer to rest his star players and then go full tilt on Friday?
I think I’m going to go off the assumption that Noonan will play some of his starters, such as Obinna Nwobodo and Yuya Kubo, but maybe rest players like Luca Orellano until the match looks ready to be won.
Lucho Acosta’s absence from the full lineup, not even appearing on the bench, shows how injured he really is, which is concerning, and I would be surprised if he starts on Monday. That being said, I am ready to be proven wrong as I have been many times by Acosta.
One player I was quite impressed by during Thursday’s match, despite the significant talent gap, was Chidozie Awaziem, FCC’s new center back. His passing was outstanding and he knew the right points to defend and back off. I think if he plays on Monday, I will be very interested to see how he plays a much better side in NYCFC.
The Opposition
New York City FC (NYCFC) comes into this match second in the three-team Leagues Cup group thanks to their win on penalty kicks on Sunday, July 28 over Querétaro.
As much as all of us FCC fans were disappointed our team only scored once against the Liga MX side, NYCFC wasn’t even able to do that, as regulation finished with a 0-0 scoreline. Both Querétaro and NYCFC had five shots on target during the match, with NYCFC getting 19 shots overall compared to Querétaro’s 10.
One of NYCFC’s weaknesses this season has been its offense, as it has only scored 36 goals during the MLS season, fourth-fewest in the top 10 of the Eastern Conference. That is matched, though, by the team’s impressive defense, having only allowed 30, third-best in the entire Eastern Conference.
Those statistics, and the possibility of FCC resting some of its best offensive players, set up a match where both sides are only going to get a few chances, so they need to be as locked-in as possible to take advantage of them when they happen.
Recommended for you
