The secret sauce to FC Cincinnati’s success over the past few seasons has been their ability to play well on the road. Last season, they set an MLS record for away wins with 11, and they tied the league record with 35 total points away from TQL Stadium. This season, however, it’s been a source of the team’s frustrations. Dating back to the end of last season, the Orange and Blue are 1-0-4 in their past five road games, being outscored 13 to seven across those contests.
The road does not get easier for FCC (2-1-2) this Saturday. The team travels to the Music City for a showdown against Nashville SC (3-1-1), a squad who have rebounded from a disappointing 2024 campaign with a strong start this season. Whether you want to call it a “rivalry” or not, there has been no shortage of intensity in these matchups over the past few seasons. Throw in the fact that there’s some palpable mutual disdain between the two fanbases, and there will likely be a little extra electricity in the crowd at GEODIS Park.
All of this to say, if FC Cincinnati wants a win to end their woes on the road, they’ll have to survive an absolute battle to earn it.
TIDE TURNING FOR THE ORANGE AND BLUE?
It hasn’t been an easy start to the season for FC Cincinnati for a variety of reasons, but there’s a hint of optimism heading into Saturday’s matchup. The second half of last week’s 2-2 draw against Atlanta United was arguably the most polished the team has looked this season. A strong attack, sparked by a “takeover” performance from Evander, finally reminded us of the dominant offense FCC fans have come to expect in recent years. And while a couple of key mistakes on the back end resulted in dropped points, there were still signs of the team finally finding some chemistry.
That chemistry should also be bolstered with a more consistent lineup. Injuries, international call-ups, and a packed early-season schedule have forced Pat Noonan to roll out five vastly different starting XIs in each of FCC’s first five MLS matches this season. As reported by Laurel Pfahler this week, however, Noonan expects more consistency moving forward. This week, the lineup will get a boost from Kévin Denkey’s return from international duty, Miles Robinson’s return from illness, and Gilberto Flores’ return from suspension. While it seems FCC could be without Teenage Hadebe and Yuya Kubo this week, there are still enough pieces to roll out a somewhat normal XI against Nashville.
RED HOT IN MUSIC CITY
On the other side, it’s been a completely different situation for Nashville SC, who have been able to roll out virtually the same back line and forward combo in each of their five games this season. BJ Callaghan’s squad has ridden that chemistry to three consecutive wins, all by a margin of two goals or more. That includes an impressive 3-1 win on the road against current league leaders Philadelphia Union, making Nashville SC the only team to defeat the Zolos this season.
Nashville’s strength, as it’s always been, is their stinginess. Led by captain Walker Zimmerman and rising star Jack Maher, Nashville has conceded the third-fewest shots among Eastern Conference teams this season, and their three goals allowed are tied for second-fewest across the entire MLS. Up front, Nashville’s scoring has come by committee, with seven different players finding the scoresheet this season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Last Saturday gave FC Cincinnati fans a glimpse of what Evander can do. We saw him “come off of the leash” a bit and become more involved in the play in different areas of the field while being unafraid to push and create chances via dribbling rather than progressive passing. This led to his first brace in an FCC kit and several other quality chances. It will be interesting to see if Evander’s more aggressive style can open more chances for Denkey and Luca Orellano up front.
For Nashville, keep an eye on Edvard Tagseth. The Norwegian international has been a firecracker for his new team this season, excelling at controlling the pace of play in the midfield. He’s careful with the ball but also isn’t afraid to thread the needle and spring one of his attacking teammates down the pitch for a quality opportunity.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Communication and chemistry continue to be the biggest X factor in these early season matches. FC Cincinnati’s overall play has been solid this season; it’s just been those one or two breakdowns in key moments that have been their undoing.
Ideally, those are the kind of mishaps that go away with more practice and more lineup consistency, both of which should be happening shortly. Whether there is improvement by this Saturday remains to be seen.
Nashville’s not the flashiest team, but they’re incredibly disciplined and capable of pouncing on opponent’s mistakes. If Cincinnati can limit those and keep communication sharp, they have a squad that can win tough games like these on the road. If we see the type of miscommunications we saw in the previous road games against Charlotte, Tigres, and Philadelphia, it could be a long night.
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