As has been the case in the past few seasons, FC Cincinnati is currently enjoying a rapid-fire set of fixtures. After quelling Tigres 3-0 on Thursday night at TQL, the Orange and Blue will quickly return to league play on Sunday at New England.
FC Cincinnati
After a pair of disappointing results in MLS action, FCC will attempt to build off their strong showing against Tigres. The rotated midfield along with some tactical changes, namely an emphasis on pressing and transition attacking, did well to calm the nerves of fans. However it remains to be seen whether that performance will breathe new life into the Orange and Blue’s league play form.
Of course another big question lies in what Evander’s minutes will look like on Sunday. Will we see the Brazilian back in the starting XI? Additionally, will we finally see Matt Miazga for the first time this season? What will rotations look like for the rest of the squad while in the middle of this 4 matches in 10 days stretch?
Regardless of these unknowns, Thursday night proved that FCC still has the ability to score while simultaneously putting up a clean sheet. Which is a pretty solid winning formula.
New England Revolution
Since moving on from Bruce Arena in September 2023, the New England Revolution have gone through four different managers and are now on their fifth. Appointed in November of last year, former USMNT U20 manager Marko Mitrovic has been tasked with growing the Revs back to their former glory. He has a solid core to work with, including long-time Rev Carles Gil, former Premier League and USMNT shot-stopper Matt Turner, and the former Inter Miami #9 Leo Campana.
Unfortunately, the beginning of this year’s campaign has not held much hope for the New England faithful. After a brutal 4-1 loss at Nashville to open the season, the Revs dropped their second fixture of the season at Sports Illustrated Stadium in a 1-0 loss to New York Red Bulls.
Now welcoming FC Cincinnati into Gillette Stadium for their home opener, the Revs will seek their first result of the year. However, the Revs have not defeated FCC in MLS league play at Gillette since August 2021.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
It will be interesting to see what rotations Pat Noonan employs for Sunday’s match with the second leg of the tie with Tigres upcoming on Thursday. Additionally, it remains to be seen if the formula that was successful versus Tigres translates to MLS play.
For New England, the onus will be on breaking down the stout FCC defense. A unit which has allowed only two goals through their first six total matches. Will Carles Gil and company be up to the task?
MATCH INFO
When: Sunday, March 15 at 2:30 PM
Where: Gillette Stadium
Watch: Apple TV
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