After an epic midweek triumph in the Cup, FCC return to action at home tomorrow for yet another league clash. And with the regular season hitting the home stretch and playoff spots still up for grabs, it’s quite the intriguing league clash, too.
WHEN
Saturday, August 5th, at 7:00pm
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
OPPOSITION
For the second time this season, Orlando City B will be on the opposite side of the pitch from us at Nippert.
VENUE
Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
DIRECTIONS
PROMOTION(S)
Saturday’s match will be our second annual Fan Appreciation Night, where we aim to pay homage to the amazing support shown to the club week in and week out! To celebrate the occasion – which also happens to be just a few days after the second anniversary of the club’s announcement – there will be a post-match fireworks show. Additionally, thanks to our friends from Heineken, there will be an exit giveaway after the match where we’ll be distributing 10,000 posters commemorating our win over Chicago at the gates.
FORM
FCC: After a July that saw the Orange & Blue go 3-2-1 in all competitive matches, Koch and his charges will certainly be looking to pick things up in the final stretch of the season. The team has seen an uptick in offensive production of late, though that’s also come along with an uptick in the number of goals we’ve conceded. However, the overall trend continues to point to improvement. And if there’s any time to really emphasize that improvement, it’s now. Currently in sixth place and firmly in the playoff hunt, there’s still time to pull ourselves back into the top four and be rewarded with a home playoff match.
OCB: While we might be struggling for consistency, the Orlando City B have been very consistent. They enter this weekend’s match on the back of five straight draws, three of which were scoreless. And while that string of results isn’t exactly bad, it’s not good either. During it, OCB have slipped from the bottom of the playoff positions and down to 11th in the standings – though they’re even on points with 8th-place New York Red Bulls II.
COACH
"What a week this had been! The win against Miami was a historic moment for our club, and we now get to focus back on the USL against Orlando. Both matches against OCB have been difficult and we know tomorrow will pose a tough challenge again. The guys hope to continue to build on our recent success and we will give everything we have to achieve our goals in front of our loyal and passionate fans."
- Head Coach Alan Koch
PLAYERS
FCC: Thanks to a chaotic game at Nippert last weekend against Rochester in which he twice saw yellow, leading scorer Djiby will miss this Saturday’s match against Orlando through suspension. But his absence does open up some opportunities for fellow strikers Danni König and Kyle Greig to lead the line tomorrow.
OCB: As is the case with most of the MLS reserve sides in the league, predicting who we will see in Orlando’s 18 this weekend isn’t as straight forward as it is for some of the other clubs in the league. In our previous meetings this season, they’ve routinely dropped down a handful of players from their MLS squad. But if there are three players nearly guaranteed to see time: Cameroonian teenager and forward Albert Dikwa (#90), Canadian midfielder Richie Laryea (#6), and Guinean forward Hadji Berry (#13) – all of whom are tied for the team scoring lead with three goals.
HISTORY
This will be our fifth all-time meeting OCB, and the third and final regular-season matchup in 2017. The Orange & Blue swept the 2016 series with a 2-1 win in Melbourne, Florida, followed by a 1-0 regular season home finale. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone quite as well this year. While we drew Orlando 1-1 in Orlando at the beginning of last month, the last time they came to Nippert back in May we came out 0-2 losers. Here’s hoping we can even up the season series on Saturday!
WEATHER
It is going to be absolutely, positively perfect soccer weather tomorrow night. Kickoff temperatures are expected to be in the high 70’s and will continue to tail off as the night wears on. Additionally, there’s almost zero chance of precipitation throughout the whole day. So like it says above: perfect.
WATCH
This weekend’s match will be broadcast live on Star 64 (WSTR). Most local providers’ station information can be found below:
Over the Air: Channel 12.2
Cincinnati Bell Fioptics: Channel 17 (SD) or 517 (HD)
Spectrum/TWC (OH): Channel 20/13 (SD) or 989 (HD)
Spectrum/TWC (KY): Channel 20 (SD) or 989 (HD)
DirecTV: Channel 25
DISH: Not Available
Not in the local viewing area? No problem! Every match in the USL is available to stream as well, and this match is available for free on YouTube.
LISTEN
All FC Cincinnati home matches are broadcast live on local radio on ESPN 1530, which can be streamed for free through their iHeartRadio feed.
SOCIAL
As is the case every match, you can follow along with the action on our Twitter feed at @fccincinnati. For live looks from before, during and after the match, follow us on Instagramand Snapchat by following 'fccincinnati', too. Halftime and full time updates will also be available on Facebook.
