After twelve days and two matches spent at IMG Academy, FC Cincinnati resumed preseason training back in Ohio this week. But just because we've returned to the Midwest, that doesn't mean the tune-up matches have ended.
Tomorrow, the Orange & Blue travel to Grand Park Events Center in Westfield, Indiana, for a now 2pm kickoff -- yes, the match has been pushed back from its original scheduled 1:30pm kickoff -- against Indy Eleven.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND
Despite our hosts being newcomers to the USL this upcoming season, this will actually be the third time we've faced an Indy Eleven side.
Our first meeting came way back in our first season in 2016 when we faced the then-NASL Indy Eleven in our first preseason match after returning from Bradenton. That match finished a 1-1 draw courtesy of goals from Luke Spencer and Eamon Zayed -- neither of whom are with either club anymore.
The second meeting also came in 2015, when the Indy's U-23 NPSL squad came to Nippert Stadium for a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Second Round match. The good guys came out on-top 2-1 over the group of amateur developmental players thanks to goals from Omar Cummings and Jimmy McLaughlin.
Just as was the case in both of those previous meetings, Thursday's match will go without a stream or television broadcast to watch from afar. Luckily, the world-class Grand Park Events Center is an open facility and there is no charge for admission. You can also follow our social media feeds for in-person updates throughout the match.
WHAT TO EXPECT
With the 2018 regular season looming, Head Coach Alan Koch's approach in our third preseason friendly will be a bit different than in our previous two outings so far. While in those matches the focus was on getting everyone minutes, this week's game will see the semblances of Koch's first team start to take shape.
"Florida was nice; everyone got to play 45 minutes," Koch said. "But moving forward now, I anticipate one group will play 60 minutes against Indy, and another group will play 30 minutes."
That said, things are far from set-in-stone, so don't go penciling the group that starts in Indiana into the starting eleven against Charleston for the season opener quite yet.
Koch added, "[We're] definitely still in the discovery phase. Having said that, we have to figure that out pretty quickly given that we're less than a month away now from the start of the season."
Many will be curious to see if the newest faces added to the FC Cincinnati ranks this week will factor in the second year manager's plans against the Eleven tomorrow, but Koch remained coy. Though don't be surprised if midfielder Richie Ryan and/or forward Tomi Ameobi see some minutes in the second group.
As for Indy Eleven, they're just now dipping their toes into their preseason. After making a belated switch over to the USL for the 2018 season and only recently hiring new coach Martin Rennie, they've made a slew of recent signings... a few of which very intriguing.
Veteran MLS forwards Jack McInerney and Soony Saad highlight the new arrivals that will complement solid returners like midfielder and Ohio-native Ben Speas, as well as former MLS journeyman forward Justin Braun.
But with the Eleven yet to play a match, and their preseason preparations just getting started last week, it's a little early to draw too many conclusions about who or how they'll trot out against us tomorrow.
