FC Cincinnati are on the cusp of history – potentially.
Four matches into the 2019 regular season, the Orange and Blue have seven points and sit second in the MLS Eastern Conference standings. It’s an impressive start, and even more impressive considering the first four opponents.
If Cincinnati beats the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night at Nippert Stadium, the club will become the first MLS expansion side to 10 points in five matches.
“If you would’ve told me that after four games into the season we’d be at the top of the standings, maybe I wouldn’t have agreed with you, but we’re happy with the results,” midfielder Victor Ulloa said. “There’s still stuff we can work on even with a good start. I wasn’t aware of that stat, but it’s even more motivation for us to grow as a team and keep getting results – especially at home.”
Historically, four clubs have nine points through their first five games as a team: Miami Fusion, Houston Dynamo, Seattle Sounders FC and LAFC.
Regardless of Cincinnati’s final score Saturday night, the start to the new season shows promise and room for growth. That’s the message Head Coach Alan Koch wants to convey, not any stats or records.
“It means absolutely nothing, honestly,” Koch said about the potential record. “We all know that we go one game at a time. We went to New England, we won and it was brilliant. We’re happy but we could’ve lost that game, too.
“Records like that don’t mean anything. We’re just focused on trying to get ourselves ready for Philadelphia, embrace the game, embrace the occasion and try to do everything we can to fight and get three points for our club and our city.”
