Head Coach Ron Jans made five changes to the FC Cincinnati starting XI ahead of their third match in eight days.
Many of the changes are in response to a quick turnaround – FCC host the Chicago Fire on Saturday night at Nippert Stadium three days after their last match.
About the starters:
Kendall Waston, Greg Garza, Tommy McCabe, Rashawn Dally and Derrick Etienne Jr. replace Nick Hagglund, Fatai Alashe, Andrew Gutman, Emmanuel Ledesma and Joseph-Claude Gyau in the lineup.
Waston and Garza return after missing Wednesday’s 2-0 loss against Atlanta United FC. Waston was suspended after a red card in the previous match, while Garza was rested after recently returning from a long injury layoff.
Dally and McCabe make their first starts since Sept. 7, when Cincinnati lost to 5-1 to Toronto FC.
Etienne Jr., who went away on international duty with Haiti during the last international break, makes his first Orange and Blue start since the #HellisReal Derby match at Nippert Stadium on Aug. 25.
About the bench:
Stanko was expected to start but was a late scratch. As a result, McCabe replaced him in the XI and FCC will have one less player on the bench.
Excluding Victor Ulloa, everyone on the bench either played or was an unused sub against Atlanta. Gutman, Gyau, and Hagglund started that match, while Roland Lamah was a late substitute.
Backup goalkeeper Jimmy Hague is still awaiting his MLS debut.
If Ulloa plays, it’ll be his first match since Aug. 31 at FC Dallas. Including that Dallas match, Ulloa played in 26 of FCC’s first 28 games. He’s missed time dealing with a groin injury but has yet to see his return to the field since recovering.
About the absentees
Allan Cruz (head) and Spencer Richey (back) are unavailable against Chicago.
Darren Mattocks (ankle), Kekuta Manneh (shoulder), and Jimmy McLaughlin (knee) will miss the rest of 2019.
