The start to the 2018 FC Cincinnati regular season was quite the tease.
After a long, news-riddled offseason, it got off to a running start in Week 1 way back on April 17th. But then a Week 2 to bye forced us to endure another fortnight without Orange & Blue soccer to consume.
Luckily, we won't have to endure much longer.
Alan Koch and his men will make the short trek back up I-74 to the capital of Indiana to face USL newboys Indy Eleven this Saturday, March 31st. A 7pm kickoff in the climate-controlled, indoor Lucas Oil Stadium means both the team and the sizeable contingent of supporters who are traveling over too won't have to be concerned about the threat of showers and low-50's temperatures expected in the Indianapolis area. Don't have your tickets yet? Here's how you can get them.
Even if you're not making the trip, you can still enjoy the Saturday's match from the comforts of your own climate-controlled Tri-State region lair by tuning in live on Star64 (WSTR) or around the world by streaming it here.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND
Despite having met them several times in our young club's history, this Saturday's match will be the first match against Indy Eleven's first team that actually counts.
While we did face Indy Eleven NPSL in the 2016 U.S. Open Cup in the second round, that was a side full of amateur players in the Eleven's development pipeline. We also have twice met the first team, though both of those meetings were preseason fixtures. On the positive side, the results in all of those games were positive: a 1-1 draw in our 2016 preseason, a 2-1 win over their NPSL team in the Open Cup, and a 2-1 win during our just-completed preseason. Too, both positive (preseason) results against their first team came on the road -- including that most recent also coming indoors.
That said, this isn't preseason and Indy are expected to be a formidable foe throughout the 2018 season. And they're off to a very similar start to ourselves.
Entering Saturday's match, we find the Eleven just a place above us in the table in sixth and boasting an identical 1-0-0 record and +1 goal difference. They even went on the road for their lone league match thus far, getting a valuable 1-0 away win over the Richmond Kickers. The only major difference between their start and ours? They served their bye week purgatory in Week 1 as opposed to during Week 2 like ourselves.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The advantage that Indy have -- other than the emotional boost of playing in front of what is expected to be a lively home crowd for their home opener -- is that they only had a seven-day layoff over which that had to attempt to carry the momentum of their season-opening win. Meanwhile, the Orange & Blue have had to manage double that.
FCC head coach Alan Koch agreed with that sentiment and planned a few friendlies in between to help his squad bridge the gap.
"We needed to continue to build after the Charleston game," Koch shared, "and we were glad that we were able to get the game in against the Crew [Reserves]. Unfortunately, weather prevented us from getting in an additional exercise against [the University of Dayton]."
That closed-door friendly against a Crew side that featured regulars and reserves last Sunday proved a good exercise tactically and mentally, as a mixed-squad endured and produced a 4-2 win in a testy affair at Columbus' Obetz training complex.
But despite the good result and needed minutes for our guys, friendlies don't count in the league standings. And Koch and his men seem well aware of that, using that match and the last two weeks of training to prepare for Saturday's actual test in Indy.
"We have worked on a lot since the season opener and are excited to go play up at Indy. We know that they have assembled a star-studded cast and have started the season on a positive note, so this will be a big challenge that we are excited to embrace," explained Koch.
The stars he was referring to includes a trio of former MLS attackers: Soony Saad, Justin Braun, and Jack McInerney (#99).
Saad (#14) played a prominent role in a Sporting KC side that won both the MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup in addition to a handful of caps with the Lebanon national team. Braun (#17) has over a century of appearances and nearly 30 goals in MLS to his name, but he's also been pretty handy in the lower leagues too. He paced Indy's front line over the last two seasons with 15 goals in 41 matches, and also lead the line for Sacramento when they won the USL Cup in 2014. As for McInerney (#99), the forward also has over 100 appearances and 40 goals in MLS and bagged the lone goal in Indy's win over Richmond last weekend.
The player to keep an eye on? Former Columbus Crew SC midfielder Ben Speas, who wears the #10 shirt and will pull the strings from midfield. The Stow, Ohio, native was arguably the most prominent player in the preseason scrimmage against Indy. And given the frontline he has at his disposal, his vision could prove tricky for Koch's men.
Luckily, the Orange & Blue's extended break between matches has given the side ample time to nurse a few players back to fitness. Among those is wide man Jimmy McLaughlin, who missed out on selection to the matchday 18 due to injury in Week 1 for the first time since joining the club. But with more players fit, that leaves even more selection headaches to deal with this weekend.
But, a solid week of training this week in Cincinnati has the staff and players feeling confident about their chances.
And with over 1,000 loyal away supporters already confirmed to be in attendance at Lucas Oil this weekend -- and Indy opening up the entirety of the lower stadium bowl -- it's certain to be a raucous affair.
With us on the road this weekend, it might be easy to forget that we'll finally make our own home debut on April 7th at 7pm against Louisville City. If you haven't already, make sure you get your tickets now!
