This weekend’s FC Cincinnati home match sees the Orange & Blue return home after a frustrating trip away last weekend. A return to familiar surroundings and the boisterous support that accompanies them will certainly be welcome, but it won’t be a walk in the park either.
Rest assured, we’ll all be hoping for fireworks on the pitch before they’re set to explode above it later that evening. Find out how exactly that might happen in our full match preview below.
WHEN
Saturday, June 10th, at 7pm
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
OPPOSITION
This weekend’s match will be the first of two matches in the quest to retain our 2016 Queen City Cup against the Charlotte Independence. That said, we all know who the real Queen City is… don’t we?
VENUE
Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
DIRECTIONS
PROMOTION(S):
There are promotions a plenty for the match against Charlotte:
- Official match sponsor United Dairy Farmers will be handing out noisemakers to the first 5,000 through the Nippert Gates.
- Stick around after the final whistle as we’ll be hosting a Fireworks Show tentatively set to begin at 9:30pm! We’ll be dimming the stadium lights and advise moving over to the West (Pavilion) side of Nippert Stadium or out onto Sheakley Lawn to get the best view of the show.
- It’s the official Cincinnati Zoo Night with FCC, and our furry and not-so-furry friends from up the road will be out on Sheakley Lawn prior to kickoff!
- We’ll also be hosting FCC Kids Club Night! Learn more about how you can sign your little FCC Supporter up for the club here, or visit our merchandise tent behind the General Admission section at Nippert Stadium.
FORM
FCC: After a hectic span that saw the boys turn out at Nippert five times in eighteen days – and ride a four-match winning streak to end it – many of those who had featured heavily during that spell were in desperate need of a rest by the time last Saturday’s match at Rochester rolled around. Coach Koch rotated his squad as was necessary, and despite not playing at all as a unit, they fell just short of taking a point on the road with a 1-0 loss to the Rhinos. With the squad now rested, they are looking to get back into the win column.
CI: Our rivals from the other Queen City are struggling for consistency. They’ve dropped points in each of their last two games, though did so while hanging tough against two of the top sides in the conference in Tampa Bay (2-2 draw) and Louisville (0-1 loss). One thing is certain: this is a team capable of scoring goals. They’ve tallied two or more goals four times this year, and dropped a five spot on defending champions New York Red Bulls II just three games ago.
COACH
"The team are looking forward to playing at home again this weekend. Charlotte are a very good footballing team and we will need to be at our best to have a successful match. The players have put in an excellent week of training and we are all geared up for a top performance. Thankfully we are near to full health for the busy week ahead."
- Head Coach Alan Koch
PLAYERS
FCC: With the extra rest helping a few players to recover from some niggling ailments, we’ll also likely see another member of the team rejoin the action this weekend: Djiby. The forward with six goals to his name is finally eligible to return to league action following a spell on the sidelines due to suspension. But with new arrival Danni König having hit the ground running while Djiby was out, Coach Koch will have the best kind of dilemma on his hands: what to do with two strikers who have had success putting the ball in the back of the net.
CI: Though the Independence have only played nine times this season, they’ve already seen seven different players tally in USL play so far. Leading the way is Uruguayan attacking midfielder, Enzo Martinez (#19), who has four of the team’s 14 goals so far. Also be sure to keep an eye out for former FCC striker Casey Townsend (#9), who was sent to Charlotte following at the end of preseason.
HISTORY
Last year, we claimed the Queen City Cup despite splitting the season series with the Independence at one win apiece. How so? We won the first meeting in our inaugural home opener thanks to a Sports Center Top 10 goal from Sean Okoli, and a second half header from a moustached Austin Berry. The second match saw us lose 3-2 on the road after seeing the match delayed to later in the season due to heavy rains. But with two road goals to one in our favor, and all other things equal, the cup is ours to defend this Saturday.
WEATHER
Absolutely perfect weather awaits us tomorrow night. Sunny skies, low humidity and temperatures in the mid 80’s should make for the perfect night for soccer at Nippert Stadium.
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 64
Cincinnati Bell Fioptics: Channel 11 (SD) or 511 (HD)
Spectrum/TWC (OH): Channel 11 (SD) or 1011 (HD)
Spectrum/TWC (KY): Channel 11 (SD) or 915 (HD)
DirecTV: Channel 64
DISH: Channel 8354
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 Instagram and Snapchat by following 'fccincinnati', too. Halftime and full time updates will also be available on Facebook.
