BRADENTON, Fla. — After a 1-1 draw with the Montreal Impact on Wednesday night at IMG Academy, FC Cincinnati’s second preseason game arrives just days later on Saturday morning when the club plays the Colorado Rapids. Kickoff is at 10:30 a.m.
What to expect
Similar to the first match, FCC Head Coach said his side will separate into two groups, similar to Wednesday. Goalkeeper Przemysław Tytoń will play the full 90 minutes, while different groups will play in the first and second half. Koch said some players might play slightly less.
“We’re in a good place,” Koch said. “We’re going to give a couple different players a chance to showcase themselves tomorrow, which will be good. They deserve that opportunity. I’m looking forward to learning more from the exercise.”
Additionally, midfielder Allan Cruz will be unavailable. Cruz is with the Costa Rican National Team, which plays the U.S. Men’s National Team on Saturday afternoon in a friendly.
“It’s great because it gives another player an opportunity, so it’s a big positive,” Koch said of Cruz. I’m hoping Allan gets to play for Costa Rica. …I’m happy for him to get that opportunity of course, but it also gives another in our group a chance to play. We have a lot of guys here and we want to give them as many opportunities as we can.”
About Colorado
The Rapids finished 11th in the Western Conference standings last year, which was third-worst in MLS.
FC Cincinnati plays at Colorado on June 1. The game will be their lone meeting during the regular season.
Club Connection
- FC Cincinnati traded its No. 2 pick in the 2018 MLS Expansion Draft, Kei Kamara, to Colorado for an international spot in December.
- Former Cincinnati forward Omar Cummings played for the Rapids and won an MLS Cup in 2010. He played 148 regular season matches for the club.
Notes from day seven
After a session Koch considered heavier than a normal recovery practice, FC Cincinnati returned to the field Friday morning with a typical pre-game practice. The first portion of training consisted around passing and small-sided defensive games. Finally, the team opted for a full-field scrimmage, which was only the third time FCC has played an 11-on-11 match. The times were Wednesday’s draw with Montreal and a 10-minute potion of practice Tuesday morning.
