Orange and Blue hit the road for the first time in seven weeks as they face Atlanta on Wednesday
For the first time since July 7, the USL’s top team – FC Cincinnati (15-3-6, 51 pts.) – is back on the road for an away match at 15th-place Atlanta United 2 (3-12-7, 16 pts.).
Cincinnati has earned points in each of the last 13 matches, posting a 9-0-4 record since June 2 in the club’s longest undefeated run.
Wednesday’s match is set for 7 p.m. at Coolray Field and will be televised on CW Cincinnati, as well as streamed on ESPN+.
Though Wednesday’s match features two teams on the opposite ends of the USL Eastern Conference table, it is a match that is not being overlooked by the Orange and Blue.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game,” FC Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch said. “Obviously, you could see their class when they came and played us here. I thought we played very well against them at our place. We’ve also watched a lot of games of teams that have played at their place. It’s not an easy place to play; there’s nowhere easy on the road in this league.”
The Atlanta attack has been led by 2018 MLS SuperDraft first-round selection, Jon Gallagher. The Notre Dame product has recorded six goals through 20 game, including a goal against the Orange and Blue back on May 5.
In addition to Gallagher, Atlanta has featured a number of promising young MLS Homegrown Players who have registered caps at various U.S. youth international levels including Andrew Carleton, Chris Goslin and Lagos Kunga.
Due to the available player pool that Atlanta can choose from – including members of its MLS roster who need playing time – it presents a challenge in terms of preparing for a side.
“We’ve got to make sure we have a plan, put it in place, and go out and execute,” Koch said, “The hard part with these games is the unknowns in terms of what is their exact lineup is going to look like.”
First-year FC Cincinnati defender Blake Smith acknowledges that preparation for an opponent that could feature any number of players makes preparation more difficult.
“It’s definitely different for me, personally. Coming from the NASL, it’s not something that you’re used to seeing,” Smith said, “It’s kind of tough as a team to prepare, because you don’t know exactly what their lineup is going to be … just because of guys getting MLS minutes, or not getting MLS minutes. It’s definitely something that we’re going to have to adjust to and just be ready for who they put on the field, but we do anticipate that they’re going to have a strong lineup this week.”
FCC will look to continue its unbeaten run without MVP candidate Emmanuel Ledesma. The Argentine will not be available for selection because of a yellow-card suspension. With the Orange and Blue missing their leading goal scorer and assist leader, what changes for the club in Wednesday’s match?
“Nothing. Nothing changes at all,” Koch said, “We’re a team. We’re not made up of one player. Manu has had a good season, but we have lots of players that have had good seasons for us so far.”
While Ledesma has been a revelation for Cincinnati’s attack, the defense has shown quality on the pitch as well. FCC has conceded just two goals over the club’s last eight USL matches and have registered back-to-back shutout performances. Captain center back Dekel Keinan attributes the defensive success to the performances of all 11 players who take the pitch.
“The moment we do defense as a team, as a unit, it’s much easier for the back four.” Keinan said, “Obviously, the back four and the keeper take a lot of pride in keeping clean sheets, because this is our main goal. But, the moment we defend as a team is much easier for the back four. I do not like to separate the team for defending and attacking. We’re all one unit, we have to defend together and attack together.”
