“It’s a huge game for us. It’s a Cup game.”
Fanendo Adi had more to say in his Monday morning interview, but that statement was the main takeaway.
After beating Louisville City FC last week in the fourth round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, players and coaches said the win – FC Cincinnati’s first in a month – was something to build on.
Adi repeated that message with conviction on Monday, and ahead of Wednesday night’s fifth-round match at Saint Louis FC. Another win would advance Cincinnati to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals for the second time in club history.
In short, including Wednesday’s game, Cincinnati is four matches away from potentially hoisting a trophy as an MLS club for the first time. That’s a very real possibility, which iterates how serious the Orange and Blue are taking Wednesday at STLFC.
“We’ve come back from three days (off), so we should be absolutely ready and refreshed,” Adi said. “We’re going there to win the game and that’s the most important thing to think about.”
Interim Head Coach Yoann Damet shared similar remarks ahead of the cup match.
“I hope (the Louisville win) was a turning point for us and we can confirm that good result last week with another good result on Wednesday.”
Match Info
FC Cincinnati at Saint Louis FC
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CT)
Where: WWT Soccer Park
Weather Forecast: Scattered Thunderstorms, 76 degrees
Video Stream: ESPN+
Opponent’s Player to Watch: Forward Russell Cicerone
The former FC Cincinnati winger is STLFC’s player to watch. Through 13 USL Championship games this season, Cicerone is tied with a team-high three goals. He also has an assist.
The 24-year-old is pacy and can get in behind backlines if given space.
Club Connections:
- Cincinnati native Matt Bahner played for FC Cincinnati in 2017 and 2018, making 36 appearances.
- Kadeem Dacres made 22 appearances for FCC in 2017.
- Kyle Greig played on loan at FCC in 2017. He scored once in a dozen appearances.
- Russell Cicerone made 10 appearances and scored once for Cincinnati last season.
- Fatai Alashe and Tomas Gomez were both rostered with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2015.
- Emery Welshman and Phanuel Kavita were both in the Real Salt Lake organization in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, both played for Puerto Rico FC in the NASL.
