After three matches in eight days, going a week without playing has felt like an eternity. Luckily, that eternity will come to an end this Saturday when FCC hit the road for their latest USL fixture. Get the 4-1-1 on what to expect from this weekend’s action in the full match preview below.
WHEN
Saturday, April 29th, at 5pm
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
OPPOSITION
For the second time in twenty days, we’ll be heading to the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania to face Bethlehem Steel FC. And just as they were when we faced them last time, Steel FC are the reserve squad for the Philadelphia Union of MLS.
VENUE
Goodman Stadium, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
DIRECTIONS
FORM
FCC: As mentioned above, the Orange & Blue faced a pretty arduous schedule last week in the club’s first home stand of 2017. But not only did they play three games in such a tight time frame, but those matches came against sides that were first, third and second in the Eastern Conference at the time we faced them. Picking up five of a possible nine points – including two matches that ended with the team playing a man down – is a really positive outcome. It’s shown in the table too, with FCC climbing seven places to their current place of sixth.
BSFC: Since defeating a short-handed FC Cincinnati back on April 9th, Steel FC have dropped two consecutive matches. The first of those came in a 2-3 Keystone Derby loss away to the Harrisburg City Islanders, before coming back home to drop a 0-2 result to Orlando City B a week later. As a result, Bethlehem now sit in 15th place in the East, propping up the rest of the table.
COACH
"We look forward to going to play against a very talented Bethlehem team again. The last match there was a difficult battle as we had to play the majority of the game a man down, but we hope to go put in a quality performance this weekend. The team has improved significantly since the last time we were in Pennsylvania and we look forward to putting on a good display on Saturday."
- Head Coach Alan Koch
PLAYERS
FCC: With the team’s and league leading scorer now suspended through the beginning of June, the Orange & Blue are going to have to fill a pretty sizable hole in the team’s attack. There are goals in this team though – the rest of the team contributed 29 goals in 2016. So who steps up? Youngster Vic Mansaray showed well over the home stand, and could be a nominee to start up top. Fellow newcomers Daryl Fordyce and Andy Craven could also get the nod. And out of the midfield, Dacres, McLaughlin, Quinn, Walker, Wiedeman all have the potential to hit the back of the net, too.
BSFC: Though Bethlehem find themselves at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, they’ve not had too much difficulty finding the back of the net. Liberian forward Seku Conneh (#36) – who tallied a brace when we visited Goodman Stadium at the beginning of the month – leads the team in scoring with three goals, with three others tallying one a piece. The real question, however, is who will play in goal for Steel FC. The team has trotted out three goalkeepers in just four league matches.
HISTORY
Including the match earlier this season, this will be the fourth meeting between FCC and BSFC – a fifth meeting is still yet to come in when Bethlehem travel to Nippert on May 20th. We’ve gone 2-1-0 in those meetings thus far, though we’re level 3-3 on goal differential in those match ups.
WEATHER
Spring weather awaited us last time we traveled to Bethlehem, but though it’s still April, summer weather awaits us this time around. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-80’s by our 5pm kickoff at Goodman Stadium, though cloudy skies could help to keep things from boiling over.
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
Away matches are not being broadcast on local radio during the 2017 regular season.
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.
