Ahead of FC Cincinnati’s match Saturday night at New York Red Bulls, we’ve created a media roundtable with local beat reporters who cover the club regular.
This week’s roundtable includes:
- Michael Walker, MLSsoccer.com and Orange and Blue Press
- Laurel Pfahler, WCPO and The Athletic
- Pat Brennan, The Cincinnati Enquirer
Following a home loss, what’s the most important thing for FC Cincinnati moving forward?
Walker: Keep evolving. The defeat to Real Salt Lake was clearly a bad performance and a bad result, no matter how you look at it. The good news is that it was just one match.
The coaching staff and the team must continue to identify what’s working and what’s not from both a tactics and personnel perspective. They must continue to build familiarity, try new things and see what sticks. Getting some offensive pieces back for New York will certainly help.
In a playoff league where over 50% of the teams reach the postseason, there is room for error as long as they eventually figure out a formula that works and give themselves a chance to go on a run later in the season. They should still have a shot at the lower playoff seeds if they can.
Pfahler: Moving on and showing improvement are the most important things, but FC Cincinnati really needs to get at least a point from this match. New York Red Bulls are another team that has struggled, but FCC obviously cannot afford to look at it that way. They need to tighten up their defense, take advantage of opportunities on offense and get this road trip off to a good start.
Brennan: Kind of like Alan Koch said in what I thought was a pretty impressive pre-match pump-up speech before the March 10 match at Atlanta, FC Cincinnati needs to get something out of the Red Bulls game. They can’t leave Red Bull Arena having not won something from the match, whether that’s three points, a point, or just something to build on like a goal from open play. You can’t allow the issues to compound. They have to play their way out of this. The Red Bulls seem like something of a wounded animal at the moment (also not unlike Atlanta) and this might be a great moment to take an unexpected three points. Eleven points through April isn’t looking so bad at the moment.
What’s the biggest storyline you’re watching in the match against New York?
Walker: The biggest storyline is clearly the return of Fanendo Adi, whether he starts or plays in New York, and what impact he can have on the game. If FC Cincinnati is to ultimately find success in 2019, Adi will need to play a big role. He can start a new narrative around his season this weekend.
If Adi doesn’t play, the biggest storyline shifts back to the Red Bulls, the absence of Kaku, and whether the 2018 Supporters Shield winners can take advantage of an opportunity to correct their early troubles at home.
Pfahler: The biggest storyline that I think everyone will be watching is whether Fanendo Adi gets his first action since March 17 and how his availability, plus Emmanuel Ledesma’s return from injury, can provide a boost to the attack. I don’t see Adi or Ledesma starting at this point because both likely need to ease back to match fitness but they could both provide a lift off the bench.
Brennan: Typically, New York is a feared team on the schedule. Based on record, that’s not the case right now but there really is still plenty to fear about the Red Bulls. They seem like a safe bet to make a charge up the Eastern Conference table and they’ll no doubt be targeting as Saturday as a match to make their move.
Score prediction and why?
Walker: 2-1 Red Bulls. The return of Adi and other players from injury (like Ledesma) will give FC Cincinnati a spark, but it won’t be enough to overcome a Red Bulls team who still has quality. They will be hungry for some badly-needed points at home.
Pfahler: 1-1. I don’t see FCC making a huge leap right away but gradually improving, and a draw here would be a good step.
Brennan: 1-1. FC Cincinnati has lost three straight matches once in its history (the Red Bulls organization accounted for two of the three losses, along with one from Louisville City in August 2017). That factoid obviously doesn’t mean FCC can’t or won’t lose a third straight match this weekend, but I find it unlikely. Pride has to start to kick in here. FC Cincinnati won’t allow itself to lose three weeks in a row.
You can also follow them on Twitter here:
Michael Walker @WalkerMichaelG
Laurel Pfahler @LaurelPfahler
Pat Brennan @PBrennanENQ
