After battling back to take a point on the road last Sunday, FC Cincinnati return to action this Saturday with the club's second home fixture of the season. Kicking off at 7pm, FCC will host Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in what will hopefully be a very orange Nippert Stadium.
Why very orange? While it is indeed one of the club's primary colors, Saturday's match against Pittsburgh will also be the third annual Orange Out match -- so all fans are encouraged to wear orange gear to help us welcome the visitors from Pennsylvania with a wall of intimidating orange surrounding the pitch on Saturday night!
If you don't yet have any Orange FCC gear, come by and see us at our downtown store at 43 E. 4th Street on Friday (10am-6pm) or Saturday (10am-5pm) prior to heading to Clifton for the match. You can browse our selection now online too at shopfccincinnati.com as well as pick up orange gear at one of the multiple merchandise stands around the stadium before kickoff.
While tickets for the match are still available here, a big crowd unleashed again, so we strongly advise purchasing tickets and advanced parking passes now to avoid missing out on your preferred locations.
If you can't make it to the match, you can still watch the Orange & Blue live against the Hounds on Star64 (WSTR) on local television, or by streaming the action here on the USL's leaguewide partner, ESPN+.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND
The history of the relationship between the cities of Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, particularly on the sporting front, is long, dark and divided. The palpable rivalry between the people of each city has been played out on baseball diamonds, football fields, and -- for the last three years at least -- on soccer pitches, too.
That was evident in the 'Hounds first ever trip to Nippert Stadium in 2016, when a then-USL-record 23,375 fans turned up in Orange for the club's first-ever meeting. Another is expected for this weekend's tilt.
As for the rivalry on the pitch, the short history of the FC Cincinnati vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC has been rather one-sided. In five previous meetings, FCC has yet to lose to Pittsburgh -- including three wins and two draws. Last season, FCC won 1-0 away at Highmark Stadium in May, while they drew 1-1 in the return match at Nippert in September.
Interestingly, neither side has ever scored more than a single goal in any of the fixtures thus far.
However, with big changes having been taken on the banks of the Monongahela River this past offseason, the trend could easily be reversed. While the most obvious of the changes undergone was the club's well-received rebranding, the most important difference this season will be on the technical side of things in Pittsburgh, where former Rochester Rhinos head coach Bob Lilley has taken over the coaching reigns.
For a side that's finished near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings the last two seasons, Lilley already has the Hounds flying high in fifth -- a point ahead of ourselves -- after a solid start to the season.
If nothing else, getting back within the friendly confines of Nippert Stadium will be a welcomed sight for an Orange & Blue side that's played three of its first four on the road.
"We've had an excellent start to the season with a very difficult schedule," said head coach Alan Koch. "And we're excited now to be back at home and looking forward to embracing our city's rivalry with Pittsburgh."
WHAT TO EXPECT
The low goal tally in the teams' meetings prior to this point is likely a trend that will continue, at least if you look at how the 'Hounds have performed in 2018. Pittsburgh are one of just six sides remaining undefeated sides in USL and are the only one yet to concede a goal this season.
That said, they've not exactly been prolific either. They were held scoreless in each of their first two matches and edged Ottawa Fury FC with a 1-0 win last Saturday in their last match out. That said, they also unleashed a 4-0 battering of Toronto FC II at home on April 7th.
Which Hounds side will we see?
That might depend on the formation they run out. In their first two scoreless draws, Pittsburgh played in a 3-4-3/3-2-3-1 speared by Jamaican frontman Romeo Parkes. But upon switching to a 4-2-3-1 -- a system very similar to our own over the opening of the season -- the Hounds have found the back of the net five times.
Most of those goals have come from another Jamaican forward replacing Parkes up top: Neco Brett. The new arrival recorded a hattrick in the win over Toronto.
Meanwhile, FCC will be looking for an offensive explosion of our own after scoring just three times in our opening four matches. But supporters expecting that to be sparked by further changes after the tweaks to the line-up against Bethlehem might be disappointed.
"We're just going to do the exact same thing," offered coach Koch. "We believe in how we're doing things and have a lot of confidence in our group. I think the fact that we created so many opportunities on the road at Bethlehem is a major positive. The more you create, the more you're hopefully going to score."
The team has seen an increase in chance creation over the last two matches. And with a home crowd behind them, it might give them that extra boost they've been looking for.
