Following Friday night’s 1-0 victory over Orlando City SC at TQL Stadium, FC Cincinnati welcome New York City FC in a midweek clash. The Orange and Blue can leap into the top three of the Eastern Conference with a win.
FC CINCINNATI vs NEW YORK CITY FC – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 – 7:30 p.m. ET – TQL STADIUM
HOW TO WATCH
Local TV: Star64
Local Stream: fccincinnati.com
Out of Market Stream: ESPN+
Radio: ESPN 1530
Talent: Tom Gelehrter (play-by-play), Kevin McCloskey (analyst), Alex Stec (sideline)
Be sure to follow @FCCincinnati on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for live updates from the game.
Tickets are still available, visit fccincinnati.com/tickets or call 513-977-KICK, that’s 513-977-5425.
ALL-STAR VOTING
Fans can vote online to send their favorite FC Cincinnati players to Minnesota for the 2022 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target on Wednesday, August 10 at Allianz Field.
Twenty-six players will be selected for the All-Star Game, 12 of whom will be determined by a combined vote of fans, media and players. Fans can vote online at mlssoccer.com/all-star/2022/vote.
FC Cincinnati seek the club’s first MLS All-Star in team history. Online voting ends at 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Friday, July 1.
GAME ACTIVATIONS
2020 Summer Olympic Boxing Silver Medalist Duke Ragan, a West End resident, will be honored on Wednesday night, as will the 2021 Wyoming High School Boys State Soccer Champions following their first state title in program history.
Prior to the game, head over to Washington Park between 4:30-7:30 p.m. to enjoy special activations including:
- Queen City Lemonade
- Street Pops
- Face Painting and balloon art
- Kids soccer activations
- Beer, wine, hard seltzer and drink specials available for purchase at The Porch.
Fans can join the Supporters March to TQL Stadium, departing Washington Park at approximately 6:45 p.m. Presenting Sponsor Coors Light will offer a special Vizzy sampling on the concourse for fans 21+.
Can’t make it to the game and looking for a place to watch the Orange and Blue? Head to one of the club’s official Pub Partners for the season, which broadcast all home and away games and feature opportunities for fans to win prizes all season long.
SCOUTING NEW YORK CITY FC (8-4-3, 27 PTS, 2ND EASTERN CONFERENCE)
The defending MLS Cup Champions have been busy since the international break, as Wednesday’s game is set to be the club’s fourth match in 11 days. NYCFC drew Colorado 1-1 in MLS play, but were knocked out of the Quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup by New York Red Bulls 3-0 and lost at Philadelphia Union 2-1 on Sunday afternoon.
The Cityzens have won all six of their previous matchups with FC Cincinnati, taking both matchups last season en route to the title. Star goalscorer Taty Castellanos has eight on the season, tied with Brandon Vazquez, Hany Mukhtar, and Paul Arriola for second in MLS.
On the defensive side of the ball, goalkeeper Sean Johnson leads MLS with eight clean sheets, and his 13 goals allowed in 15 matches is the 2nd best mark of keepers to play at least half of games this season (Andre Blake (PHI), Roman Celentano (CIN) – 12).
NYCFC’s +14 goal difference is the best in the Eastern Conference, only behind LAFC’s 15 for the top positive mark in MLS. Their 27 goals are tied for second-most in the Eastern Conference (MTL – 30) and only Philadelphia Union have conceded less goals (12).
STORYLINES OF THE GAME
APPROACHING HALFWAY – Following Wednesday night, the Orange and Blue will be halfway through the club’s MLS slate of games. Already with seven wins, the most in club history in a single season, FC Cincinnati are one point shy of matching 2019’s point total of 24, the most in club history.
HUMP DAY STATS – FC Cincinnati play an MLS contest on a Wednesday for the 18th time in club history. The club all-time on Hump Day are 4-8-5, including 3-4-4 in Cincinnati.Â
This matchup marks FCC’s second of four scheduled MLS games on Wednesday this season. The Orange and Blue enter 1-0-0 after knocking off Toronto FC, 2-0, on Wed., May 4.
10 vs. 10 – FC Cincinnati defender Ray Gaddis, should he start on Wednesday, will make his 10th career start against NYCFC. It would be the 10th different club he has started 10+ MLS games against (CHI, CLB, DC, HOU, SKC, MTL, NE, RBNY, TOR).
SPEAKING OF THE NUMBER 10 – By scoring Friday night vs. Orlando, FC Cincinnati have scored in nine straight MLS games which set the longest such streak in club history (8 straight, July - September 2019). The Orange and Blue aim for 10 straight games with a goal on Wednesday.
OBINNA CONTINUES TO IMPRESS – FC Cincinnati’s newest DP, midfielder Obinna Nwobodo put together another impressive performance Friday night against Orlando City SC. Per Stats Perform, Nwobodo’s 92 percent accurate passing, and 56 accurate passes, was the best among any player who played all 90 minutes Friday. He additionally led FCC in possessions won (9), tackles (4), touches (71) and total passes (61).
HEAD COACH PAT NOONAN’S TAKE
On if he feels FC Cincinnati is ready for the challenge of NYCFC
"I think so. We've shown we can beat good teams in this league. And I think our last two opponents have been two of the better teams throughout the course of this year. To get four points out of those two games, certainly, we're pleased with, but hopefully, it's the right confidence boost at the right time to face one of the best teams in the league and look to go out and get a result."
On NYCFC and what makes them a difficult opponent
“Just the quality with the ball. From their goalkeeper [Sean Johnson] all the way to [ValentÃn] Castellanos up top, they're a team that I think collectively, they work really well together [on] both sides of the ball. But the individual talent, and players that can break breaking down 1v1, that's where it becomes very important to be really keyed in on those 1v1 matchups and winning those battles to not allow the game to get opened up, because they have players that can do just that … There's a reason that they're the defending MLS Cup champs and that's just the quality on the field for them and the depth they have. You're going to see I think a little of that as well with such a quick turnaround for them."
FC Cincinnati's 2022 schedule can be viewed, HERE. Fans can build their custom 3 Match Flex Plan today. Pick any three matches and save on single match ticket pricing with no fees at checkout. Fans can pick the same seats for three games or select different options around TQL Stadium.
Single match tickets to any of FC Cincinnati’s remaining home games are also available now, head to fccincinnati.com/tickets or call 513-977-KICK, that’s 513-977-5425, to learn more.
FC Cincinnati are playing their fourth season of MLS competition in 2022, and their second playing at TQL Stadium. For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team’s official mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.
