FC Cincinnati fly north of the border for the second and final time in 2022 to take on CF Montréal. The Orange and Blue aim to avenge April’s 4-3 home loss to Le CFM at TQL Stadium. Kickoff from Stade Saputo is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 28.
FC CINCINNATI AT CF MONTRÉAL – SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2022 – 7:30 p.m. ET – STADE SAPUTO
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.
HEAD TO THE WATCH PARTY OR A PUB PARTNERAn official watch party will be held at Holy Grail on The Banks in downtown Cincinnati, presented by Molson Coors. Fans at the party can catch the FCC Street Team, presented by Cliffs. The fun gets underway at 7 p.m.
Fans can also catch the action at one of 14 official Pub Partners located across the region, presented by Coors Light. The FCC Street Team presented by Cliffs will join the party this Saturday at Molly Malone's, beginning at 7 p.m.
ALL-TIME SERIESFC Cincinnati lead the all-time series over CF Montréal, 3-2-1 (2-1-0 away).
SCOUTING CF MONTRÉAL (6-5-2, 20 PTS., 4TH EASTERN CONFERENCE)
The last time FC Cincinnati met CF Montréal on April 2 at TQL Stadium, the visitors entered with a record of 0-3-1. Things changed for Head Coach Wilfried Nancy’s side on that day, as their dramatic 4-3 win was the first of three straight wins, and a seven-game unbeaten run.
That unbeaten run ended Wednesday, May 18 at Nashville SC in a 2-1 loss, followed by last Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to Real Salt Lake. A hat trick from Sunusi Ibrahim saw the CFM advance to the semifinals by a scoreline of 3-0.
Djordje Mihailovic leads Le CFM’s attack. His seven goals are one of seven players across the league tied with that amount, including FCC’s Brandon Vazquez, for third-most in MLS. Mihailovic’s form earned him a call up to the U.S. Men’s National Team for the June International window, which includes the USMNT’s friendly against Morocco on June 1 at TQL Stadium. In April in Cincinnati, Mihailovic scored twice in Montréal’s 4-3 win over FCC.
Mihailovic is one of five Montréal players to have seen action in all 13 games this season for the club.
That list includes goalkeeper Sebastian Breza, defenders Kamal Miller and Alistair Johnston, and midfielder Lassi Lappalainen.
Eleven different players have scored at least one goal for Le CFM, a club which ranks fourth in MLS in goals scored with 24 and second in MLS in assists with 27. However, Montréal also rank tied-fourth in MLS in goals allowed (23), as the club have just one clean sheet recorded this season.
STORYLINES OF THE GAME
LOOKING TO GET BACK TO WINNING WAYS ON THE ROAD – The Orange and Blue was unable to reach a club record five-straight wins in last Saturday’s 3-2 loss to New England Revolution.
FC Cincinnati hit the road again and bring a three-game road winning streak to Quebec, which is the longest active road winning streak in MLS. Head Coach Pat Noonan’s squad hopes playing at CF Montréal helps in getting to four, as FC Cincinnati all-time are 2-1-1 when facing Le CFM away from the Queen City. The club’s positive +1 road goal differential at Le CFM is one of only two clubs FCC hold that against (+1 at Toronto FC).
NO SHORTAGE OF GOALS HERE – The last time FC Cincinnati and CF Montréal met at Stade Saputo, the Orange and Blue scored a club-record four goals, but lost 5-4 in the highest scoring game in FCC history.
All-time, the two teams have combined for 23 goals in six games (12 CIN goals, 11 MTL goals). The combined seven goals scored in the meeting on April 2 at TQL Stadium is tied for the third-most goals between two teams in one game this season in MLS.
CAPTAIN LUCHO… – FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano Acosta, should he wear the armband on Saturday, will captain the Orange and Blue for the 42nd time, which will stand alone as the most in club history (Kendall Waston – 41).
…SPEAKING OF LUCHO – Luciano Acosta leads MLS this season with 43 key passes, and according to StatsBomb, Acosta leads MLS with 5.0 xA and he leads the league with 76 shot-creating actions.
Acosta has been involved in a goal in each of his last six games (4 goals, 3 assists). Acosta is the first player in FC Cincinnati history to record a goal contribution in six straight MLS matches.
APPROACHING 100 – FC Cincinnati enter Saturday having tallied 92 goals, and have received six own goals, for a total of 98 goals scored in MLS regular season play. The Orange and Blue aim to hit the century mark on Saturday, but could also enter the half century mark in road goals, coming into Saturday with 49 road goals scored in the club’s MLS history.
PRIMEBLUE KIT WEEKEND – Major League Soccer and adidas are once again raising awareness and inspiring action surrounding the impact of marine plastic waste by featuring customized Primeblue uniforms made from a high-performance recycled material and Parley Ocean Plastic™. The jerseys will be worn on field by all MLS clubs this weekend.
FC Cincinnati’s kit will be a different shade of blue than typical. Primeblue jerseys which are made from plastics intercepted from beaches, coastal communities, and shorelines, preventing them from polluting the ocean. Once collected, the original plastic source is reworked into technical fibers that can then be repurposed for use in either apparel or footwear. The high-performance yarn features more than 50% Parley Ocean Plastic™ on each jersey.
