FC Cincinnati face off with the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, Aug. 20 at Red Bull Arena. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. in a rematch of July’s hotly contested 1-1 draw at TQL Stadium, a matchup that saw the Orange and Blue end the night with nine men on the field.
For FC Cincinnati’s lone road contest of August, fans are encouraged to attend the Official Watch Party at Mount Lookout Tavern presented by Heineken starting at 5:30 p.m.
FC CINCINNATI at NEW YORK RED BULLS – SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2022 – 6 p.m. ET – RED BULL ARENA
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 OFFICIAL WATCH PARTY
Fans are encouraged to attend the Official Watch Party at Mount Lookout Tavern presented by Heineken starting at 5:30 p.m.
The Official Watch Party will feature:
• Appearance by Gary the Lion
• The FC Cincinnati Street Team with giveaways and activities
• Drinks and Special Food Deals
Fans can also catch the action at one of 14 official Pub Partners located across the region, presented by Coors Light.
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Red Bulls lead the all-time MLS series over FC Cincinnati, 4-2-2 (2-1-1 at home)
SCOUTING THE NEW YORK RED BULLS (11-8-7, 40 PTS., 4TH EASTERN CONFERENCE)
The positive news for FC Cincinnati going into Saturday is that the Orange and Blue will head to New Jersey with more rest than the Red Bulls, who played Wednesday night at Atlanta United FC. The negative news in the mix is that the Red Bulls earned three points in a 2-1 road win to aid themselves with more breathing room in the congested Eastern Conference standings, and they stand seven points ahead of FCC entering Saturday night.
Head Coach Gerhard Struber’s squad bring their physical, high-press system and are led offensively by Lewis Morgan and his 14 goals across all competitions. His 11 MLS goals more than double any other New York player’s 2022 goal tally.
Before the transfer window closed, the Red Bulls added defender Kyle Duncan from Belgian side K.V. Oostende and forwards Elias Manoel (on loan from Brazilian second-division side Grêmio) and Tyler Pasher (off waivers from Houston Dynamo FC). The two forwards are still awaiting their first appearance with the Red Bulls.
FC Cincinnati will likely see standout defender Sean Nealis, whose only game missed this season was due to red card suspension when the Red Bulls came to Cincinnati in July. He has been part of a strong defense which includes U.S. Men’s National Team center back Aaron Long, goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, who could make his 60th appearance with the club on Saturday, and defenders John Tolkin, Tom Edwards and Dylan Nealis who each have made at least 20 appearances this season.
The Red Bulls have struggled at home, holding a 3-5-4 home record and the lowest home win percentage of any MLS side this season (.417). New York have lost three consecutive league games at home, entering Saturday seeking their first home result since June 30 (2-1 win vs. Atlanta United FC).
STORYLINES OF THE GAME
THE BIG THREE – FC Cincinnati’s scoring trio of Brandon Vazquez, Brenner and Luciano Acosta leads all MLS trios in both goals and combined scoring contributions.
Vazquez, Brenner and Acosta have combined for 30 goals and accounted for 22 assists. The 52 combined goal contributions lead Austin FC’s Sebastián Driussi, Maxi Urruti and Diego Fagúndez, who have tallied 48 combined goal contributions as the next closest team trio in MLS.
ON A STREAK – Last Saturday against his former club Atlanta United FC, Brandon Vazquez became the first player in club history to score in four straight games. His streak is tied with Austin FC’s Sebastián Driussi and Nashville SC’s Teal Bunbury as the longest active streak in MLS.
Only three streaks this season in MLS have gone longer than four games. The New England Revolution’s Adam Buksa, who departed the league to French side RC Lens on a six-game scoring streak, holds the longest (and technically active) streak this season. Both FC Dallas’ Paul Arriola and Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar reached five-game scoring streaks as well.
BACK TO WHERE IT BEGAN – FC Cincinnati’s newest defender Matt Miazga, acquired by FCC from Chelsea FC on August 5, returns to Red Bull Arena where the Red Bulls’ Academy product made his MLS debut at the age of 18 for RBNY. As part of two Supporters’ Shield winners in 2013 and ‘15, Miazga made 35 appearances over three seasons where he scored one goal and added two assists.
The Clifton, New Jersey native started in his debut last Saturday with FCC, playing 66 minutes in a center back role.
CAPTAIN LUCHO – Should Luciano Acosta wear the captain’s armband on Saturday, he will captain FCC for the 50th time in his career. No other player in club history have started a game as captain more than Acosta (2nd: Kendall Waston - 41).
OTHER MILESTONES INCLUDE … – Brandon Vazquez is close to breaking the single-season club record for shots (Enters Saturday with 65, the record is Brenner’s 67 from 2021).
Luciano Acosta has taken 61 corner kicks this season, approaching his single-season club record from 2021 (67).
John Nelson’s next appearance will be his 50th MLS regular season app.
Álvaro Barreal needs 14 minutes on Saturday to be the 7th player in club history with 4,000+ minutes for FCC in regular season play (Hagglund, Deplagne, Acosta, Brenner, Cruz, Kubo).
NOONAN’S TAKE
Head Coach Pat Noonan on facing the physical play from the Red Bulls
“You need to be prepared for one, the pressure to come. You don't have a lot of time and space in any moment. So if you have a good first touch, if you have clear ideas as you're receiving the ball as to where the next play needs to go, or where the next pass needs to go, then you can find some success in breaking pressure. But it's not just the initial pressure, the pressure's going to come from the next wave and the next wave. You need to be very efficient with how you move the ball and how you find space to break pressure to be able to play forward … I think on the defensive side of the ball, understanding the threats, and then playing forward both in run of play and in transition, and how we deal with transition moments, to make sure that we do a better job of staying connected, which, in the Philly game was good. And then, the Miami and the Atlanta games [it] wasn't as good as we need it to be. So that's certainly a talking point this week."
Fans can place deposits now for 2023 Season Tickets, and current season ticket holders can renew for 2023 now. Anyone with interest in 2023 Season Tickets can place their deposit HERE, or by calling 513-977-KICK, that’s 513-977-5425.
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, 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.
