FC Cincinnati 2 travel to High Point, North Carolina on Saturday, June 15 as they take on Carolina Core FC at Truist Point at 7:30 p.m. E.T. The Orange and Blue face The Core for the first time since the Carolina based side joined MLS NEXT Pro prior to the start of the 2024 season.
The Orange and Blue are back in the win column after a 2-0 result against Philadelphia Union II on June 6 while The Core are coming off a draw and shootout loss on the road against Orlando City B in Matchweek 13 play.
The match will be broadcast live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
FC CINCINNATI 2 at CAROLINA CORE FC – SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2024 – 7:30 P.M. ET – TRUIST POINT
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FC CINCINNATI 2 NOTES
BACK TO WINNING WAYS – FC Cincinnati 2’s win against Union II marked their seventh of the season, tied for the third most in MLS NEXT Pro. The Orange and Blue have been especially strong on the road where they have won four consecutive matches away from Scudamore Field.
The Orange and Blue have won six of their last seven matches.
OFF AND RUNNING – Kenji Mboma Dem scored his first goal for the Orange and Blue against Philadelphia and tallied his first professional brace in the same match. It took Mboma Dem just six minutes to score his first goal of the night and tallied his brace in just 19 minutes of play after coming on as a second half substitute.
Mboma Dem is the fourth FC Cincinnati 2 player to score two or more goals in a match this season.
TEAM OF THE MATCHWEEK – FC Cincinnati 2 were named MLS NEXT Pro’s Team of the Matchweek for Matchweek 13 Wednesday afternoon. The Orange and Blue have won six of their last seven matches and are the only MLSNP side to defeat Union II this season.
The Orange and Blue are up to third in the Eastern Conference standings on 22 points and sit four points off the top spot currently held by Philadelphia Union II.
COMING HOME – Following Saturday’s match against Carolina, FC Cincinnati 2 will return home to Scudamore Field for a three-match home stand beginning on June 23 against Huntsville City FC. It is a favorable stretch of matches as those three opponents have a combined 11-17-8 record.
The Orange and Blue are 3-2-1 at home this season.
SCOUTING CAROLINA CORE FC (1-6-3, 8 PTS., 15TH IN EASTERN CONFERENCE)
Carolina Core FC have had a difficult start to life in MLS NEXT Pro. The High Point, North Carolina based club earned a shootout win against Crown Legacy FC in their first league match before dropping four straight.
The Core opened the season playing eight straight matches away from home. Four of those eight matches were decided by just one goal with two finishing as draws. Of the three shootouts faced, Carolina managed to take an extra point in two.
Midfielder Jacob Evans has been a bright spot in an otherwise stagnant Carolina attack. Evans’ three goals lead the team, and his three assists are tied for a team lead with Facundo Canete. Evans’ recent form has helped The Core earn six points over their last five matches and the midfielder has scored or assisted in four of his last five appearances.
Former FC Cincinnati 2 defender Kai Thomas has been a consistent starter in The Core’s backline this season. Thomas has appeared in nine out of 10 matches for Carolina and has started in eight of those appearances. Thomas is second on the team in clearances with 20 and has played the second most minutes among Carolina defenders with 710 minutes.
Roy Lassiter takes charge as Carolina Core FC’s first head coach. Lassiter, who won MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield as a player with D.C. United in 1999, joins the club in his first head coaching role. Lassiter spent the 2023 season with Houston Dynamo 2, helping lead the team to a 12-12-4 record and a trip to the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs in the team’s inaugural season.
