FC Cincinnati return to TQL Stadium this weekend for an Eastern Conference clash against Charlotte FC, looking for redemption after their last two matches ended in defeat. Similarly, after their home match was postponed last weekend because of extreme weather, The Orange and Blue will be desperate for a taste of home-field advantage and support from their fans after back-to-back road matches.
The matchup against Charlotte FC gets underway on Apple TV at 7:30 p.m. Ahead of that, let’s look at a few key factors for success that The Orange and Blue will need to come out on top in this Saturday night battle.
Redemption
FC Cincinnati are motivated as ever to earn a positive result on Saturday night. A home match provides enough reason to get up and fight for a victory as it is. Still, given how the last two FC Cincinnati matches have gone, with The Orange and Blue losing back-to-back road matches and being outscored nine to nothing in that stretch, the desire for redemption is as strong as ever.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves, that (won’t) do us any good…we lost tonight, and yea it hurts the way we did, but there's no time to feel sorry for ourselves. We need to come together and improve,” Evander said postgame on Wednesday as the team looked towards the future. “We have to try to do the best we can to get better for Saturday…we need to turn it around and switch our minds to the next game.”
Next Man Up
The ramifications of Wednesday’s loss to Philadelphia went beyond the three points up for grabs that night, with The Orange and Blue losing two key contributors to the lineup for Saturday’s game due to disciplinary issues.
First, midfielder Obinna Nwobodo was suspended for the match against Charlotte FC after being assessed a red card after a VAR check in the 15’, which carries an automatic one-game suspension on top of the dismissal from the match. Evander was then shown a yellow card about 20 minutes later. While he was allowed to play on because it was his fifth booking of the season, the Brazilian attacking midfielder was suspended for his next game due to yellow card accumulation.
All of this means FCC will be without those two players against Charlotte, so other players will need to step up and play in their place on Saturday night to earn a result.
"Yeah, we lose two key pieces obviously,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Wednesday night. “We'll have guys that are ready, but of course, when you take two out of the mix that, I think for any team, could affect the group. But we'll see what that means for us because we have guys that can fill in those roles and can help us perform and win.”
Discipline
Wednesday night in Philadelphia was another example of FC Cincinnati being held accountable for a lack of discipline and, ultimately, being dispatched because of their own actions. By taking a red card in the 15’, FCC played behind the eight ball and was limited in their ability to chase the game.
“Yeah, another instance where we can't get out of our own way with discipline in how the game looks,” Noonan said Wednesday night. “So, bad night, and we'll see how we respond from this."
The red card to Nwobodo on Wednesday was FC Cincinnati’s league-leading sixth dismissal of the year, two more than the next closest side and as many as more than 19 teams in the league combined so far. With six, it means that The Orange and Blue have played more than a quarter of their games this season down a man.
‘Discipline’ does not only mean not taking red cards, it also means how the team responds to any sort of challenging situation. Sure, a red card makes it harder to win a game, and one lapse in a 90-minute match can swing momentum quickly. But a 5-0 loss is not the natural outcome after an early red card; it displays a lack of discipline that, if FC Cincinnati want to win matches, they need to show more of.
“You can always take things from matches, because it's the circumstances, how do you defend down a man for 75 minutes? That's something you can take away from it,” Noonan added Wednesday postgame. “How do guys respond when things don't go your way, our way? So you watch how they play the game, you watch how they come together, and what kind of energy and belief they have. You look for those things."
“The mentality could be a lot better,” the head coach continued. “Our last two performances show that, so I don't put it on just players. This is a collective concern.”
So while discipline is a more holistic conversation FC Cincinnati need to have with themselves, to start, The Orange and Blue are going to be much better poised to earn a victory with eleven people on the field.
FC Cincinnati kicks off with Charlotte at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at TQL Stadium. For more information on how to watch, or for matchday information at TQL Stadium all season, click here.
