Fresh off a victory at home over D.C. United, The Orange and Blue play a return game in the nation’s capital on Saturday night and will be looking to keep the positive momentum flowing for the stretch run of the MLS regular season.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV from Audi Field. Ahead of this matchup, here are a few key stories to keep in mind as FC Cincinnati look to earn all three points on the road.

Back-to-Back

FC Cincinnati take on D.C. United again this weekend in a unique scheduling outcome that results in a back-to-back showdown with their Eastern Conference foe. It’s happened only seven times in MLS since 2022, and while it creates a unique scenario, it doesn’t change the mission. Win. 

With only four games left in the regular season, FCC is pushing for a playoff spot. So Head Coach Pat Noonan says the approach to this game is the same as usual: prepare for a tough opponent and find a way to win.

“It’s a new game. We can use this game because they're so close in proximity to help prepare, of course. But it's a new game, and just like we've done these previous games, put the performance and the result aside, we have to move on, and let's use something tonight to help guide us and prepare us,” Noonan explained. “But it's going to be a different game on the road, and we need to be prepared for that.”

In the seven previous back-to-back MLS matchups, three ended with one side winning both games. That includes when FCC defeated Toronto FC in April/May of 2022 in successive matchups.

Win games in 3 areas

FC Cincinnati got a win Wednesday night at home in what Noonan and the team described as not the “prettiest” game, but a grind-it-out performance they needed to earn a result.

In that match, the defense led the way, turning away D.C. United time and time again. There were certainly problems with the way FCC played that the coaching staff is looking to improve upon, but with the rematch scheduled for just three days later, there are some key points they are looking to win the game in again to get all three points again and make it a six-point week. 

“Majority of the game, yeah. I think there were some with-the-ball actions that caused us too much stress early on, especially after the first 15-20 minutes,” Head Coach Pat Noonan said after Wednesday night’s match about improvements they can make. “After a bright start, we started to make some decisions and passes that put us into some tough moments and played to D.C.’s strengths in transition. But where we lacked at times in decision-making, we made up for it with effort and box defending.

“Where do we need to win the game: transition, set pieces and box defending, and I thought we got the set-piece goal on the second one, and defending the box well.”

If FC Cincinnati is able to repeat their success in those key areas again, they will be well on their way to earning three points on the road this weekend in Washington, D.C.

Keep finding ways to win

With four games left in the regular season, The Orange and Blue have no breathing room to feel comfortable in the race for a playoff spot. They enter this weekend's match with 39 points and are three points clear of the cut line in eighth place. If the season ended today, FCC would host the play-in game, but with four games left and only six points separating eighth from 13th place, it is imperative to keep winning and keep stacking points.

“Our reality is our reality, and we need to use an opportunity after two poor results at home to secure three points and feel better about going into these final four games,” Head Coach Pat Noonan said. “So that we accomplished, and we know we got to go turn it around at their place in a couple days, and it's going to be equally as difficult. But for the psyche, for what we needed, even though it's not the position like you said that we want to be in, we were able to win a game that was important for us to get three points.”

A win Saturday would be FCC's third road win this season. But the road tests will soon be over as The Orange and Blue play their final regular-season road match next Wednesday when they travel to Miami. 

With the season coming to an end, taking points on the road in any number is certainly better than not, but with the table so tight, winning is imperative. And the focus there is clear. 

“Keep winning. Yeah, that's what's probably going to help the group to feel good is picking up points. I think everybody understood that it wasn't our best performance, but it was important points and so that's just kind of the reality of what the game looked like and how do you adapt and know how to win in a way that isn't always pretty, or brings some chaos to it,” Noonan said before the team departed for D.C. on Friday morning. “That's something I'm pleased with the group that started and the guys that came on was the importance of duels and being connected because of those duels and knockdowns in the second phase of plays. Because if you don't, if you don't get those plays right, they're very good at attacking with speed and attacking with numbers and getting the ball in the box.”

FC Cincinnati kick off against D.C. United on Saturday night at Audi Field, with action starting at 7:30 p.m. For more information on streaming and radio broadcast information, click here.