After nearly two whole weeks spent preparing in the Florida sun at IMG Academy, FC Cincinnati packs it up and heads west to California to continue the preseason this Saturday.
Lying in wait for the team is a heavily anticipated match with one of the USL Western Conference's most recognizable teams. And back home in Cincinnati, a heavily anticipated watch party and alternate kit unveiling at MadTree Brewing’s brand-spanking new brewery awaits supporters.
So, what should we expect out of all of this? Read on below to get a full look at the events to come.
WHEN
Saturday, March 4th, 2016, at 8:30pm EDT.
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
OPPOSITION
Playing the role of hosts on Saturday will be Sacramento Republic FC of the USL’s Western Conference. Winners of the 2014 USL Cup in their inaugural season, Sacramento has finished no lower than fourth in all three of their seasons thus far. The club is also wildly popular and paced the league in attendance – until a certain team in Cincinnati came along, that is.
VENUE
Bonney Field in Sacramento, California
DIRECTIONS
FORM
FCC: The Orange & Blue enter the match with what may be a solid look at a potential starting XI for the March 25th opener. As it's preseason, the results thus far are less important than the progress the team made during training and the three matches played at IMG Academy. Pivotal chemistry and tactical headway has been made by Koch’s charges, not to mention bolstered fitness levels. The team also showed glimpses of a diverse attacking prowess – scoring goals from open play, set pieces, headers and distance strikes. At the other end of the pitch, a rotated defense has shown there’s an added depth in 2017.
SRFC: The Republic have also played a trio of friendlies thus far in 2017 – though two others have been cancelled due to recent heavy rains. But just as is the case with FCC, it’s hard to draw many conclusions from preseason results. The first of those was a 5-0 blowout of local fourth division outfit Sacramento Gold FC NPSL. Also like us, their second fixture came against MLS competition, as they dropped a 4-1 result away to the San Jose Earthquakes. Their third match ended a scoreless draw with nearby Sacramento State, a NCAA Division I school.
COACH
"We are looking forward to the game against the Sac Republic and playing in front of their knowledgeable crowd at Bonney Field. They always create a positive environment to play in front of and I have thoroughly enjoyed encounters against them over the last few years.
"The game will be a good gauge of our pre-season preparations and will be a necessary challenge for our team on the road. We hope to take another positive step forward in preparing for the start of the season."
- Head Coach Alan Koch
PLAYERS
FCC: With the regular season kicking off in Charleston three weeks from this Saturday’s friendly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Koch pick a side that is close to his first XI. As such, it wouldn’t be surprising to see winter signing Djiby lead the line against Sacramento. On the scoresheet three times already with two goals and an assist - not to mention having one goal ruled out for an offside - the Senegalese striker seems to have hit the ground running with his new side.
SRFC: Sacramento lost last year’s leading scorer, Cameron Iwasa, to MLS this past offseason, though their next two top scorers – Michal Da Fonte (#3) and Harry Williams (#9) both return. It would also be worth keeping an eye on a pair of Republic midfielders. 2016 USL First Team selection Danny Barrera (#10) paced the team with 9 dimes last year. He’s joined by new signing and MLS veteran Adam Moffat (#16), who has a long-range rocket to go with his string-pulling abilities.
HISTORY
Though the hype ahead of the match makes it feel like the Republic and FCC are longtime rivals, this meeting will actually be the first time the two have squared off.
WEATHER
After years of drought, California’s Central Valley region has been pounded by record levels of precipitation this winter that's caused widespread flooding – including at Bonney Field. And unfortunately, rain is in the forecast this Saturday too. At the time of publication, the kickoff forecast is calling for temperatures around 55° F and showers.
WATCH
As this is preseason, none of our matches prior to the start of the regular season campaign will be on television. However, a stream for the match is available courtesy of Sacramento Republic on their YouTube channel.
That said, if you’re in or near Cincinnati, you should totally join us at MadTree Brewing 2.0 for not only a watch partyin their warehouse space, but also a reveal of our new 2017 third kit!
LISTEN
None of FC Cincinnati's 2017 preseason matches will be available over the radio or via streaming radio.
SOCIAL
As is the case every match, you can follow along with the action on our Twitter feed at @fccincinnati. For live looks from before, during and after the match, follow us on Instagram. Halftime and full time updates will also be available on Facebook.
