With our home schedule now complete, FCC are set to embark on a four-game road trip to close out the 2017 regular season. And with the race for playoff places as tight as it’s been all season, picking up points in each of these away fixtures will be vital to our chances of taking part in the playoffs at all – or maybe even hosting a match.
Tomorrow, that quest begins when we travel to face one of the opponents we’re battling for those limited playoff places. Get the lowdown on what to expect in the full match preview below.
WHEN
Saturday, September 23, at 8:30pm EASTERN.
AWAY SUPPORTER TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
Saturday’s match will take place in the Central Time Zone, and as such will be taking place an hour earlier than it will be here. Kickoff is at 7:30pm local time in Missouri and Illinois, and at 8:30pm here in Cincinnati and the rest of the Eastern Time Zone.
OPPOSITION
Our hosts tomorrow will be Eastern Conference and Midwestern foes Saint Louis FC.
VENUE
Toyota Stadium, Fenton, Missouri
DIRECTIONS
FORM
FCC: A rocky August has given way to a stabilized September for the Orange & Blue. After closing out last month with a 3-1 home win over Ottawa Fury, FCC haven’t lost since, going 2-0-2. Scrappy come-from-behind draws at home to Pittsburgh and away at Harrisburg have shown the team is starting to find more success when fighting through adversity. And we ended a four-match skid against New York Red Bulls II with a thrilling match at Nippert. Our rise in form has also seen us rise up the table, climbing from as low as 9th to 6th and back into playoff position.
STLFC: Currently sitting in 11th place and out of the playoffs, Saint Louis FC’s current plight isn’t quite as bleak as it seems. Though below the cutoff line, they’re five points back from FCC and just two out of the playoff places. However, Preki’s men have struggled to maintain any consistent form all season. Their 2-0 win last Saturday at home against Orlando City B ended a four-match winless streak and resuscitated their push for the post-season.
PLAYERS
FCC: The process of shaking the New York Red Bulls-shaped monkey off our back last Saturday took several standout performances. The restored center-back pairing of Austin Berry and Harrison Delbridge was productive on both ends of the pitch, with each contributing a goal in addition to some tough defending. But it was midfielders Corben Bone – whose birthday present wasn’t just his second FC Cincinnati goal, but also the birth of his son earlier in the week – and Kenney Walker who stole the show. Walker was particularly dominant, scoring a lovely free kick and adding two assists on the night.
STLFC: Though coming off of a bad run of form, Saint Louis still have maintained an ace up their sleeve in forward Christian Volesky (#9). He’s scored four times in the last month, including in each of their last two matches, and has seven goals on the season. On the plus side, they’ll be without defender Austin Ledbetter after he was shown red in their last match against Orlando.
HISTORY
This will be the fifth meeting all-time between the two sides, and the third of this season. And thus far, FCC have had the upper hand in every single meeting. We won both meetings in 2016 by a 2-1 scoreline, including away. And this season, both previous encounters came at Nippert Stadium and saw us win by a combined 6-0 scoreline – including a 4-goal performance by Djiby in our 2017 home opener.
WEATHER
It’s going to be clear and dry in Saint Louis tomorrow night, but also quite hot. Temperatures at kickoff will likely be in the mid-80’s and will come paired with a decent amount of humidity.
WATCH
his weekend’s match will be broadcast live on CW Cincinnati. Most local providers’ station information can be found below:
Over the Air: Channel 12.2
Cincinnati Bell Fioptics: Channel 17 (SD) or 517 (HD)
Spectrum/TWC (OH): Channel 20/13 (SD) or 989 (HD)
Spectrum/TWC (KY): Channel 20 (SD) or 989 (HD)
DirecTV: Channel 25
DISH: Not Available
Not in the local viewing area? No problem! Every match in the USL is available to stream as well, and this match is available for free on YouTube.
LISTEN
FCC away matches aren’t being aired on local radio in 2017.
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 and Snapchat by following 'fccincinnati', too. Halftime and full time updates will also be available on Facebook.
