FC Cincinnati (23-3-8, 77 pts.) returns to Nippert Stadium this Saturday for an Eastern Conference Semifinal against New York Red Bulls II (13-8-13, 52 pts.). The top-seeded Orange and Blue will host fifth-seeded New York Red Bulls II for the two sides’ third overall meeting of 2018. The game is set for 4 p.m. and will be televised on WSTR 64, carried live on The Project 100.7/106.3 and also streamed live on ESPN+.
After playing Nashville SC to a 1-1 draw in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal after 120 minutes of play, The Orange and Blue advanced on penalties, 6-5. The advancement marked FC Cincinnati’s first time advancing past the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal round in its three years in the USL.
New York Red Bulls II defeated the Charleston Battery, 1-0, in regulation to advance. New York has qualified for the Eastern Conference Semifinal round in each of its four years in the USL, and is looking to advance to the Eastern Conference Championship for a third consecutive year.
The two sides finished the USL regular season as the league’s highest scoring teams. The Orange and Blue led the USL with 72 goals over the course of the regular season, while New York finished tied for second with 71 goals on the year.
While Cincinnati’s Eastern Conference Quarterfinal match was more of a defensive struggle, that might not be the case on Saturday evening. From the New York Red Bulls Academy up to the MLS team, New York plays a high press against its opposition, and its USL side is no different. FC Cincinnati Head Coach Alan Koch discussed how the Orange and Blue can modify training sessions to prepare for an opponent that plays in a distinct way.
“We can control [our preparation] through the number of players that are on the pitch for an activity, you can control it through the size, you can control it through the time that you allow certain things to happen in that activity,” Koch said. “So, there’s a lot of different variables that we control to really try to simulate exactly what the game is going to be like on Saturday.”
FC Cincinnati defender Paddy Barrett – who scored his lone goal of the season against New York Red Bulls II – emphasized the importance of being able to break the press for the Orange and Blue to be able to dictate the match.
“They are a lot of young lads that are full of energy, they’re a tough team to play against because of the way they play,” Barrett said. “They high press and in numbers as well, but once we play through that and stay calm under pressure, we can kind of play our own game from there, but we do know from the last two times that they gave us difficult games.”
Cincinnati and New York have never met outside of USL regular-season play and have split the six all-time meetings, with each side winning three matches. New York claimed victories in the first three matches of the all-time series, while Cincinnati has won each of the last three meetings – including both regular-season matches this year. FCC’s 2-1 win against New York Red Bulls II on June 2 at Red Bull Arena marked the beginning of the Orange and Blue’s 25-match unbeaten streak across all competitions (17-0-8).
Should FC Cincinnati advance, it would host the Eastern Conference Championship against the winner of the matchup between the second-seeded Louisville City FC and the sixth-seeded Behlehem Steel FC. That match would be scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2 at Nippert Stadium.
For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. For more information about FC Cincinnati tickets, call 513-977-KICK (5425) or visit fccincinnati.com/tickets.
