BRADENTON, Fla. — FC Cincinnati will play its final IMG Academy preseason friendly Thursday night against D.C. United. With a win or draw, FCC will finish its Floridian preseason stint unbeaten. Previously, Cincinnati drew the Montreal Impact last Wednesday and beat the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.
Following both occasions, FCC Head Coach Alan Koch said he was pleased with the performances and saw progression. At practice on Wednesday morning, he mentioned the session showed the most progress yet, and he’s hoping that’s replicated in the match.
“Today we showed a lot of progression,” Koch said. “Today was the day in training that I was most satisfied with. Hopefully we can carry that into the game tomorrow.
“They looked like they were on the same page. Having said that, it’s one thing to do that in training; it’s another to go out and do it in a game. Hopefully they can gain some confidence from the training session today and they can carry it over.”
As for what to expect against D.C. United, Head Coach Alan Koch said it’s another opportunity to see his team against an MLS opponent before the start of the regular season on March 2. The Orange and Blue have used different formations and lineups in both friendlies.
“The only difference this week is we’ve only got the one exercise this week, so we’ve had a bit longer to prepare for it,” Koch said. “[That’s] a good thing, as we’ve had more training days to get the guys more in synch and get them on the same page.”
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. and the match is free to attend. There won’t be a livestream.
About D.C. United
The club finished fourth in the MLS Eastern Conference last season with 51 points.
Club connections
Forward Darren Mattocks played with D.C. last season before FC Cincinnati selected him with the first pick in the 2018 MLS Expansion Draft.
