Ever have a pesky neighbor who asks to borrow your power tools then never returns them? That’s how I see our opponent this weekend, FC Cincinnati. The upcoming match is a chance to take the lead in the River Cities Cup and climb higher in the table. Let us not waste any more time and jump right into the keys to the game.
FCC:
Cincinnati will need to make a quick turn around after their game against Miami FC. With the Blue and Orange struggling for consistency, we’ve seen them bring it quite a few players during the season to find some answers. Will it work?
FCC currently sits sixth in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 6-6-6. That odd record in league play aside, they have done quite well in the US Open Cup, so I do not think the record reflects what they bring to Slugger.
Their first key is going to be getting the midfield involved more in the attack. Dacres hasn’t been productive for Cincy as he was for Louisville City. The rest of the midfield is average at best, with one standout named Jimmy McLaughlin, who has been suberb for FCC. He will be a key factor in getting their midfield involved into the attack.
Their next key is going to be to play better defense. I say this as they go into the quarterfinals of the Open cup beating two MLS teams on defense, but this is league play and they have been inconsistent there. They are going to need to find a way to stop LouCity at Slugger Field which they have done before in a 0-0 lackluster affair last season. Harrison Delbridge and co. will need to hold the line and not concede possession often in the final third.
The final key I see for Cincinnati is where are the goals going to come from? When Fall is not hitting the target, FCC look weak up front. When Konig comes in the attack changes a bit, however he doesn’t produce like Fall. So FCC need to find that key up front that gives them an edge away from home.
Louisville City:
Louisville City FC is coming off a 1-1 tie with Charleston Battery. They sit just six points behind Charleston Battery with two games in hand. However, Charlotte is just a point behind Louisville with the same number of games played. Get ready for a heated race!
This game against FCC is critical for City’s USL championship hopes. A 1-1 tie with Charleston on the road is a good result, but we need to get all three points against FCC to close the gap as Charleston is likely to win against St Louis. So we need to keep the pressure on them.
The first key to this game is to shutdown Fall and Konig up front. Frustrate them into making a costly mistake that we can capitalize on and get a good counter attack out of and maybe a goal.
The second key is to play superior defense. I am not talking good defense, I am talking the greatest defensive effort we can give!
The Final key I see for LCFC is to get more than one goal. We have got to find an answer to get past the best goalkeeper in the USL and make Harrison Delbridge uncomfortable with the pressure! We need to play high pressure defense all game long if we want this game!
Prediction: Louisville City 2-1 FC Cincinnati
I think LouCity gets this one by a nose. I am predicting a 54% chance we win outright a 32% chance we tie and a 14% chance Cincy pulls an away win. Let’s hope James O’Connor and the team can get us a big win and result here at Slugger Field. If you’re not at the game you better have a great reason to miss this one! COME ON CITY HERE WE GO!
