It’s Game 5 of the season for your Purple Army as they travel up the Ohio River for a River Cities Cup [Ed.: Dirty River Derby] game. FCC has been rather inconsistent under their new management. Louisville City, meanwhile, looks just as good as they have the last 2 seasons. Let’s dive into the keys to the game.
Cincinnati:
Cincy is coming off a draw with Tampa Bay Rowdies at home. They have been rather solid at in their two home matches, having won and tied, and outscoring opponents 5 to 1. However, their road form has led to them down dropping points at Charleston and Bethlehem.
The first key will be to continue that home dominance. Having a large crowd behind them definitely helps them at home. Having shown their ability to score at home will also be a big boost.
The next key is see is to get Djiby Fall space to operate. This kid is solid up front having taken 19 shots, 11 of which were on target and put 6 in the net. He will need to be the X factor for FCC, especially now that Kadeem Dacres is suspended from this match after picking up a red card midweek.
The third key will be to continue solid defense at home. They will need to show that they can effectively stop one of the top offensive teams in the USL. Those are the keys I see for FCC to get a solid W. They currently are sitting 5th on 7 points with a 2-2-1 record.
Louisville City:
LCFC is coming off a great win against Tampa Bay Rowdies at Slugger Field. City has had a pretty decent record away from home overall, but FCC is a whole new breed of annoying.
The first key to the game will be for our defense to play solid all game. They will need to shutdown Djiby Fall and co. if we want to get a W.
The next key is also defensive, and that is to limit their flank attacking prowess. FCC now loves to play up and down the flanks. We will need to shut the wings down if we want to get a result.
The final key will be to outflank them. The Steel and Battery got results from flanking their defense. Hopefully we can go into Nipple, I mean Nippert Stadium and get a result.
Prediction: 1-1 Draw
Based on how well they perform at home, I do not see Louisville City coming out of here with a W, but maybe a tie. Cincinnati is strong at home, and home field advantage can play a part. However, having gone to Nippert and gotten a result before, maybe City can prove to the USL who top dog is and we get that elusive trophy of USL regular and Cup titles. Anyways let’s all cheer COME ON YOU BOYS IN PURPLE!
