I am going to keep this review simple. Win and Louisville City get to host Columbus Crew SC at Slugger Field. Cincinnati is coming off a 1-0 extra time victory over AFC Cleveland, and a league win over Toronto FC II. Louisville City picked up a cool 9-0 win over Tartan Devils FC Oak Avalon in Round 2, and then beat Pittsburgh Riverhounds 0-1 in its last time on the field. FCC is still fuming about our last game, and will likely be out for blood this game. City will need to be on top of their game in order to win.

Cincinnati’s Keys to the Game:

Can Cincy get past the last game which saw Djiby Fall suspended for biting Niall McCabe? The loss of Fall cost FCC valuable points in league play as they have gone 2-2-1 since the incident.

Cincinnati’s first key is to feed off their fans’ raw emotions. When you have the crowd behind you, it inspires you to play better. Cincy will need this against a strong Louisville City team which does fairly well US Open Cup.

FCC also needs is to find a way to win against a better team (that’s right I said the Truth!). Overall, Louisville City has been the better team since FCC’s arrival on the USL scene. FCC needs to find away to shut down the LCFC attack if they want to get a result. Shut down the wings and City’s attack will be minimal down the middle. Louisville would have to rely on counter attacks and they don’t have a speedster up front usually. 

LouCity Keys to the Game:

First and foremost is to feed off the FCC fans’ anger. Just like the home team can feed off their support, City can feed off their anger and use it to frustrate the fans and players.

Secondly, dominate possession, score early, and get two or more in the net [Oh, is that all? – Ed.]. Cincinnati has a stronger defense than most teams, but City’s strong attack has gotten through their defense several times and capitalized with goals.

The final key will be playing the defensive game we play. We need to grind out a result. This game has more at stake than normal. This one is for a bigger trophy than the River Cities Cup (which FCC currently holds). 

Prediction: 1-2 in extra time

I see LCFC pulling this out away from home. However, FCC will give it all for 90 minutes so LCFC will need to either put them away early or wait for extra time to seal the deal and take out Columbus for the next round. LET’S GO LCFC!