Join us for our brand-new series Art of Soccer! Art of Soccer highlights unique individuals who are blending their love of the game with their creative outlets.  Cheyenne quit her full-time job in Washington DC to travel around in a 94 Toyota Hiace to experience soccer across North America.

Between Clean Sheets: Instagram | X | YouTube

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The waiting ends at 10 PM EST on Wednesday. You’ve done the holidays, you’ve braved record-setting blizzards and stocked up on food and beverages. You might have accumulated as many questions about the upcoming season as inches of snow on your driveway. What you’re now reading is the first competition preview from Cincinnati Soccer Talk for 2025. And it’s also the first article I’ve written in my new position as a contributing writer for CST. I’m honored and brimming with excitement. In simply creating this content, I’ve sensed how much I’m going to learn about writing, about FC Cincinnati, about the global world of futbol, and our community. I would be remiss if I didn’t express my deepest gratitude to CST and you. Grab your courage and your love of this team and this game. Ready? Let’s begin.

THE OPPOSITION

FC Cincinnati travels from Florida, through a lush rainforest filled with jaguars and macaws into a valley surrounded by mountains, to Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés in Tegucigalpa. They face one of the most successful clubs in Honduran football history, FC Motagua (mo-TAH-guaaaaaaah), dubbed Ciclón Azul (Blue Cyclone). This is the first in a two-leg competition, each game played in respective home stadiums.

Founded in 1928, Motagua has a long history and has participated in CONCACAF since 1969. They completed 2024 by winning their Liga Nacional over Olimpia, who they faced Sunday during their seventh contest of the year.  Motagua is formidable, and with a season-opening victory over Real Sociedad, 3-0, picked up right where they left off last season. They qualified for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament after winning their Play-In series vs. CD Águila in the 2024 CONCACAF Central American Cup.

Coach Diego Vásquez, a former goalkeeper who once played many seasons for Motagua and saved the penalty that gave them a national championship, also holds their league record for coaching over 300 consecutive games.

Motagua Season Record

THE EAGLES TO WATCH

Motagua have had their forward power decimated in recent weeks.  The man who would have been the eagle to watch was Argentine forward Agustín Auzmendi, a 27-year-old who started as a youth with Acassuso before working his way through to Motagua. He departed for Godoy Cruz of the Argentine Super League, leaving his younger brother, Rodrigo Auzmendi, behind.  Rodrigo, a 24-year-old standing at 6’3”, is no slouch, scoring 12 goals in 24 matches last season. He plays an aggressive game and can rack up yellow cards quickly. He scored a hat-trick on February 6th over UPNFM, and another goal against Juticalpa on the 12th, assuring the Motagua faithful that the Auzmendi name still means goals and victory. Although likely available Wednesday, Rodrigo may soon face disciplinary action and possibly lose his position with his team following an incident on Sunday where he spit on an opposing player during their loss to Olimpia.

In addition, Motagua has made a compelling recent acquisition of striker, Diego Iván Ledesma. Ledesma, a 6-foot, 31-year-old veteran, arrives from Tecnico Universitario, to make up for the other recently departed Rubilio Castillo, who left and signed with Deportivo Pereira. Ledesma already contributed two late goals in their 3-0 victory over Juticalpa.

WHO ARE WE?

Ever wake up during your school years and realize you hadn’t quite completed that big science project due that morning? It feels like we’re finishing this team project just in time, especially with the signing of Evander, just before wheels up to Honduras. The MLS home opener is Saturday against the NY Red Bulls. With three games in eight days, it will certainly be interesting to see how Noonan plays the first of this two-game series and how the team will handle the wildly varying climate conditions.

We come off a frustrating but well-fought final pre-season match with a 2-2 draw against Atlanta. Kubo, Bucha, and Nwobodo all received cards in just the first half. That Atlanta scored a PK in the 91st minute might leave a bad taste in our mouths. We need to be sharp at the start of this next contest.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The “expect the unexpected” mantra has proven accurate since the season’s outset, particularly concerning player transactions, and this opening game is no exception. We should anticipate a starting lineup similar to the pre-season Atlanta match against Motagua, with Anunga and Mboma Dem as likely substitutes. Evander’s participation remains uncertain, possibly contingent on a comfortable lead.

For the first game that counts, taking a six hour plane trip into the rainforest to a stadium at 3,248 feet above sea level (Denver is 5,280), and playing a team that, despite recent shakeups, is still championship caliber and well into their league season  at 10 PM sounds like the opening premise to a new installment of the Mission: Impossible series. Why not blindfolded?

Look for our returning midfielders, Bucha, Kubo, and Nwobodo to continue to scrap and thread forward to Denkey. We should expect a decent performance from our stalwart defense as well. Which means we are right back where we were at the end of last season: wondering, can we score?

Where to watch:

You can watch this match Wednesday night at 10pm EST on FS2 for english or ViX ($5 a month app) for spanish.

The post FC Cincinnati kicks off 2025 with a CCC match versus FC Motagua appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Today I have the pleasure of speaking to Lauren Donovan. Lauren grew up in Loveland, OH. She came up in the Cincinnati United Premier Soccer Club, Cincinnati Development Academy and Ohio Premier Soccer Club. Lauren played for Loveland High School where she won districts in 2019 and was honored as a first team All-Ohio player and Cincinnati Enquirer co-player of the year in 2020. Lauren started her collegiate career at the University of Minnesota before transferring to the University of Florida. Lauren recently signed with FC Slovacko of the Czech Women’s First League.

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Graphic: Brandon Wolf

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Each week, yours truly is going to look at matchups throughout Major League Soccer as well as the different gambling markets to see where we can get a leg up on the sportsbooks. I’ll likely take a look at two to three matchups from the weekend where I think there’s value in the market and offer up some analysis on why I’m betting the way I am. Yes, I’m going to be placing bets on these matchups each week so this little exercise will be a fun way to keep track of how I do all season.

Full disclaimer, I’m very new to the sports gambling world, having just started in 2023 when it finally became legal in Ohio. We’re not going to win every game, we’re not going to lose every game (man, I really hope not). There will be ups and downs as there are with any type of sport you are wagering on. The point of this is to learn a little about the world of sports gambling. So let’s have some fun and by the end of the season hope we’re up instead of down.

From an educational standpoint, you’re going to see some terms that you may not be familiar with. For starters, you’re going to see me telling you how many units I’m betting instead of a dollar amount. Why is this? Well, frankly, my gambling budget may not be as high as say Boston “Moneybags” Brazzell’s might be. Everyone’s unit is going to be a different size (insert any “That’s What She Said” meme here). So, telling you how many units I’m betting is a way of standardizing this for you. A unit is TYPICALLY one percent of your bankroll. For example, if you have a $250 bankroll, a $2.50 bet is what’s recommended.

Another disclaimer I’d like to offer is that the first few weeks of the season are going to be spent learning about who these teams are. Right now, we’re flying a bit blind, especially considering we’ve seen zero preseason games and have no game data. So if we get off to a sluggish start, don’t worry. Once we can analyze the data in a few weeks, we’ll have better betting insights.

If you want to partake and wager along with me, fantastic! If not, that’s ok too. Maybe you only want to bet on FCC. Each week I’ll be sure to include a breakdown of their matchup even though I may not personally bet on it.

ODDS: +100 means that a $100 bet will pay out $200.
NOTE: Odds listed below are subject to change.

FC CINCINNATI VS TORONTO FC

FC Cincinnati WIN: -275 (Draftkings, a $10 bet wins you a $13.63 payout)
DRAW: +400 (DraftKings, a $10 bet wins you a $50.00 payout)
Toronto FC WIN: +700 (FanDuel, Caesars a $10 bet wins you a $80 payout)

Need we say more here? Toronto FC is coming off an absolutely terrible season and, well, FCC is the reigning Supporters Shield champs. Toronto FC enters the season with a new coach in former Canada Men’s and Women’s National Team coach John Herdman. Herdman led Canada to a first-place finish in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying heading into Qatar 2022. However, this is his first foray into MLS, and let’s face it, Toronto FC’s roster is just not that good.

On the flip side, FCC is coming off a hard-fought win in its first-ever appearance in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Thursday night. The team will have a late flight in from Jamaica and a short turnaround till kickoff on Sunday. They’ll be without 2023 MLS Defender of the Year Matt Miazga, who will be serving the final game of his suspension stemming from last season. The starting center backs may just be Miles Robinson, Ian Murphy and Kipp Keller. They’re also going to be without fan favorite Alvaro Barreal, who looks to be leaving the club on loan. One positive note though is DP striker Aaron Boupendza will be available and very fresh after not making the trip to Jamaica this week.

NOTE: Due to the lines being so high, and I do think Cincy’s going to win this game, I will pass on betting this one since the return will be so low.

AUSTIN FC vs MINNESOTA UNITED

Austin FC WIN: EVEN/+100 (Caesars, a $10 bet wins you a $20.00 payout)
DRAW: +280 (FanDuel, a $10 bet wins you a $38 payout)
Minnesota United WIN: +245 (DraftKings, a $10 bet wins you a $34.50 payout)

This matchup and these lines really jumped out at me when doing my research. It wasn’t that long ago that Austin FC nearly reached an MLS Cup final. Yes, they had a down year, and there are starting to be some question marks about the coaching staff.

However, Minnesota heads into this game without having a preseason with their rumored new coach, which as of now has still not been announced by Minnesota United. That cannot be good for a team heading into the first game of the season.

Austin stumbled out of the gate last year when we all thought they’d cruise to a win over expansion side St. Louis CITY FC in week one. Let’s hope they don’t do it again this year against Minnesota.

PICK: Austin FC +100 for one unit

DC UNITED vs NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

DC United WIN: -105 (Caesars, DraftKings a $10 bet wins you a $19.52 payout)
DRAW: +270 (Caesars, a $10 bet wins you a $37 payout)
New England WIN: +270 (FanDuel, a $10 bet wins you a $37 payout)

At first glance, before looking at the odds, I thought to myself this should be an easy win for New England. DC United finished the 2023 season in 12th place in the East and New England still has some really talented pieces. Both teams are coming into the season with new coaches as well.

So I’m left here scratching my head as to why DC United is a favorite in this matchup. DC United did bring in some new attacking pieces, but taking a look at their preseason results, it’s hard to measure how good DC will be.

The same can be said for Caleb Porter and the Revs. They went winless this preseason. Does it mean anything? Probably not. Porter’s won two MLS Cups with two different clubs. It pains me to say that he kind of knows what he’s doing. Can the Revs get off to a good start on the road in the nation’s capital? I think so.

PICK: New England Revolution +270 for one unit.

St. Louis CITY SC vs REAL SALT LAKE

Saint Louis WIN: +115 (Caesars, a $10 bet wins you a $21.50 payout)
DRAW: +265 (DraftKings, a $10 bet wins you a $36.50 payout)
Real Salt Lake WIN: +225 (DraftKings, a $10 bet wins you a $32.50 payout)

I think St. Louis blew away our expectations a year ago. They got off to a heater to start 2023 and ultimately earned the West’s top seed. However, they flamed out hard in the postseason. They’ve also lost some pieces from last year’s roster. Will they return to form? Or will they be 2024’s Austin FC from a season ago?

When looking at this matchup, both teams beat each other a year ago and both teams won on the road. St. Louis with a 4-0 win at Rio Tinto (or whatever they call it these days) and RSL with a 3-1 in St. Louis.

RSL will be coming into this match after losing 2-0 in their season opener Wednesday night in Miami. That was Salt Lake’s first loss in a season opener since 2009. St. Louis also made their CONCACAF Champions Cup debut Tuesday night with a 2-1 win over Houston. However, one of those goals was an absolute gift. Both teams will have a short turnaround heading into Saturday night’s match. Give me the road team on Saturday.

PICK: Real Salt Lake +220 for one unit

Those three games will be my official plays for the weekend. As for some other matches I may also be wagering on, Houston vs Sporting KC piques my interest. I think I’m leaning on Sporting KC since Houston played midweek and didn’t look all that great, which is great for me since I thought they could be a sleeper team in 2024. We’ll keep track of how things go and, hopefully, we have a great first week of the 2024 MLS season! Good luck out there!

Disclaimer: The handicapping and odds information (both sports and entertainment) found on CincinnatiSoccerTalk.com is strictly for entertainment purposes. Furthermore, the unique odds shown in select news articles are also for the purposes of entertainment and are not available to be wagered on via CincinnatiSoccerTalk.com. We are not a sportsbook and do not take any wagers. We do not endorse illegal online gambling. Please check the online gambling regulations in your jurisdiction before placing any wagers with the betting sites advertised on CincinnatiSoccerTalk.com. CincinnatiSoccerTalk.com does not target any individuals under the age of 21 for the purposes of gambling. Using any of the information found at CincinnatiSoccerTalk.com to violate any law or statute is prohibited. CincinnatiSoccerTalk.com is not supported by any professional, college or university league, association, or team or endorsed by any Public Gambling Platform. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966. It is available 24/7.

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In typical Red Bull fashion, the match started off with a heavy press from New York. The physical nature of the match gave FCC’s defense struggles throughout the first half. It also had an effect on FC Cincinnati’s ability to move the ball forward. FCC had 170 accurate passes in the first but only 39 of them came in the opposition’s half of the field. The physical nature of the match also resulted in an early departure for forward Dominique Badji in the 34th minute. Pat Noonan opened his postgame with these comments about the first half: 

“I thought the first 45 obviously, a very intense 45 minutes, not a ton of rhythm with just the amount of fouls,” Noonan said. “And, you know, we have a good look to get the lead on a set piece, didn’t convert, and then you go into the break, wondering how you’re down a goal, and we got punished for the mistake we made right before halftime.”

The goal Noonan alluded to came in the 45th minute when a hasty clearance by Obinna Nwobodo found Frankie Amaya at the top of the box. Amaya delivered a first touch shot low forcing a block from Yerson Mosquera. The rebound ended up at the feet of Tom Barlow who just squeaked the ball through Roman Celentano’s legs. The Red Bulls carried that 1-0 advantage into the halftime break.

The match’s physicality continued in the start of the second half. A very poor tackle attempt in the 53rd minute by Andres Reyes upended Santiago Arias, leaving both players on the ground. The appalling challenge forced match official Victor Rivas to stop a clear advantage for the Orange and Blue as Brandon Vazquez was in a breakaway to the Red Bull goal.

Around the 60th minute, FCC was able to flip a switch offensively. Aaron Boupendza, who had come on for Badji, made a terrific run off a stolen possession in the midfield. It required everything Dylan Nealis had to track back and block Boupendza’s attempt. In the 68th minute, Boupendza would be on the receiving end of an Álvaro Barreal service into the box which he headed just wide of the top right corner.

Boupendza wasn’t done making his impact felt though. In the 76th minute, a poor set piece by Reyes led to an FCC break the other way. After receiving a pass from Boupendza, Luciano Acosta flew down the pitch and found Boupendza at the top of the box with the ball. Perhaps learning from the blocked attempt earlier, Boupendza shortened his run and fired a shot across Carlos Coronel into the back of the net at the far post.

After another series of cards, substitutions, and a red card for Red Bull’s head coach Troy Lesesne, FCC had one final attempt to settle the match in regulation. An Acosta corner attempt found its way on frame. The ball went into the net and FCC players erupted in celebration on what appeared to be a walk-off game-winner. After some confusion, it was established that a foul on Sergio Santos had been called rather than a goal given. Santos was shielding off Coronel and likely pushed a little too far with the slight hook around Coronel’s waist.

The whistle sounded and the result of the match would be decided by penalty kick shoot out. The first two rounds saw successful attempts by both sides. Arias stepped forward but his shot didn’t have much pace and was too close to Coronel, resulting in a simple save by the Red Bull’s goalkeeper. With another series of successful attempts, John Tolkin stepped to the spot giving the face of the New York Red Bulls a chance to force a game three at TQL Stadium. However, Tolkin’s shot dinged off the right post and FCC had another chance.

Matt Miazga was the next FCC player to step to the spot. While he did well to dispatch the attempt, Miazga was assessed another yellow card after a prolonged gesture towards the Red Bull supporter section. That was Miazga’s third yellow card in the playoffs and will be suspended for the next match. Pat Noonan was visibly frustrated with Miazga in the post-game press conference.

“Matt knows better,” Noonan also said. “We shouldn’t be missing him for the next round, as simple as that.”

Another couple of successful PK attempts went by and Mosquera stepped to the spot. Mosquera’s shot was saved by Coronel with an excellent diving attempt and the Red Bulls had another chance to finish the match with Serge Ngoma stepping forward. However, Ngoma’s shot went well above frame keeping the Orange and Blue alive. Junior Moreno stepped up and coolly buried his attempt in the corner of the goal. As the pressure was mounting, Reyes stepped forward for New York. Celentano read Reyes well and blocked the 10th penalty shot to send FCC to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

FC Cincinnati awaits the best of three winner between the Philadelphia Union and the New England Revolution. The second game of that series will be played Wednesday night at 8PM in Foxborough, MA. The Union currently hold a one game advantage after a 3-1 home win this past Saturday.

CIN: Roman Celentano, Álvaro Barreal, Ian Murphy (Sergio Santos 90’+7), Matt Miazga, Yerson Mosquera, Santiago Arias, Obinna Nwobodo (Yuya Kubo 69’), Junior Moreno, Luciano Acosta (C), Dominique Badji (Aaron Boupendza 34’), Brandon Vazquez

Substitutes not used: Alec Kann, Marco Angulo, Malik Pinto, Ray Gaddis, Bret Halsey, Gerardo Valenzuela

RBNY: Carlos Coronel, Ándres Reyes, Kyle Duncan (Cameron Harper 90’+2), Dylan Nealis, Sean Nealis (C), John Tolkin, Frankie Amaya, Daniel Edelman (Peter Stroud 85’), Elias Manoel, Tom Barlow (Serge Ngoma 85’), Luquinhas (Omir Fernandez 90’+2)

Substitutes not used: Ryan Meara, Matthew Nocita, Jorge Cabezas, Dru Yearwood, Wikelman Carmona

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Santiago Arias (Yellow Card) 34’
RBNY – Tom Barlow (Yellow Card) 41’
CIN – Yerson Mosquera (Yellow Card) 75’
CIN – Matt Miazga (Yellow Card) 90’+9
CIN – Matt Miazga (Yellow Card) PK Shootout

PENALTY SHOOTOUT SUMMARY (KICK TAKEN)
CIN: Luciano Acosta (1) – Good
Yuya Kubo (3) – Good
Santiago Arias (5) – Saved
Brandon Vazquez (7) – Good
Álvaro Barreal (9) – Good
Matt Miazga (11) – Good
Aaron Boupendza (13) – Good
Sergio Santos (15) – Good
Yerson Mosquera (17) – Saved
Junior Moreno (19) – Good

RBNY: Omir Fernandez (2) – Good
Frankie Amaya (4) – Good
Sean Nealis (6) – Good
Cameron Harper (8) – Good
John Tolkin (10) – Missed
Dylan Nealis (12) – Good
Elias Manoel (14) – Good
Peter Stroud (16) – Good
Serge Ngoma (18) – Missed
Andrés Reyes (20) – Saved

Next Match:
MLS Eastern Conference Semi-Final: Philadelphia Union or New England Revolution; TBD (November 25th- November 27th) Apple TV+

The post FC Cincinnati advances with dramatic victory over New York Red Bulls appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

This week Coach Gough breaks down FC Cincinnati’s 2-1 win over DC United. What impact did Alvas Powell’s introduction to the starting lineup have? Is the Nwobodo/Moreno midfield pairing sustainable?

Coach also asks what to do without Brenner, talks Álvaro Barreal, and gets to your questions in the mailbag

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Coach is @FCCincyTacTalk and Justin is @JustinHoyte32

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March 2 Matchday is now Jersey Swap!

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For some perspective, the Williams’ Company Directory of Cincinnati of that year reports that the city is currently constructing the Cincinnati Southern Railway, of which it is immensely proud. Also noted is that the population sits at around 600,000 people. Today it is at about 2.3 million. Elsewhere in 1909, Cincinnati’s own William Howard Taft was inaugurated as the 27th president of the United States. In the sports world, Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner were the superstars, as they dominated the diamond. In Cincinnati, the Reds played a rather mediocre season. The team, led by manager Clark Griffith, finished with a record of 77-76, good for fourth in the National League.

Amidst all of this came the Pilgrims of England, an amateur club making their second tour of the United States. First reports of soccer in Cincinnati date back to the late 1800s as the Cincinnati Soccer League (CSL) played its first season. The game was brought to the city by Irish and German immigrants and quickly grew in popularity. In fact, Cincinnati is credited as one of the first cities to popularize soccer, although not as intense as in places like New Jersey and St. Louis.

Frequent coverage by the Cincinnati Enquirer promoted the drama and fanfare of the highly exciting games. The CSL featured perennial contenders such as the Potter-Thistles, the Cincinnati Gyms and the Fourth Intermediate Alumni (F.I.A.). Aside from these mainstays, a rotating basis of teams composed of police, firefighters, American Legion members and other groups within the city came and went. The excitement and popularity of the CSL gained national and international attention, even in 1909. Enter the Pilgrims of England.

The Pilgrims, by today’s accounts, were a group of amateur players from England keen on teaching the Yanks a lesson or two about how football was to be played. The goal of their American trips was to promote and enhance the sport in the United States, and thus they only chose to attend cities with an already healthy soccer culture. Their first American tour, in which they played 17 games, resulted in a 14-2-1 record with 95 goals for and 16 goals against. It was quite the dominant performance.

When it was announced that they would be making a second tour of America in 1909, Cincinnati was included on that list. This was a high honor for the city as it meant it was one of the most prominent destinations of the growing sport that had only recently been introduced to America. As a stop on the 22-game slate, Cincinnati put together an all-star team of soccer players from the CSL. However, they wanted this experience to be truly unique, fueling anticipation about the prospects of something never before seen in soccer.

The game was first announced in the June 27th edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer and the grand surprise was officially unveiled. The game was to be played at night, under the glow of the newly invented electric lights. This was practically unheard of in this era. In fact, the first official baseball night game didn’t happen for another 26 years, when the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on May 24, 1935, at Crosley Field. The Pilgrims game against the Cincinnati All-Stars was one of the first tests for this type of lighting system for a sporting event. It was safe to say that excitement was already building.

By September, a date and location had been announced for the contest. The date for the Pilgrims and the Cincinnati All-Stars was to be October 14th at League Park, better known later as Palace of the Fans and the home of the Cincinnati Reds from 1884 to 1911. The former site of League Park is interestingly just under a mile from the present-day home of soccer in Cincinnati, TQL Stadium, sat in an industrial area just north of Union Terminal.

In preparation for the game, the Cincinnati man known as “Manager Sachs,” coach of the CSL team known as the Nationals, sent a member of his team named G. Waterman to scout the Pilgrims in the East before they arrived in Cincinnati. Waterman reported back that the Pilgrims were elite competition, unbeaten in their first nine games. The Pilgrims began to be promoted among Cincinnati newspaper circles as the “Champions of England.” This was rather comedic considering we know today that the Pilgrims were not champions of anything. They were simply an amateur team formed with the sole purpose of touring America and beating the snot out of anyone deemed worthy of hosting them.

That being said, the talent of the Pilgrims was undeniable. Their players made careers out of playing for the top clubs in England such as Sunderland, Arsenal, Fulham and Southampton in an age when professionalism was first introduced to English soccer. Their arrival in Cincinnati was a massive milestone for the city’s growing interest in soccer and I assure you that the Cincinnatians taking the field wanted nothing more than to beat what they thought to be the champions of England.

On September 26th, a full column devoted to the game ran in the Enquirer. Finally, we got the first word of the English team that would play in Cincinnati in only a few short days. The lineup was loaded with star power, and read as follows:

Goalkeeper: H.M. Lemoine

Club: Woolwich-Arsenal

Notable Fact: Featured in an international competition against Wales. “One of the finest custodians in all England.”

Right Full Back: Frederick M. Milnes (captain)

Club: Sheffield United

Notable Fact: “Is said to have received more medals for football than any other player in the world.” Rumored to be a millionaire.

Left Full Back: J.J. Bayley

Club: Clopton

Notable Fact: Won three cup medals. Stood at 6’ 5.”

Right Half Back: W.O. Clemenson

Club: Darlington Newcastle United

Notable Fact: House furnished by trade.

Center Half Back: H.C. Littlewort

Club: Fulham

Notable Fact: Also a great cricket player.

Left Half Back: George Simon

Club: Nottingham

Notable Fact: Exceled in the engineering and machinery business.

Outside Right: H.J. Eastwood

Club: Clopton

Notable Fact: Won the English Cup the previous year and one of the most promising players in all of England.

Inside Right: E.J. Cotton

Club: Woolwich-Arsenal

Notable Fact: The only Irish player on the team.

Center Forward: G.R. Hoare

Club: Woolwich-Arsenal

Notable Fact: A sculptor by trade.

Center Forward: J. Brown Sim

Club: Sheffield United

Notable Fact: A surgeon at the Sheffield Royal Hospital.

Inside Left: T.T. Fitchie

Club: Woolwich-Arsenal

Notable Fact: The star of the team and said to be the greatest player in all of England.

Outside Left: C. Coopland

Club: Glossop

Notable Fact: A schoolmaster in Sheffield during the offseason.

Outside Left: William Davidson

Club: Falkirk

Notable Fact: An accountant by profession.

It was clear that the talent of the Pilgrim team was not to be questioned. The article concluded with a schedule of Pilgrim games, featuring Cincinnati. The article claimed that this would be the first football game played at night under electric lights in the history of the sport.

As the date of the fateful game approached, the Pilgrims continued to roll through their opponents with no remorse. By the time they reached Cincinnati, they had scored 49 goals while only conceding one in six matches. On October 8th, the lineup representing Cincinnati was announced. The club did not possess the well-known names of the Pilgrims, instead featuring players from clubs such as “The Y.M.C.A.’s,” “The Ashland, Ky.’s,” “The Thistles” and “The Nationals.” The team planned to sport a fashionable kit of black shirts with white shorts to counter the Pilgrims’ white shirts and black pants.

At last, the day of the fabled contest arrived. The Pilgrims, arriving in town the previous night, decided to add a little extra importance to the game. They offered all members of the Cincinnati team a free trip to England if they could beat them when the two sides squared off at 8 p.m. the following night. Moments before the game, Cincinnati player Jim Brown was chosen to be the referee. He gave up his spot in the starting lineup to a bench player to perform this duty.

It seems to me that, in this case, the Cincinnati strategy should have been to choose the best Pilgrim player to be the referee, nullifying their ability from the opposition. Nevertheless, a large crowd was expected for the game and more seating had to be opened to accommodate all of the fans. The kickoff was approaching and everyone held their breath to see how the Cincinnati All-Stars would perform against this giant of English soccer.

This is the part where you expect me to say that the Cincinnatians defeated the English in one of the greatest sporting upsets of all time. They took their victory trip to England and lived happily ever after. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The Cincinnati team fell 9-0 that night in front of several thousand fans. However, life isn’t always about the winning score, and in many ways, there were plentiful other victories to be taken from this match.

For starters, the Pilgrims accomplished their goal of spreading soccer throughout America. In Cincinnati alone, multiple articles ran explaining the excitement that the sport brought and theorized that it could one day stand alongside baseball in popularity. The Pilgrims finished their 1909 tour of America with a 16-4-2 record, allowing only 13 goals while scoring 123. The Cincinnati team was by no means their largest victory as they went on to beat teams by scores of 12-0 and 14-0.

For Cincinnati, the victories were monumental. Several thousand fans turned out for what ended up being one of the largest Cincinnati sporting events of the time. The electric lighting system worked flawlessly and was to the approval of the English, who had never seen anything like it. The model system was used to improve lit sporting events leading up to the modern systems that we have today.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the unification of Germans, Irish, English and others, all different backgrounds, all joined together as Cincinnatians to take on a near-unbeatable foe. The Cincinnati team that took the field against the Pilgrims on that pristine October night showed the city and the nation what soccer in America could be. They showed the passion and support of the sport. More importantly, at a field just a mile away from the current home of soccer in Cincinnati, they brought the sport to our city. We owe a lot to the 11 men that took the field that day. Without them, who knows if just over a hundred years later we’d be under a mile away celebrating our beloved team.

The post The Pilgrims Set Sail for Cincinnati: Invention and Passion in the Early Years of Soccer in America appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

On this week’s show Coach and Justin break down the key tactics of FC Cincinnati’s 1-0 loss at home to Inter Miami.

The guys talk about Stam’s 3-5-2, the decision to play Isaac Atanga and Alvaro Barreal as wingbacks, and why the final goal might not have been Calvin Hariss’s fault.

Then, as always, they get to your questions in the mailbag!

Support CST!

Want to help support Cincinnati Soccer Talk? Want to become an episode captain? Become a supporter today!

Subscribe to Cincinnati Soccer Talk

Don’t forget you can now download and subscribe to Cincinnati Soccer Talk on iTunes today! The podcast can also be found on Stitcher Smart Radio now. We’re also available in the Google Play Store and NOW ON SPOTIFY!

As always we’d love your feedback about our podcast! You can email the show at feedback@cincinnatisoccertalk.com. We’d love for you to join us on our Facebook page as well! Like us at Facebook.com/CincinnatiSoccerTalk.

The show’s RSS feed is https://fcctactalk.libsyn.com/rss

The post Did Stam Get His Tactics Wrong for FC Cincinnati’s 1-0 Loss to Inter Miami? appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

On this week’s show Coach and Justin break down the key tactics of FC Cincinnati’s 3-2 loss to the Columbus Crew in the final Hell is Real Derby of 2021.

The guys talk about how teams that get used to losing need to learn to win, who they’d keep around for next year, and what positions need to be upgraded in the offseason.

And, of course, they get to your questions in the mailbag!

Support CST!

Want to help support Cincinnati Soccer Talk? Want to become an episode captain? Become a supporter today!

Subscribe to Cincinnati Soccer Talk

Don’t forget you can now download and subscribe to Cincinnati Soccer Talk on iTunes today! The podcast can also be found on Stitcher Smart Radio now. We’re also available in the Google Play Store and NOW ON SPOTIFY!

As always we’d love your feedback about our podcast! You can email the show at feedback@cincinnatisoccertalk.com. We’d love for you to join us on our Facebook page as well! Like us at Facebook.com/CincinnatiSoccerTalk.

The show’s RSS feed is https://fcctactalk.libsyn.com/rss

The post Can FC Cincinnati Learn to Win? Breaking Down FCC’s 3-2 loss in the Hell is Real Derby appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.