Highlights from this week’s show.

The post CST Episode 404 – Denkey “Doink” Gives FCC the W in Opening MLS Match appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

“Happy that the guys could find a goal and see the game out, but in a lot of ways what you expect,” head coach Pat Noonan mentioned afterwards. “New York made it very difficult on us and the ability to move the ball quickly was challenged tonight for both teams with just the dry surface, which is unfortunate just because of the temperatures, not be able to wet the field. But that’s part of it. You have to deal with the elements, and I thought the guys adjusted in a good way.”

The Orange & Blue (1-0-0, 3 pts.) entered the main MLS season after a 4-1 win on the road against FC Motagua in Honduras that started their CONCACAF Champions Cup quest. In that game, Pavel Bucha’s brace pushed FCC to victory, while debutantes Evander and Denkey scored their first official goals for Cincinnati.

FCC came into the coldest match ever at TQL Stadium with a surprising list of injuries. Matt Miazga (leg), Nick Hagglund (ankle), and Alec Kann (hip) are still working towards full health after their season-ending injuries from last year. Meanwhile, Luca Orellano, Sergio Santos, and Dado Valenzuela were all shelved due to leg issues.

Despite their loss to the LA Galaxy in the 2024 MLS Cup final, the Red Bulls (0-0-1, 0 pts.) came into their debut match without any CCC participation. However, New York also had their laundry list of injury concerns. New U22 transfer Wictor Bogacz sat with a back issue, while multiple bench players were rested due to knee injuries.

First Half

Cincinnati dictated much of the possession in the first 20 minutes, while New York opted to wait for chances. The Orange & Blue’s first legitimate chance came in the 16th minute when Denkey’s shot atop the box clanked off the post, only for the offside flag to fly.

As play slowed during the next 20 minutes, the Red Bulls had their own chances clang off the woodwork. During a scrum in the Cincinnati box, forward Lewis Morgan attempted a shot while on his side in the 41st minute, only for the FCC defense to clog the goal. Emil Forsberg’s follow-up hit off the top of the goal, but play was flagged due to Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting playing in an offside position.

The first half ended with Cincinnati’s best chance in extra time. Evander and DeAndre Yedlin played a give-and-go in the box, only for the final shot from Pavel Bucha to be blocked. The whistle at halftime kept the score blank.

Possession was primarily split between both teams, but New York enjoyed more of the attack with six shots to Cincinnati’s one. Neither team had an effort on goal that counted.

Second Half

The firm halftime reset gave the Orange & Blue solid opportunities. Both Yuya Kubo and DeAndre Yedlin had opportunities on the same pass from Lukas Engel in the 56th minute, only to be a step behind in their sliding efforts.

The deciding goal came from distance in the 70th minute. Yedlin played a long pass from midfield to the New York box, allowing Denkey to beat his defender. The new Togolese striker played the high bounce and popped a header past goalkeeper Carlos Coronel for the game’s first and only goal.

“It was that time and space, and we locked eyes,” Yedlin said about the goal after the match. “[Denkey] is obviously quick and good at getting behind. We took that opportunity, especially on the dry field, and it makes it tough on the defense. Fortunately, it was a goal, and we got the win.”

Noonan admitted he missed the lead-up to the goal but spoke well on Denkey’s play. “You can see there are moments where, even when [Kevin’s] up against a physical center back or he has a midfielder closing in on him or he’s getting doubled, he has great footwork to get out of that pressure. That’s the difference of a transition moment and us defending or us moving up into the attack.

“There’s a lot more out there for him, and that’s pretty scary because he’s got a couple goals in the last two games, and he’s done a lot of good things. He knows he can be better, and that’s a good thing.”

Much of the second half saw Cincinnati locking into a solid defensive mode, but the team almost put the game away completely minutes later. In the 78th minute, Denkey fed a streaking Engel in the box, but the Danish left back’s shot just missed the left post.

New York’s best effort to equalize came off a Choupo-Moting shot outside the box in the 82nd minute, only for Roman Celentano to easily handle the attempt. Celentano made three saves for his 29th clean sheet of his MLS career.

“It wasn’t the easiest condition out there,” Celentano mentioned after the match. “Cold and dry field, all of these excuses—we could have come out here flat-footed, but I think we had a great mindset coming in, thinking that we needed to battle for these balls and find a way to get a goal, and these guys did. I’m proud of the group, and I think we have a lot to prove this year.”

FC Cincinnati quickly turn their attention towards finishing the home leg for the CONCACAF Champions Cup matchup against FC Motagua this Wednesday. The Red Bulls head back to New Jersey for their home opener against Nashville SC on Saturday.

Match #1

FC Cincinnati vs. New York Red Bulls
TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Attendance: 22,747
Result: FC Cincinnati 1, New York Red Bulls 0

BOX SCORE

FC Cincinnati Starting XI (5-2-2-1):

Roman Celentano (GK); DeAndre Yedlin, Gilberto Flores (Alvas Powel 85′), Miles Robinson (c), Teenage Hadebe, Lukas Engel; Pavel Bucha (Stefan Chirila 90+5′), Obinna Nwobodo; Evander (Brian Anunga 72′); Yuya Kubo (Corey Baird 72′); Kevin Denkey.

Bench: Evan Louro, Bret Halsey, Noah Adnan, Stiven Jimenez.

New York Red Bulls Starting XI (4-4-2):

Carlos Coronel (GK); Noah Elie, Sean Nealis, Alexander Hack (Julain Hall 79′), Omar Valencia; Cameron Harper, Daniel Edelman (Wikelman Carmona 84′), Peter Stroud (Felipe Carballo 79′), Emil Forsberg (c); Eric Maxim Choup-Moting, Lewis Morgan.

Bench: Anthony Macucci, Dylan Nealis, Dennis Gjengaar, Tim Parker, Mohammed Sofo, Raheem Edwards.

Scoring Summary:

CIN – Kevin Denkey 70′ (Yedlin)

Discipline:

YC – Alexander Hack 59′ (RBNY, foul)
YC – Obinna Nwobodo 61’ (CIN, foul)
YC – Corey Baird 88′ (CIN, poor sportsmanship)

Next up:

vs. FC Motagua, 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, February 26th, TQL Stadium (Cincinnati, OH)

The post Cincinnati Chilly: FC Cincinnati fends off New York Red Bulls in cold home opener, 1-0 appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

The post CST Episode 403 – New Guys Shine in CCC Win in Honduras appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

The new MLS season is upon us!

Expectations for FC Cincinnati are higher than ever before, but every journey starts with a single step. The biggest hurdle may be to bust the ghosts from the past season—the Orange & Blue lost both matchups against the eventual 2024 MLS Cup finalists, the New York Red Bulls.

Head coach Sandro Schwarz has retooled by exchanging youth for European experience with some big names incorporated into the roster over the past few years. Will that be the key to get New York their next bit of silverware? Will FCC rediscover the key to beating the Bulls? We sit down with Daniel from Area Sports Network to see if we can learn anything from the past year and if the Red Bulls’ staunch defense from last season is penetrable. (Maybe even ask who the next villain could be in the rivalry?)

Tune in and trade threads with us! #MLS #FCCincinnati #soccer

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 post S10 E3 Jersey Swap – New York Red Bulls – Daniel Rebain from Area Sports Network appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Let’s look at where your favorite FCC players ranked for this match.

Check out Cincinnati Soccer Talk’s post-match report HERE for more details.

RULES:

• Each player starts off with a six as a standard rating. Six signifies an “average performance” for the match.
• Players will receive additions or subtractions to their score based on individual moments and the overall team performance.
• We’ll look at multiple criteria and statistics from websites like FB Ref, Who Scored and FOTMOB.
• All statistics used will be taken from fbref.com when possible.
• A player may receive a N/A if they are subbed on/off before any quantifiable statistics are available.

Expected Goals (xG): FC Cincinnati – 0.5, New York Red Bulls – 1.9, per fbref.com

Formation: 3-5-2

Now, onto the ratings:

Manager – Pat Noonan – N/A

Though the manager was presumably in charge of setting the overall game plan, which at times looked nonexistent, I didn’t think it was fair to give him a grade since we can’t know how much influence he had on in-game adjustments or substitutions.

GK – Roman Celentano – 6

Roman Celentano had a bit of an up-and-down match. No goalkeeper will be happy to have to pick the ball out of the net three times, but he faced a PSxG of 3.3, so he wasn’t underwater in his shot-stopping metrics. I thought his positioning and timing to close down Lewis Morgan on the opening goal was spot on, but Morgan just finished in the one place that Celentano couldn’t cover. Roman also did well to come out and deny Morgan at the near post in the 54th minute when the match still hung in the balance.

Celentano still has some curious moments of inexplicable panic, such as when he elected to palm a back header from DeAndre Yedlin away in the 94th minute instead of grabbing it. However, he was able to bail himself out with a fantastic save from point-blank range to keep the deficit at 3-1. Overall, Roman seemed to make the saves you’d expect him to make in this match.

LWB –  Bret Halsey – 7 (Man of the Match)

It is a bit ridiculous to give Bret Halsey the man of the match when he only played 45 minutes. However, for my money, he was the best performer in his time on the pitch and was unlucky to be pulled at halftime for tactical reasons. He completed 93.1 percent of his passes, while most of his teammates were struggling in that regard. Furthermore, that number included four progressive passes and a key pass.

Halsey was also full of vigor getting into the attack. He grabbed a respectable four progressive receptions and was tied for second on the team with 13 touches in the attacking third despite playing only one half of the match. If anyone else on the team had stepped up, Halsey might not have graded out as the best player for me, but that doesn’t take anything away from his overall good performance.

LCB/CB – Kipp Keller – 6.5

Kipp Keller surprisingly started on the left of the back three in this match. He ended the match with a very respectable seven progressive passes and four passes into the final third despite playing for 45 minutes on his weaker foot. However, there were still some moments when FCC was trying to build out of the back that Keller was unable to use his left foot efficiently enough to move the ball forward and was instead forced to play back to the middle.

Defensively, Keller’s positioning was solid. He ended the match with five ball recoveries and four blocked shots. He also won eight of 14 duels. Keller does share some blame for the first goal, when he came all the way across the field to try to challenge Elias Manoel, leaving Morgan open for the tap-in when Yedlin was clearly yelling at him to stay in the center. All said, Keller still doesn’t look like an everyday starter for a championship-caliber club, but he is performing admirably as a backup forced into the starting rotation by injuries and absences.

CB/LCB – Ian Murphy – 5.5

Ian Murphy started in the center of the back three before swapping with Kipp Keller for the start of the second half. Whether it was the positional change or the Red Bulls press, he often looked out of sorts when in possession despite leading the team in touches. There were moments like in the 94th minute when he picked the ball up after Roman pushed Yedlin’s header back into play, only to give it right back to the Red Bulls, nearly gifting them a fourth goal. He was under his season average, completing “just” 83 percent of his passes. He did log four progressive passes and two progressive carries but only managed to complete four of his 10 long pass attempts.

Defensively, Murphy’s match was marred from the start by a big mistake that cost his team an early goal. He got a bit over-aggressive and tried to win Dylan Nealis’s long ball out of the back but failed to get a touch, allowing Manoel to run through unopposed to set up Morgan’s tap-in. That type of mistake is an easy one for a young player to make when playing out of position, but falling behind in New York in just the seventh minute definitely colored the rest of the match for FCC. I thought Murphy settled down after that and was very good at choosing when to challenge the Red Bull strikers at midfield. In the end, he won four of five aerial duels.

RCB – DeAndre Yedlin – 5

DeAndre Yedlin struggled in this match both in possession and defensively. He completed 83 percent of his passes but only managed to progress the ball with three of them. He was also credited with two mistouches and a dispossession, which just can’t happen when you’re playing as a central defender.

Yedlin tallied two tackles, a block and an interception. However, he failed to win or effectively communicate that he was going to win the long throw that led to the Red Bull’s second goal. He also struggled with his body position, allowing Kiki Carmona to bundle the ball toward Morgan in setting up the third. He won just one of his three aerial duels while committing three fouls and earning a yellow card.

RWB/LWB – Yuya Kubo – 5.5

Yuya Kubo started this match at right wingback with Luca Orellano on the bench and Alvas Powell suspended. He struggled to effectively impact the match from that position but was a bit better when he slid to the left in the second half. He was very active offensively, leading the team with 17 touches in the attacking third and seven progressive receptions. However, he also led the team with a combined one mistouch and four dispossessions and failed to capitalize on a wide-open header in the first half that could have tied the match. He made up for that miss a bit with this fantastic pass to help set up Corey Baird’s consolation goal:

Corey finds the net to get us on the board

RBNY | 3 – 1 | CIN pic.twitter.com/0HTIdP9EAn

— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) July 21, 2024

Kubo definitely struggled with the kind of physicality that the Red Bulls brought to the match. He won just three of 12 ground duels and failed to win any of his three aerial duels. He was also dribbled three times.

DCM – Pavel Bucha – 6

Bucha was not fantastic in this match. I think most of that was due to the way the Red Bulls fought for 50/50 balls and turned the match into a rock fight. Bucha played the ball straight out of bounds on a couple of occasions, seeming to feel pressure coming when there wasn’t any. He was also credited with two each of mistouches and dispossessions and won just two of five ground duels.

However, in a match where Lucho didn’t start and looked like a shell of himself when he finally entered the match at halftime, Bucha was one of the only players who looked capable of moving the ball forward. He tallied eight progressive passes in all. He also was pretty good at winning second balls on the night, leading the team with 11 ball recoveries.

DCM – Obi Nwobodo – 5

Insert mentions about Obinna Nwobod not looking the same since his injury here. The biggest thing that I can take away from his performance is how much it looks like he’s chasing the game. He is working so hard to try to win every ball that he gets pulled out of position over and over again. He led the team with three tackles in this match but only managed four ball recoveries. Just watch as he runs himself out of the play in the lead-up to the Red Bulls’ third goal of the match:

MAKE THAT FOR OUR #9#RedRunsDeep @Audi pic.twitter.com/9S16TL08zT

— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) July 21, 2024

When Obi manages to make those tackles consistently, he is the best #6 in the league. However, too often this season, he hasn’t quite been able to knick the ball. Then, in possession, he struggles to make any kind of positive contribution. In this match, he only completed 72.7 percent of his passes and failed to log a progressive action. Whether he is pushing because he feels like his team needs him to step up, because he doesn’t trust Pavel Bucha next to him, or because he’s worried about the ball getting by him due to the absences along the back line, Obi needs to settle down and play positionally sound or he’s going to keep having very erratic performances.

CAM – Gerardo Valenzuela – 5.5

Dado Valenzuela struggled to open the match. Even though I think he was starting to settle down as the first half ended, he didn’t stay on the pitch long enough to improve his overall stat line. He completed just 57.1 percent of his passes and only logged one progressive pass. Like many of his teammates, he also struggled with the pace and physicality of the Red Bulls, winning just two of seven ground duels.

Dado did, however, tally two progressive carries and three progressive receptions. I also thought he started looking dangerous as he got into better positions late in the first half. He only managed one shot-creating action, but it was a 0.4 xG chance in the 38th minute when he floated a cross in for a wide-open Yuya Kubo, who failed to hit the target with his header.

ST – Kevin Kelsy – 6 

I gave “Big Kev” an average grade in this match despite him only having 12 touches and zero progressive receptions in his 59 minutes of play. As I rewatched this match, I thought his movement was good in the middle third of the pitch, but his teammates often ignored the chance to play into him. He failed to win an aerial duel, but the few long balls sent in his direction were overhit and didn’t give him a chance to hold the ball up.

Kelsy also managed two shot-creating actions in a match where FCC didn’t create a lot. Finally, he was one of the only players that met the Red Bulls’ intensity, winning six of his eight ground duels.

ST – Sergio Santos – 4

If Sergio Santos’s good performances off the bench had anyone wondering if he could replicate them in a start, he put that question to bed in this match. Not only did he fail to log a shot, he also didn’t create any shots for his teammates. He was a human turnover machine, passing at just 54.5 percent and logging four mistouches. Defensively, he failed to show any urgency on New York’s second goal, allowing Bucha to run past him to pressure Kyle Duncan. Finally, he nearly set up a goal for the opposition by underhitting an ill-avised crossfield pass in the 54th minute, forcing Roman into one of his better saves on the night.

SUBS

Lucho Acosta (46th minute) – 5.5

Lucho Acosta in no way looked like himself in this match. He logged only 20 touches and didn’t have a key pass. I give him credit that his lone shot-creating action helped set up Baird’s consolation goal, but he also wasted a number of other chances by straying offside. He also hit a lot of stray passes, like in the 81st minute when Aaron Boupendza gave him the ball at the top of the penalty area, and he proceeded to harmlessly chip the ball to a non-existent runner at the back post. In the end, he completed just 55.6 percent of his passes.

Luca Orellano (46th minute) – 3

If Santos proved he couldn’t perform from the start, Luca Orellano may have proved that he can’t perform as an impact substitute. He was simply a non-factor in this match despite playing the entire 2nd half. Orellano had zeros across the board in progressive passes, shots, shot-creating actions, and key passes. He logged just 19 touches and was credited with a mistouch and two dispossessions.

Aaron Boupendza(60th minute) – 6

It is telling that Aaron Boupendza may have had his best appearance for the Orange and Blue in 2024 and graded out at only a “6” for me. He still displayed the head-clutching decision-making that has many fans encouraging the front office to jettison him into the far reaches of Eastern Europe, like in the 90th minute when he hit a cross-field pass directly to a defender, forcing Murphy to foul and pick up a yellow card. However, he also had an assist on the night. Even though he may have been trying to set himself up for a shot, he showed enough skill to scoop the ball over a tackle, allowing Baird to come in and poke it home. He also logged four progressive receptions, which is more than all other FCC strikers combined.

This performance might not have left me begging for more Boup, but I think he has to find more minutes unless he is going to be sold imminently.

Corey Baird (60th minute) – 6.5

One might think that it would have been easy to give Corey Baird the man-of-the-match as the goalscorer since so many of his teammates underperformed. The goal that he scored was a very tough finish from an extremely tight angle and is the kind of opportunistic goal that we have been expecting based on his time in Houston. However, goal aside, Baird logged only four touches total in his 31 minutes of play! Furthermore, one of those touches was defensive. Having one offensive touch per 10 minutes of game time is never going to be good enough.

Yamil Asad (85th minute) – N/A

Availability Notes: Matt Miazga (leg), Nick Hagglund (Leg), Malik Pinto (ankle), Miles Robinson (international duty), Alvas Powell (suspension)

DEFINITIONS:

• xG – Expected goals (or xG) measures the quality of a chance by calculating the likelihood that it will be scored from a particular position on the pitch during a particular phase of play
• xAG – Expected assisted goals (or xAG) is directly related to the xG that follows a pass that assists a shot
• Post-Shot xG (PSxG) – Post-Shot xG is calculated after the shot has been taken, once it is known that the shot is on-target, taking into account the quality of the shot.
• Progressive Pass – A pass that advances toward the opponent’s goal where the distance between the starting point and the next touch is:
  • at least 30 meters closer to the opponent’s goal if the starting and finishing points are within a team’s own half
  • at least 15 meters closer to the opponent’s goal if the starting and finishing points are in different halves
  • at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal if the starting and finishing points are in the opponent’s half
• Progressive Carry – Carries that move the ball toward the opponent’s goal at least 5 yards or any carry into the penalty area. Excludes carries from the defending 40% of the pitch.
• Dribble – Moving past the opposing player while maintaining possession of the ball. When a player shields the ball or otherwise uses physical strength to maintain possession, this is not a dribble.
• Key Pass – A pass that immediately creates a clear goal scoring opportunity for a teammate. A key pass does not have to lead to a shot, and thus is different than a shot-creating action.
• Long Pass – Definition depends on the site being used. Typically, a pass that travels a distance greater than 30 yards.
• Mistouch – When a player fails when trying to gain control of the ball without a defender earning a tackle or a ground duel.
• Ground Duel – A challenge between two players to gain control of the ball, progress with the ball, or change its direction.
• Dispossessed – The times a player loses control of the ball after a tackle from an opponent, not including attempted dribbles.
• Recovery – Any action that ends the possession of the opponent without the ball going out of bounds. Recoveries are typically duels (44%) or interceptions (16%), but can happen without any specific action from the player doing the recovery (positioning himself correctly or simply collecting the ball).

The post Player Ratings: FC Cincinnati 1, New York Red Bulls 3 appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

Coach Gough and Justin Hoyte break down FC Cincinnati’s third loss on the trot, a 3-1 beat down at the hands of the New York Red Bulls. Can these bad results be marked down to inexperience, bad luck, or just bad play? Or, is this team just not as good as we thought they’d be?

The guys also talk about Bret Halsey’s 2024 contribution so far, ask what’s wrong with Kevin Kelsy, and much more!

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The post What’s Luck Got to Do With It? FCC Lose 3 in a Row. appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Since then, FCC lost to a challenging Charlotte squad, a disappointing Chicago team and entered New York hoping to turn the tide against a rotated Red Bull squad.

But the tides weren’t turned, and FCC was handed its third consecutive loss, this time by a 3-1 scoreline.

Entering the game, both teams were facing a series of squad issues as FCC was without Miles Robinson and Matt Miazga, looking to fill a hole after an Alvas Powell red card against Chicago and questions about Lucho Acosta’s health. For the Red Bullsm they were missing left back John Tolkein to the Olympics, Sean Nealis to a red card and star attacking man Emil Forsberg to injury.

But it was not FCC’s rotated squad who came prepared to play, as almost immediately the Red Bulls jumped on the board in the seventh minute. Following an attacking moment where Cincinnati was controlling possession, New York cleared the ball up to striker Elias Manoel who nudged Ian Murphy off the ball and ran upfield. He drove into the attacking third, drawing DeAndre Yedlin and Kipp Keller to him before calmly squaring the ball to a wide-open Lewis Morgan who slid the ball past a helpless Celentano.

From there, it calmed down for much of the first half as FCC was missing the creative bite of Lucho Acosta, who started on the bench, and ran into a defense content to allow the Orange and Blue to possess the ball.

Dom Kinnear tried to add some danger as he subbed in Luciano Acosta and Luca Orellano at halftime. But it was the Red Bulls again who found the back of the net. 

A long throw-in was headed out of the box by the FCC defense to a waiting Kyle Duncan. He took one touch to settle the ball then hit it from 24 yards out finding the top corner for a 2-0 lead.

Determined to find their way into the game FCC continued to push, but it was New York who found the third and put the game away. A cross to the back post was nodded down to a waiting Lewis Morgan who slipped his defender and chipped the ball over Celentano.

There was a consolation goal for Corey Baird who lifted a ball over the Red Bulls keeper, but that was the only good chance of the second half, as FCC lost its shape with substitutions and found it hard to build forward with few players in the midfield.

This result put a damper on an excellent stretch of the season, but laid bare the struggles of an MLS roster dealing with key injuries and rotated defenders. With the transfer window open, and the league taking a break from MLS play, hopefully, when they return to league play against Miami on August 24, we will see a squad ready to renew their fight for the Supporters Shield.

The post FC Cincinnati suffers third-straight loss appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

With all the history between these two sides, Saturday could be another intense match. 

SERIES HISTORY

The Red Bulls lead the all-time series with a (7-5-5) record. NYRB defeated FCC earlier this year 2-1 at TQL Stadium, with goals from former FCC player Frankie Amaya and DP forward Dante Vanzeir.

Cincinnati defeated New York in the 2023 and 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs, ending The Red Bulls’ season in back-to-back years.

NEW YORK RED BULLS

The 2024 season has been rejuvenated for NYRB fans under first-year head coach Sandro Schwarz. Under his leadership, along with new DP Emil Forsberg, a healthy Lewis Morgan and a solid backline of Sean Nealis, Noah Eile, and goal-keeper Carlos Coronel.

New York currently sits fourth in the Eastern Conference with 38 points. They are the only team in MLS who is undefeated at home this season, with a (6-0-5) record at Red Bull Arena.

NYRB is coming off a 2-2 draw against CF Montreal on the road. They will be without their captain, Sean Nealis, because of a red card he picked up during the last match. Plus Forsberg is still out with a leg injury and John Tolkin is away at the Olympics. A lot of key players are missing, but the Red Bulls system has always been bigger than the sum of its parts.

It’s no secret that there is animosity when these two teams play. From fans to players, former and current. NYRB will want to keep their unbeaten streak at home alive and sweep the season series against FCC.

FC CINCINNATI 

The Orange and Blue have lost back-to-back games at home before Saturday. Losing to Charlotte 3-1, and coming off a 1-0 loss to Chicago, a game where Lucho Acosta didn’t feature, and defender Alvas Powell and head coach Pat Noonan both received red cards in the match.

It’s not been a good past couple of games for FCC. A big problem has been the three center-backs. No Matt Miazga or Nick Hagglund for the year, and Miles Robinson has gone for the Olympics. It’s been Ian Murphy and a bunch of rotation with DeAndre Yedlin dropping back, Alvas Powell and Kipp Keller. None of which have been consistent as a center-back.

Now that Powell will miss the game on Saturday, the options in the backline are slim.

Arguably an even bigger question coming into the match is the status of Acosta. He did not play against Chicago due to a foot injury, so his availability is crucial, whether it’s starting or off the bench. FC Cincinnati are 0-6-4 when Acosta does not play, It’s safe to say he is important.

Someone besides Lucho needs to step up in the attack against NYRB. Whether that’s Luca Orellano being pushed up positionally, Kevin Kelsy, Sergio Santos, Aaron Bounpendza or whoever gets the nod up top for the Orange and Blue. Those three in particular have been cold as of late.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Lewis Morgan – #9, New York Red Bulls

With 10 goals and four assists on the year, Morgan is one of the most explosive and vertical wingers in the league. He can stretch the defense but also finish in and around the box. A big game is needed for the Scottish international.

Noah Eile – #3, New York Red Bulls

Eile has been one of the best signings this year for NYRB. With Sean Nealis out, he’ll have to lead the backline on Saturday and have a good performance if the Red Bulls want to earn all three points.

Yuya Kubo – #7, FC Cincinnati

History has seen Kubo step up when FCC needs someone to. He is now the all-team leader in appearances for Cincinnati. He can play almost anywhere on the pitch, whatever his role is against New York will need to be big to get a road result.

Kevin Kelsy – #9, FC Cincinnati

His last goal came against DC United three games ago, but Kelsy only has two goals in his last eight games. A big game from the Venezuelan could help not only FCC but his confidence as well.

WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH

You can stream the match on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Kick-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST.

The post Two heavyweights clash again in Harrison appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Nine times? Nine times.

That’s how many times FC Cincinnati and the Red Bulls have tangled over the past three seasons. Geoff sits down with Daniel from Area Sports Network to predict how the tenth matchup will go. How different will New York look after transferring out the player FCC fans loved to loathe? Tune in and trade threads with us! #MLS #FCCincinnati #soccer

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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 post S9 E22 Jersey Swap – New York Red Bulls – Daniel Rebain from Area Sports Network appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

Coach Gough and Justin Hoyte break down FC Cincinnati’s 2-1 loss at home to the New York Red Bulls. What went wrong with the FCC midfield? How can this offense be fixed?

The guys also talk about the wonders of Yuya Kubo, Lucho Acosta’s set pieces, and much more!

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Want to help the Talking Tactics Podcast grow? Leave a rating and a review! Want to help support Cincinnati Soccer Talk? 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 Midfield Woes, Transition Turnovers, and What Can’t Yuya Kubo Do appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.