After earning a 2-2 draw against the New England Revolution on Friday night, D.C. United will be hitting the road this week to face off against FC Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium. The Black-and-Red are continuing to battle for the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference. But if D.C. United want to pick up those critical three points, they will have to go through the Queen City. Here is everything you need to know about our latest opponents.
Recent Matches
This is FC Cincinnati’s inaugural MLS season and things are not going as well as they would like. Cincinnati sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with just 17 points in 20 games. On May 7th, the team dismissed Head Coach Alan Koch after earning just two wins in the team’s first nine MLS matches. Now, the team is coached by Yoann Damet, who has just three wins in his first nine MLS matches.
Despite their struggles, FC Cincinnati has proved in recent weeks that they can be a threat. Two of those three wins under Damet have come in the last two weeks against the Houston Dynamo and the Chicago Fire. If D.C. United are hoping to walk away with all three points, they cannot be dismissive of this squad.
Players to Watch
Scoring goals has not been FC Cincinnati’s strong point this season. They have only eighteen goals in 20 matches, but those eighteen goals have come from thirteen different goal-scorers. Kekuta Manneh and Allan Cruz are the team’s two leading goal-scorers, with three goals apiece, and they have each scored a goal in the last two games. But FC Cincinnati’s combined five goals in the last two weeks have come from five different goal-scorers, which increases the challenge to D.C. United’s defense.
FC Cincinnati’s defense has struggled this year, allowing 39 total goals for an average of 1.95 goals per game. Spencer Richey is the man between the posts in the Queen City and has been with the team since their USL days. In Saturday’s victory over the Chicago Fire Richey made six saves, including one on a penalty. While Richey is capable of making big plays, his backline has struggled this season, leaving him to be bombarded with shots. So, it’s not uncommon for FC Cincinnati to give up three, four, or five goals in a game. At the end of June, they suffered a 7-1 loss on the road to Minnesota. The Black-and-Red should be looking to exploit the weakness.
Head-to-Head
This will be the first MLS match between D.C. United and FC Cincinnati. The teams will meet again later this season at Audi Field on October 6th.
