FC Cincinnati closes out preseason with win ahead of CONCACAF Champions Cup debut
Welcome to the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The next time FC Cincinnati lines 11 players up for a match, that's the competition they'll be playing in.
FC Cincinnati is now looking ahead to Champions Cup, the club championship for qualifying teams from around North and Central America, and the Caribbean, after it played on Thursday the last of its four preseason matches. FC Cincinnati prevailed over New England Revolution, 5-2, in an afternoon game at the Walter C. Campbell Sports Complex in Clearwater, Florida.
Next Thursday, FCC plays the first game in a two-match, aggregate-score series against Cavalier FC (Jamaica) in Kingston, Jamaica.
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The last tune-up game of the winter saw FC Cincinnati bounce back from a 1-0 deficit to claim a win that moved its preseason record to 3-1-0. Cincinnati scored nine goals in its last two preseason contests, and on Thursday the club received tallies from captain and reigning Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player Luciano Acosta, Aaron Boupendza, a debut preseason goal for newcomer Pavel Bucha, and a trialist.
Acosta scored twice on Thursday, giving him three goals in the last two games. Boupendza's goal was his sixth of the preseason as he continued contributing at a blistering pace.
After conceding three goals in the opening 17 minutes of FCC's last outing against Philadelphia Union, head coach Pat Noonan said his team responded with a stronger start Thursday.
"Much better. Just in terms of some of the chances we created and obviously not conceding three goals in 15-20 minutes is an improvement but we got caught on a set piece (Thursday) with marking and I think a little bit of miscommunication from the service," Noonan said. "Aside from that moment, you know, it was certainly a better start. Our pressing was inconsistent at times but when we got it right, we created some really good moments to go to goal . . . Found a really good goal (from Acosta) to get into halftime level, so that part I would say was progress from the last game."
Cavalier FC preparation begins Sunday
Under Noonan, FC Cincinnati's used four days to prepare for any upcoming match played on full rest. Short rest, which will be the situation FCC will experience for the MLS opener at TQL Stadium on Sunday against Toronto FC, is a different story. But the normal prep for FCC's first competitive match of 2024 will begin Sunday, and the club will be justified in giving the game that attention.
Noonan said his players will be delivered information about both the competition itself and Cavalier (12-2-4, 40 points), which is the current Jamaica Premier League leader.
"I think what you always see in some of these competitions when you're playing unfamiliar opponents is uncertainty," Noonan said. "Certainly, (our) players are going to see something new. They won't know these players on an individual level until we really start to focus on it . . . (Cavalier) is a physical team. They're athletic. They're not afraid to play direct. They've got guys that can run at you with speed."
The match is significant to FC Cincinnati on a number of fronts. It's their debut game in a competition that feeds into the FIFA Club World Cup, which would be the highest level of club match possible for any team in the world.
Winning Champions Cup, known up until last year as the CONCACAF "Champions League," is a rare accomplishment for MLS clubs, but it has been done.
Short of winning the whole thing, it can offer valuable, competitive matches against regional powers outside of MLS. Champions Cup also has a depth of history, plus the requirement of qualifying through performance, other international competitions like Leagues Cup don't offer yet.
Perhaps most importantly, the Champions Cup will be Cincinnati's first competitive game outside of MLS, which has clubs in both the United States and Canada. The city and the FC Cincinnati badge will be represented in Kingston next week, and then Guatemala or Monterrey, Mexico if FCC beats Cavalier over the two-game series.
Reaching the competition and establishing itself in it is a major moment in FCC's growth.
"I'm incredibly proud of this club and what we've built as a club, as an organization and as a team," Acosta said Thursday during a Zoom interview via a team interpreter. "I think that was the mentality from day one, was to reach heights like this but I think we're continuing to build our building, build our tower, and there's obviously a lot to improve but we're taking it step by step and continue to get better with everything we do."
FC Cincinnati and Cavalier will learn their would-be opponent for the next round of the Champions Cup as Monterrey FC and Comunicaciones of Guatemala will close out their first-round series. The game will kickoff with former FCC star Brandon Vazquez's Monterrey in firm control of the matchup via a 4-1 lead from the first game.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati closes out preseason with win ahead of Champions Cup
