FC Cincinnati looks to continue momentum vs. Atlanta United

Beyond the typical rigors of a regular-season Major League Soccer match, there's a great challenge for both sides in Wednesday's FC Cincinnati-Atlanta United game.

The clubs meet at TQL Stadium as they appear to be moving in opposite directions. FC Cincinnati is arguably the hottest team in MLS right now and is coming off a signature win while Atlanta appears to be nearing must-win territory after collecting just 12 points from its first 11 matches, which has the "Five Stripes" below the playoff cut line in the Eastern Conference.

This midweek matchup won't lack for intrigue.

A "Hell is Real" to remember

FC Cincinnati's tortured history against Columbus Crew, especially in Columbus, ended Saturday with a 2-1 FCC victory at Lower.com Field. FCC Head coach Pat Noonan called the performance Cincinnati's best of 2024. The result also grabbed national headlines, and seemed to serve as a warning shot to the rest of MLS.

The Crew are the most celebrated club in MLS. They are the reigning MLS Cup champions and will play in the June 2 CONCACAF Champions Cup final. Columbus also plays an attractive style.

FC Cincinnati's win snapped a 27-match unbeaten run at Lower.com Field. It was also FCC's first-ever win in Columbus − all of which made Saturday a head-turning result. It also seemed to put FCC well and truly in the race for a second straight Supporters' Shield title after some early-season struggles.

But in facing Atlanta on short rest, FC Cincinnati has to put behind it one of the great regular-season wins of the Noonan era. Some might called Atlanta's visit to TQL Stadium a "trap" game.

"The sign of a good team is when you have a poor performance or result, how do you respond to it and come back and have a better performance, or have a better result?," Noonan said during a Monday news conference "On the other side, when you have a good performance, how do you respond to that. Obviously, we have a short turnaround against a difficult opponent who we've just seen (April 20). What's it look like in the immediate aftermath to go and perform again, because if we don't turn it around the right way and if we're not prepared for Atlanta, we'll get humbled very quickly. Just like we can't get too low with bad performances, we can't get too high.

"(Saturday) was a special moment and a good win, but it's over now and we need to make sure we're focused on Atlanta and going and performing again."

The latest on Atlanta

Atlanta's season seems to be approaching a tipping point. The club hasn't won a match since March 31, went winless in the six matches that followed, and enters Wednesday on a two-game losing skid.

Head coach Gonzalo Pineda is calling for patience, but his fan base's interest in offering Pineda grace seems to be wearing thin.

Atlanta will encounter an FC Cincinnati side with the best defensive record in all of MLS with just 10 goals allowed.

Giorgos Giakoumakis, who came off the bench as a substitute against FC Cincinnati on April 20 due to a prior injury, is leading Atlanta with five goals.

Argentine playmaker and FIFA World Cup winner Thiago Almada has three goals this season, including one against FCC.

"I think it's our job to refocus and (Sunday) we'll be back in just getting our body right," Cincinnati defender and former Atlanta player Miles Robinson said. "Monday, Tuesday, we'll get our ideas right (and) our tactics right because Wednesday's definitely a big game for me personally. I want to come out on top for sure on Wednesday."

The game

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. | TQL Stadium, Cincinnati

Broadcast: Apple TV

All-time series: Atlanta leads the all-time series against FC Cincinnati with five wins, four losses and five ties (5-4-5).

Cincinnati.com prediction: FC Cincinnati 2, Atlanta United 1.

FC Cincinnati

Record (MLS): 7-2-3, 24 points; Second place in Eastern Conference

Goals for: 15 (No. 9 in east)

Goals against: 10 (No. 1 in east)

Head coach: Pat Noonan, third season as head coach.

Projected starting XI: Roman Celentano goalkeeper; Luca Orellano, left wing back; Ian Murphy, center back; Matt Miazga, center back; Miles Robinson, center back; Yuya Kubo, right wing back; Obinna Nwobodo, midfielder; Pavel Bucha, midfielder; Luciano Acosta, midfielder; Corey Baird, forward; Gerardo Valenzuela, forward.

Atlanta United

Regular season record: 3-5-3, 12 points; 10th place in Eastern Conference.

Goals for: 16 (No. 10 in east)

Goals against: 14 (Tied No. 14 in east)

Head coach: Gonzalo Pineda, fourth season as Atlanta head coach.

Projected starting XI: Brad Guzan, goalkeeper; Brooks Lennon, right back; Noah Cobb, center back; Luis Abram, center back; Caleb Wiley, left back; Bartosz Slisz, midfielder, Tristan Muyumba, midfielder; Saba Lobzhanidze, midfielder/winger; Thiago Almada, midfielder; Tyler Wolff, midfielder/winger; Daniel Rios, forward.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati vs. Atlanta United MLS match preview, prediction