MLS preview: FC Cincinnati welcomes hot D.C. United to TQL Stadium
FC Cincinnati had far surpassed expectations heading into Decision Day 2022 at Audi Field but the outcome that day would determine once and for all if FCC's campaign was truly a success or not.
A playoff berth was at stake for Cincinnati against D.C. United on that Oct. 9 afternoon, and Cincinnati took control of the match early. FCC led, 2-0, after eight minutes. Brenner Souza da Silva had a hat trick by the 37th minute and, even after United tallied early in the second half, Brandon Vazquez scored just six minutes later to quash any prospects of a D.C. comeback.
The day was a success, and so too was FC Cincinnati's season as a result of clinching its first-ever playoff berth that day.
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Unfortunately for FC Cincinnati, D.C. United has evolved considerably since Decision Day 2022, which confirmed its last-place finish in MLS.
"You've got a manager that has had more time with a group, a preseason with a group that obviously knows the league and knows how to win," FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said. "But, you know, I think defensively (they're) very organized, you can see the improvements on that side of the ball. But they've won three in a row and four in a row if you're including the (U.S. Open) Cup game, they're in good form and deserving of these results. So this is a good test for us in terms of our on-the-ball decision making."
With a full offseason and preseason under head coach Wayne Rooney, seventh-place United is growing in strength roughly a third of the way through the Major League Soccer season and poses the latest threat to the best start second-place FCC's ever enjoyed. The clubs meet Saturday at TQL Stadium and will look to continue jockeying for positioning in the Eastern Conference.
What's doing well for United
As Noonan stated during his Thursday news conference, D.C.'s won four consecutive matches, although it could be argued the wins came against lesser opponents, including lower-league Richmond Kickers in U.S. Open Cup play.
But if you subscribe to the idea there's no such thing as easy or cheap wins in MLS, and FC Cincinnati is certainly of that mind, United is a side to respect.
The attacking tandem of Benteke, formerly of Crystal Palace FC of the English Premier League, and Taxi Fountas have done considerable damage to opposition clubs through 10 matches. Combined, they represent one of the more dynamic forward tandems FCC will have faced in 2023.
Benteke's five goals in 10 matches speaks for itself while Fountas, who's played in six matches this season, has come on strong in recent weeks with one goal apiece in FCC's last two contests.
"A little bit different setup this year in the last couple games with their structure but Fountas wasn't on the field (last year) and he's back in the mix now, a very good player, you can see the relationship with him and Benteke up top has been very strong," Noonan said. "With the front two, you know, one of the best in terms of hold-up play, in terms of attacking the box from balls with wide areas, set pieces with Benteke. That's going to be really important player to make sure that we limit."
The latest on FC Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati gritted out a draw at first-place New England Revolution's Gillette Stadium last weekend and certainly didn't look out of place while doing so. The result further cemented FCC's deserved place near the top of the Eastern Conference.
Center back Yerson Mosquera highlighted an eventful outing with Cincinnati's lone goal in the contest. The score was his second on the season, making him the club's fourth multi-goal scorer of the campaign.
Sergio Santos is still leading FCC's attack with four tallies in just 373 minutes played across four starts and 10 total appearances.
Brenner Souza da Silva isn't one of the mutli-goal scorers for the club and, as ever, one of the big questions for Cincinnati ahead of this or any match is Brenner's status.
Noonan said Brenner would be available for Saturday's contest, although he said the same thing last week and Brenner ended up not traveling to Foxborough, Massachusetts for the encounter with the Revolution.
Brenner, who is healthy, has only appeared in seven matches for FCC. His absences have centered around his transfer move to Udinese, which is finalized. He essentially missed two weeks leading in to the New England match due to what was then a pending transfer move.
He was also forced to come off the bench for 28 minutes in the club's season opener due to time missed in preseason that was partially related to his desire to leave FC Cincinnati, so Brenner's comings and goings is nothing new for the club.
The hope is Brenner will at some point be in a position to meaningfully contribute prior to the scheduled July 1 departure from FCC. It remains to be seen if such a contribution might arrive this weekend.
On the injury front, FCC will be without right back Santiago Arias against United due to a quad injury. It will be Arias' third consecutive game missed due to the injury.
The Game
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m., Saturday | TQL Stadium; Cincinnati
Stream/radio: Apple TV; ESPN1530
Series info: D.C. United leads the all-time series against FC Cincinnati with four wins, three draws and one loss (4-3-1).
Cincinnati.com prediction: FC Cincinnati 3, D.C United 1.
FC Cincinnati
Record: 6-1-1; 21 points, second in Eastern Conference
Goals for: 13
Goals against: 11
Coach: Pat Noonan - second year at FC Cincinnati
Projected starting XI:
Roman Celentano, goalkeeper
Ray Gaddis, right back
Alvaro Barreal, left back
Nick Hagglund, center back
Matt Miazga, center back
Yerson Mosquera, center back
Junior Moreno, midfielder
Obinna Nwobodo, midfielder
Luciano Acosta, midfielder
Brandon Vazquez, forward
Sergio Santos, forward
D.C. United
Record: 4-4-2; 14 points, seventh in Eastern Conference
Goals for: 1
Goals against: 13 Coach: Wayne Rooney - second year at D.C. United
Projected starting XI:
Tyler Miller, goalkeeper
Victor Pálsson, center back
Steve Birnbaum, center back
Donovan Pines, center back
Andy Najar, wing back
Pedro Santos, wing back
Mateusz Klich, midfielder
Russell Canouse, midfielder
Lewis O'Brien, midfielder
Taxi Fountas, forward
Christian Benteke, forward
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: MLS preview: FC Cincinnati welcomes hot D.C. United to TQL Stadium
