Preview: FC Cincinnati closes out MLS regular season against Atlanta United
The Supporters' Shield will soon be overshadowed by FC Cincinnati's pursuit of a second trophy.
FC Cincinnati and its fans have enjoyed the Supporters' Shield since the club clinched it Sept. 30. Many photos opportunities with the large, disc-shaped prize have been seized, and the joy in the FCC community for having the trophy has been palpable.
While FC Cincinnati's fans will continue safeguarding the trophy into the latter stages of next season, and perhaps longer, Saturday evening at TQL Stadium could be one of the final times the Shield is truly savored as the MLS Cup playoffs will be the focus after FCC hosts Atlanta United this weekend.
FC Cincinnati's final postseason tune-up comes against a sixth-place Atlanta side in the Eastern Conference standings, and the visitors will be looking to improve their position going into the playoffs.
The match kicks off at 6 p.m. It will by synced with the start of all the other Eastern Conference matches as part of the league's Decision Day, where all clubs finish the regular-season and all playoff scenarios are finalized.
Having clinched the Shield with games to spare and lost out on tangible aims with two games left, FC Cincinnati is trying to sharpen itself for a postseason that will see it favored to win MLS Cup.
FCC has plenty of sharpening it could achieve considering it hasn't played a truly meaningful game relative to the standings and its chase for the Supporters' Shield since Sept. 30. The club also hasn't played since Oct. 7 due to a now-concluded international break.
"The focus is on Atlanta. You know, I think the break came at a good time," FCC head coach Pat Noonan said during a Thursday news conference. "You never know how it's going to play out. But I just thought, you know, even with the players that we lost to international duty, trainings were good. You get a little bit more time to work on some things from our own side, but also in preparation for what we might expect out of Atlanta. Got some young (academy) kids up into training, I just thought it was a really good international break for us, better than most. And with the preparation solely on Atlanta, and for me in these moments now where you're finishing out the season, it's having your strongest team ready to go to have some consistency in moving into the playoffs. So, you know, we'll have a strong group out on the field that's prepared for a tough opponent."
The game
Kickoff: 6 p.m., Saturday | TQL Stadium, Cincinnati
Stream: Apple TV
All-time series: Atlanta United leads the all-time series against FC Cincinnati with a 5-2-4 record.
Cincinnati.com prediction: FC Cincinnati 2, Atlanta 1.
FC Cincinnati
Record: 20-5-8, 68 points; clinched first place and Supporters' Shield
Goals for: 55 (No. 5 in east)
Goals against: 37 (No. 2 in east)
Head coach: Pat Noonan - second season as head coach
Projected starting XI:
Roman Celentano, goalkeeper
Alvaro Barreal, left back
Nick Hagglund, center back
Matt Miazga, center back
Ian Murphy, center back
Ray Gaddis, right back
Junior Moreno, midfielder
Obinna Nwobodo, midfielder
Luciano Acosta, midfielder
Brandon Vazquez, forward
Aaron Boupendza, forward
Atlanta United
Record: 13-9-11, 50 points; Sixth place in MLS Eastern Conference
Goals for: 64 (No. 2 in east)
Goals against: 51 (No. 12 in east)
Head coach: Gonzalo Pineda
Projected starting XI:
Brad Guzan, goalkeeper
Brooks Lennon, right back
Miles Robinson, center back
Luis Abram, center back
Caleb Wiley, left back
Tristan Muyumba, midfielder
Matheus Rossetto, midfielder
Saba Lobzhanidze, midfielder/winger
Thiago Almada, midfielder
Xande Silva, midfielder/winger
Giorgos Giakoumakis, striker
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Preview: FC Cincinnati closes out MLS regular season against Atlanta
