by Chris Asbrock

FC Cincinnati vs Tampa Bay Rowdies
Wednesday, June 1, 7:30 pm EST
Al Lang Stadium (St. Petersburg, FL)

US Open Cup Third Round
Tampa Bay Rowdies (3-3-2, 12 points, 6th NASL table)
FC Cincinnati (6-2-2, 20 points, 3rd USL Eastern Conference)

This is new territory for the FC Cincinnati franchise in the third round of the US Open Cup, as they are now drawn against upper competition. That particular competition is in the form of the NASL side, Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay Rowdies are currently settled in the sixth spot in the NASL right now with 12 points through eight matches. Tampa Bay will be a very tough opponent for the upstart FCC squad. The third round is when the NASL clubs enter the competition while the MLS clubs enter in the next round. The winner of this third round tie, will face MLS side Columbus Crew SC.

Both FCC and Tampa Bay are coming off 2-0 victories in their last matches respectively. The Rowdies took down Minnesota United FC while FCC dispatched the Harrisburg City Islanders. If you are unfamiliar with the Rowdies, they boast a few names that soccer fans around the globe will certainly know, most notably England international, Joe Cole and former American soccer prodigy, Freddy Adu. Cole is one of the highest profile signings in American soccer so far in 2016. Cole, is synonymous with winning. During his club career in England, Cole won almost every major trophy that could be won.

This is the first match of the US Open Cup for the Rowdies but the second for FC Cincinnati. The boys in orange and blue advanced to this round after defeating NPSL side, Indy Eleven NPSL, 2-1 at home on May 18. This is going to be a very tough matchup for FCC as the Rowdies do possess some offensive firepower. This could pose a problem or FCC as they have been prone to giving up goals this season. FCC has only 2 clean sheets through their 10 matches but have given up goals late in the match.

On the other side of things, the Rowdies have been giving up goals and appear to be without their starting left back, Zac Portillos, who suffered an injury in their last match. This has the makings of being a great match and a solid test for the upstart FCC franchise. FCC Coach John Harkes has fond memories of the US Open Cup, winning it twice during his MLS career. Harkes and his D.C. United teammates dominated the American soccer landscape in 1996, winning the Open Cup and MLS Cup. Harkes won the US Open Cup again in 2002 while with the Columbus Crew. Harkes experience in this competition could bode well for his team.

If you want to watch the match, you can check out the stream via the US Soccer YouTube channel which can be found here.

Final Match Prediction: Tampa Bay 2-1


Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for FTI Sports and can be followed on Twitter  and