Studs Up Soccer – FC Cincinnati match primer: Tampa Bay Rowdies

Photo Credit: USLsoccer.com

by Chris Asbrock

FC Cincinnati vs Tampa Bay Rowdies
8:00 pm EST
Al Lang Stadium
TV: ESPNU

Last meeting: 1-1 draw @ Cincinnati

Tampa Bay (6-5-6, 24 points, 4th Eastern Conference)
FC Cincinnati (5-5-6, 21 points, 7th Eastern Conference)

The 2017 USL season isn’t exactly going in the direction the club and fans expected thus far based off the season the club had last year. The organization believes this is a championship team this year and the expectations are as such. However, with the dismissal of Manager John Harkes just before the team left for preseason workouts and now the club is starting to get into their own.

This is the second meeting between these two teams. Tampa Bay, the former NASL side, knocked off FC Cincinnati last season in the 2016 US Open Cup at Al Lang Stadium. The two clubs met again in this season in April, this time in Cincinnati. The first matchup was a cracking 1-1 draw. In that match, the Rowdies quickly quieted the Nippert faithful after just seven minutes when Marcel Schafer scored a stunning goal from 35 yards out. The Orange and Blue’s did get one back from Harrison Delbridge to give both teams the crucial point.

This is just another match that is crucial for each team. FC Cincinnati has struggled mightily on the road, managing only five points (1-4-2 record) away from Nippert. This is the second of two in Florida, as FCC snagged a 1-1 draw at Orlando on Saturday. The struggles aren’t just with FC Cincinnati though. The Rowdies have only managed 3 points in their last five matches, losing their last two.

A win over the Rowdies will draw FCC level with them in the standings, with a game in hand on the Rowdies. A Tampa win could propel them into third place in the Eastern Conference. With another big match on the weekend against a struggling Richmond club ahead, this is a match where the the boys in orange and blue must come away with nothing less than a point.

FC Cincinnati will continue to look to their leading scorer, Djiby, who is fifth in the league with eight goals. On the other side, Tampa Bay will look to Georgi Hristov to lead their attack. Hristov is tied with a bunch of players in the league with six goals. Tampa Bay has scored the 11th most goals in the league with a total of 21 through their 17 games. They come into this match with a goal difference of four. Even with the amount of goals they have scored and a goal difference of only four, the Rowdies have an impressive six clean sheets this season. That is good for a fifth place tie in the league.

Another interesting factor is this matchup between two teams that concede a lot of fouls. The Rowdies have conceded the most fouls in the league with 246. FC Cincinnati is in the top five, with 225 fouls conceded. With that being the case, both teams have seen the cards shown to them numerous times. Tampa Bay has been shown a league leading 44 yellow cards. Damion Lowe has accounted for seven of those for the Rowdies. On the down side for FC Cincinnati, they have seen a staggering four red cards shown to them in their 16 matches. All eyes will be on these two teams, especially if the game does get a little chippy. If the game gets a little rough, expect the cards to fly.

FC Cincinnati coach Alan Koch and the rest of the organization have seemed to have placed all focus on their US Open Cup run, and rightfully so. With that being the case, they have seemed to have dropped points during their recent run of USL matches. With their US Open Cup quarterfinal matchup against Miami FC coming up next week, the next two matches are crucial for the Orange and Blue’s and their quest for the USL playoffs. A full six points would be an incredible result for FC Cincinnati but anything less than four points, will be a major disappointment.

You can watch the full Orlando City B v FC Cincinnati match below: