Studs Up Soccer – FC Cincinnati match primer: Indy Eleven

by Chris Asbrock

FC Cincinnati @ Indy Eleven
7:00 pm EST
Lucas Oil Stadium
TV: YouTube, Star 64

Last meeting: First Regular Season meeting

Indy Eleven (1-0-0, 3 points, 7th Eastern Conference)
FC Cincinnati (1-0-0, 3 points, 6th Eastern Conference)

Another week and another large crowd for FC Cincinnati to play in front of. Instead of filling up Nippert Stadium, the venue will be Lucas Oil Stadium, where Indy Eleven will be taking on FC Cincinnati in the first match in what should be a great rivalry. Just 100 miles separates the two cities and the expectation is that over 1200 FCC supporters will be making the trip west. Indy Eleven their USL debut last week with a 1-0 victory over the Richmond Kickers.

They make their home debut in what should be in front of a large, rowdy crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium. There is an expectation of success for the first year USL club. Prior to this season, Indy Eleven spent time in the NASL, dating back to 2014. Indy Eleven saw success in the 2016 NASL Spring and Fall season but before or after that season, didn’t finish higher than fifth. With the talent assembled, including USMNT player Jack McInerney, look for Indy Eleven to be a player in the Eastern Conference this season.

The talk around FC Cincinnati was the complete roster overhaul made by coach Alan Koch. It will be interesting to see the lineup that Koch will assemble for this match. Both clubs made the moves during the offseason and look completely different than they did last season. The moves were made to improve the clubs from their disappointing 2017 campaigns. Indy Eleven fell flat last season and made a managerial change, heading into their USL debut. The club brought in veteran coach, Martin Rennie. The 42 year-old Scottish manager, spent time at five clubs, including MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps, prior to being hired on in Indy. Rennie brings a wealth of experience to a club that can make some waves with the right hire.

There are a number of key things to watch for this big early season matchup. The biggest thing to watch is Jack McInerney against the FC Cincinnati defense. McInerney can cause the FCC defense a whole lot of problems if he can find the form of a few years ago. The 25 year-old forward has played for five MLS clubs, scoring 43 goals in his MLS career. Facing a talent like Jack Mac, will force the defense to stay on their toes and could cause an issue if the defensive partnership is new. FC Cincinnati withstood a second half barrage in their opener but if not for the experienced back line, FCC could have left Charleston without the win. Having a player like Dekel Keinan as your anchor on the back line, can really help a defense when a forward like Jack Mac is bearing down on you.

The coaching battle will be another one to watch. This is a matchup between two coaches who have spent time with the Vancouver Whitecaps. Alan Koch was hired on to replace John Harkes and has done an incredible job. On the other side, Rennie has only been in charge of Indy Eleven for one match. The coach that manages this game/matchups the best and keeps their team the coolest, will see their team come away with the full three points. Koch has proven himself as a winner and is a great evaluator of talent. With that being the case, Koch has done an great job of handling the roster and many changes they have been dealt. It will be interesting to see how Rennie and Koch battle with out and which manager blinks first.

The last major thing to look at is the crowd. Soccer continues to explode in this country and the attendance numbers have reflected that. Nashville SC had 18,922 at their opener last weekend and Indy is hoping for around the same number. The question will be whether the large crowd will affect the Indy Eleven club who hasn’t played in front of the large numbers. It is well known that attendance is something that doesn’t phase FC Cincinnati. However, if the crowd is rowdy and loud, it will certainly have a profound effect on the visiting side. Having a club who has the experience of playing in front of a large crowd will certainly have the advantage.

This will be a fun matchup between two teams that will be surely be rivals in the very near future. The growth of the game in this country is something that we can all be excited for and for another club to gain massive attendance numbers, is nothing but fantastic. This match surely should not disappoint and the team coming away with the three points will gain the advantage early on in the season. The three points would be huge for FC Cincinnati as they are set to open up their home campaign next weekend against the defending USL champions, Louisville City FC.

You can watch the full Charleston Battery v FC Cincinnati match below: