As FC Cincinnati nears the midway point of the 2021 season, the club is beginning to take its second pass through its slate of Eastern Conference foes, and that presents a new challenge.
The second look at an opponent presents an opportunity for both teams to right the wrongs of the first encounter. On July 17, CF Montreal made good on that opportunity in a 5-4 win against FC Cincinnati. The game was preceded by an FCC win over Montreal in May, and Montreal made the corrections necessary to finally beat Cincinnati after three successive losses in league play to FCC.
Now, FC Cincinnati and Nashville SC will attempt to break the deadlock from their season-opening 2-2 draw on April 17.
FC Cincinnati returns to Nissan Stadium on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET) with hopes another road result, which have been hard to come by for Nashville's opponents in 2021.
More:FC Cincinnati hangs on for 1-1 tie with Atlanta United
Nashville has progressed to the point where it can reasonably be seen as an Eastern Conference threat in 2021.
Following a playoff-qualifying run in its 2020 expansion season, Nashville was the second-to-last club in MLS to lose a match this season and now sits in fourth position in the East.
Nashville still hasn't lost at Nissan Stadium, where it has posted a 5-0-5 record.
"We've seen that they've got a very good team. They're good a good side. They've got a good roster," coach Jaap Stam said. "A lot of players also on the bench. If they need to make changes, that's easy for them to do. Physically, they're a strong side. Also on the ball, they can play good football.
They've played several systems. They've played in a 4-3-3 (formation) but also lately in a 5-3-2, so it's always the question in how are they gonna be set up tomorrow? We need to prepare for both but it's not gonna be an easy game. You can see that every team that's facing them is finding it very hard to get results, especially at home against them."
FC Cincinnati is one of few clubs in MLS that would be a good bet to get something off Nashville on the road as Cincinnati is one of just six MLS clubs with three or more away victories on the year (3-3-2).
The Game
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 24 | Nissan Stadium
TV/Radio/stream: Star64/ESPN1530-AM/fccincinnati.com
Series info: On April 17, the clubs tied in their first-ever meeting in MLS, 2-2. Four prior matches played in the second-division USL 2018 season, including a playoff match in which FCC advanced in penalty kicks, all ended in ties.
More:Analysis: Vermeer, Acosta headline FC Cincinnati's 1-1 draw against Atlanta United
Odds: FC Cincinnati is favored, according to BETMGM.com.
Cincinnati.com prediction: Nashville SC 1, FC Cincinnati 1.
FC Cincinnati
Record: 3-6-4, 13 points; 11th in Eastern Conference
Goals for: 17
Goals against: 26
Coach: Jaap Stam – second season as FC Cincinnati coach (7-19-8)
Projected starting lineup:
Kenneth Vermeer (GK)
Edgar Castillo, left back
Gustavo Vallecilla, center back (left)
Geoff Cameron, center back (right)
Joseph-Claude Gyau, right back
Yuya Kubo, midfielder
Luciano Acosta, midfielder
Haris Medunjanin, midfielder
Alvaro Barreal, winger
Isaac Atanga, winger
Brenner Souza da Silva, forward
Nashville SC
Record: 5-1-8, 23 points; 4th in Eastern Conference
Goals for: 21
Goals against: 14
Coach: Gary Smith - second season as Nashville SC head coach (13-8-16)
Projected starters:
Joe Willis, goalkeeper
Taylor Washington, wing back
David Romney, left back
Dax McCarty, center back
Jalil Anibaba, right back
Eric Miller, wing back
Matt LaGrassa, midfielder
Brian Anunga, midfielder
Alex Muyl, midfielder
C. J. Sapong, forward
Hany Mukhtar, forward
Player to watch: Kenneth Vermeer – Przemysław Tytoń might be a forgotten man in the FC Cincinnati setup these days but Nashville SC certainly put him through his paces – just as he did to Nashville – in that memorable April 17 opener.
"Titi" was forced into 11 saves on the night – many of them acrobatic in nature – in what unquestionably remains one of the top single-game goalkeeping performances of the 2021 MLS season. Tyton was named to the MLS Team of the Week, and that honor was as much a testament to his performance as it was Nashville's ability to attack and put the FCC.
Less than two weeks later, Vermeer was picked up off waivers, signed by FCC and has had his ups and downs since taking over May 17 against Inter Miami CF.
Now, Vermeer is coming off his own MLS Team of the Week performance in Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Atlanta. Vermeer will need every ounce of that confidence and a possible repeat showing of top-quality goal-tending against Nashville, which has scored 21 times on the year and should have more.
Noteworthy: As has been the case in recent weeks, the Concacaf Gold Cup will take its toll on the lineups for the Cincinnati-Nashville match. FC Cincinnati will again be without left back Ronald Matarrita and forward Allan Cruz (both members of the Costa Rica men's national team) and Nashville will play absent the services of Alistair Johnston (Canada), Anibal Godoy (Panama) and Walker Zimmerman (United States).
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