CHICAGO - Welcome to Cincinnati.com's live coverage of FC Cincinnati (2-0-1, seven points) versus Chicago Fire FC (0-1-1, one point) at Soldier Field. Refresh this page throughout the match for frequent blog-style updates, and follow Enquirer FC Cincinnati beat reporter Pat Brennan on Twitter (@PBrennanENQ) for more updates.
Chill in the air
We'll try not to belabor the point about weather as a factor in tonight's game. Both teams have to deal with it after all. Still, about 30 minutes prior to kickoff, the temperature is 23F and it feels like 7F when factoring for the wind chill, according to the National Weather Service. Heat is being provided inside the covered benches for players and coaches. Think: NFL-bench-style tubes pumping out heat. And the cold shouldn't be a problem for the players actually playing.
The starting lineups...
FC Cincinnati had already declared Nick Hagglund (red-card suspension) and Yuya Kubo (injury) out for the Chicago match. What wasn't as expected was Luciano Acosta starting the match on the bench. He's available to play but won't start after picking up an injury in training this past week.
FC Cincinnati starting XI: Roman Celentano (GK), Alvaro Barreal, Ian Murphy, Matt Miazga (captain), Yerson Mosquera, Ray Gaddis, Junior Moreno, Obinna Nwobodo, Marco Angulo, Brenner Souza da Silva, Brandon Vazquez.
Cincinnati bench: Alec Kann (GK), Alvas Powell, Joey Akpunonu, Luciano Acosta, Santiago Arias, Dominique Badji, Sergio Santos, Malik Pinto, Quimi Ordonez.
Chicago Fire FC: Brady (GK), Gimenez, Pineda, Gutierrez, Przybylko, Haile-Selassie, Navarro, Czichos, Teran, Souquet.
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