The pressure is back on FC Cincinnati with the New York Red Bulls, the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, coming to town.
Saturday's 7:30 p.m. match marks FC Cincinnati's fifth consecutive match against an Eastern Conference playoff rival, and it will see the club be tested by what appears to be one of the best teams the Red Bulls have fielded since FCC joined Major League Soccer.
Cincinnati will look to remain unbeaten post-June international break as it has already posted a 1-0-3 record against Philadelphia Union, Orlando City SC, New York City FC and New England Revolution.
FC Cincinnati has seen variations of RBNY since FCC's inaugural campaign in 2019, but never a variation this good. Then again, FCC has never been as good as they are now, either, standing at No. 5 in the Eastern Conference with an overall record of 7-7-4.
The clash of the two playoff hopefuls amounts to arguably the most important game in FC Cincinnati MLS history.
Head coach Pat Noonan didn't seem too worried about it when asked after Thursday's training. His guys are capable, especially with the MLS Player of the Month for June Luciano Acosta and MLS Player of the Week for Week 17 Brenner Souza da Silva leading their attack.
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"The opponent (being) at the top of the table speaks to the balance of the conference and the league where if you win a couple games, you can jump pretty quickly or drop pretty quickly," Noonan said. "(RBNY) is a strong opponent . . . (They've) had some success early on the road this year and certainly understand how to approach the road games in order to get results."
New York is 3-2-4 at Red Bull Arena so far this season but boasts a league-best 6-3-1 road record.
Noonan knows the game will come with it's challenges. Things like defensive pressure on the ball, preparing for the Red Bulls' own defensive pressure and maintaining possession in dangerous areas are points of emphasis, he said.
Some of the differences with this RBNY team are going to come with where and how they press the field and handle the ball against FCC, and with this being the clubs' first meeting of the season with playoff position on the line, the stakes are high.
"I think we've seen, at different times, some of the same things we're going to see on Saturday (nonetheless)," Noonan said.
Center back Geoff Cameron expressed similar sentiments, stating that RBNY are a high-pressing, high-energy team, and he didn't necessarily expect the clubs' respective styles to produce beautiful soccer.
"I wouldn't say it's going to be a pretty game. It's (definitely) going to be scrappy, with lots of first-second duels. But, we can (handle) that," Cameron said. "I would say we're more of a complete team (right now), where guys are working as one . . . We're (becoming more of a) collective."
Cameron indicated he felt like FCC built up the belief in themselves, has the strength and ability to get themselves back into any game, and to get a result against the Red Bulls.
The Game
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday | TQL Stadium
TV/Radio/Stream: WSTR Star64 / ESPN1530 / fccincinnati.com
Series info: FC Cincinnati trails in the all-time series against New York Red Bulls with a 2-4-1 record. Both of Cincinnati's wins against New York came during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Cincinnati.com prediction: FC Cincinnati 2, New York Red Bulls 2.
FC Cincinnati
2022 record: 7-7-4 25 points; tied for fifth place in MLS Eastern Conference
Goals for: 29
Goals against: 32
Coach: Pat Noonan - first season at FC Cincinnati
Projected starting lineup:
Roman Celentano, goalkeeper
Ray Gaddis, right back
Tyler Blackett, center back
Geoff Cameron, center back
Nick Hagglund, center back
Alvaro Barreal, left back
Obinna Nwobodo, midfielder
Haris Medunjanin, midfielder
Luciano Acosta, midfielder
Brandon Vazquez, forward
Brenner Souza da Silva, forward
New York Red Bulls
2022 record: 9-5-5; 32 points, first in Eastern Conference
Goals for: 29
Goals against: 20
Coach: Gerhard Struber – second season as Red Bulls manager
Projected starting lineup:
Carlos Coronel, goalkeeper
Dylan Nealis, right back
Juan Castillo, center back
Aaron Long, center back
John Tolkin, left back
Cristian Casseres, midfielder
Frankie Amaya, defensive midfielder
Lewis Morgan, wing/midfielder
Omir Fernandez, midfielder/forward
Luquinhas, wing/midfielder
Tom Barlow, striker
Noteworthy: According to the New York Red Bulls media notes for the club's visit to TQL Stadium, Omir Fernandez is the only player on the RBNY roster to score a goal against FC Cincinnati previously.
