FC Cincinnati announce ninth sellout of season for Saturday’s showdown with the New England Revolution

FC Cincinnati announces ninth sellout season of season at TQL Stadium for Saturday’s showdown

Updated: 3:39 PM EDT Jun 29, 2023

Saturday’s FC Cincinnati match against the New England Revolution at TQL Stadium has been announced as a sellout. Fans are encouraged to arrive early on what will be a busy day in downtown Cincinnati and to be in their seats prior to kickoff to build the atmosphere for a battle between the top two teams in the Supporters’ Shield standings. With a win on Saturday night, the Orange and Blue would set a new MLS record for the most consecutive home wins to begin a season at 11, and FCC would set the new longest single-season home winning streak in MLS history. Saturday evening’s contest will mark the 17th time TQL Stadium has sold out for an FC Cincinnati match, the ninth time this season in 11 regular season home games. Here s a full list of FC Cincinnati sellouts during the 2023 season at TQL Stadium:May 16, 2021 vs MIA – 6,000* May 29, 2021 vs NE – 11,000* June 19, 2021 vs COL – 25,054 July 9, 2021 vs CLB – 25,701 July 31, 2021 vs DC – 25,060 August 13, 2022 vs ATL – 25,037 August 27, 2022 vs CLB – 25,037 October 1, 2022 vs CHI – 25,316 February 25, 2023 vs HOU – 25,513 March 11, 2023 vs SEA – 25,513April 8, 2023 vs PHI – 25,513April 22, 2023 vs POR – 25,513May 6, 2023 vs DC – 25,513May 20, 2023 vs CLB – 25,513June 3, 2023 vs CHI – 25,513June 21, 2023 vs TOR – 25,513July 1, 2023 vs NE – 25,513Fans can get their tickets for future FC Cincinnati games here or by calling 513-977-5425 (KICK).

Jaap Stam knows he carries a stigma with him from his playing days, when he was known as an aggressive and somewhat intimidating defender. FC Cincinnati’s new head coach said that isn’t who he is on the sidelines.

FC Cincinnati on Thursday announced the former Manchester United centerback as its new head coach — its third in 13 months. The team formally introduced him Friday during a Zoom news conference.

Stam, 47, won three Premier League titles after joining Manchester United in 1998 and is considered one of the greatest Dutch defenders of all time. As a manager, Stam is 54-47-32 (W-L-D) since 2016 with stints at English side Reading and Dutch clubs PEC Zwolle and Feyenoord, from which he resigned in October.

“When they see me physically, everybody is thinking, 'OK, you must be angry all the time,' but that's not the case,” said Stam, who stands 6 feet, 3 inches tall. “I can have a laugh with everybody. I played in a certain way, with a certain aggression like everybody knows. That's my mentality, that's my way how I approach the game (as a player). You try to win your games. You go up (emotionally) in your games as well.

“As a manager, you have to learn how to manage that as well, your own feelings, how you approach the team, what you want to give to your team as a manager as well. Of course, you want to give that winning mentality to your team because players, I think, need to do everything in their ability to win games and do their best and work hard. That's the least you can expect from your players.”

Stam added that he doesn’t necessarily take the “tough guy” approach as a manager. He said he addresses some players more directly than others and takes a more “feeling” or personal approach with others, depending on what they respond to best.

Style-wise, he talks about being dominant but not necessarily physically.

“By being a defender and sometimes tackling players and looking like a tough guy, that's not in how I approach the game in terms of playing,” he said. “The team needs to be decisive in what they are doing, but that's in a way defensively and that's also attacking wise. If you go forward, you need to be very decisive in your attacking movement and making your runs. In how I want to play, that's by playing in an attractive way, going forward, being dominant, keeping possession and hopefully finding the patience to create openings in the opposition to score goals. By being dominant, I mean it's always nice to have the ball as a team than to chase it every time. That's why you want to play in a certain way.”

Stam is often portrayed in photos with a scowl or being physical with opponents, but he showed a softer side Friday. Asked about the club accidentally using a mislabeled Getty Images photo of Jong Ajax coach Tinus van Teunenbroek when announcing Stam’s hire on social media, Stam made light of the situation.

Opposing teams even jumped in on Twitter with their own photos of bald white men who could have been mistaken for Stam, and Stam said FC Cincinnati will get the last laugh if they beat those teams on the pitch.

“Yesterday was a busy day,” Stam said. “It was a hard day, a lot of talking, a lot of meetings eventually, so we used the doppelganger to do pictures for me.”

The club gave him a warm welcome, Stam said, and he looks forward to working with the roster he has been dealt. For now, that will be done from afar until his work visa is complete and FC Cincinnati gets permission to fly him, new assistant Said Bakkati and general manager Gerard Nijkamp in from The Netherlands.

Stam said he was interested in the club because it’s a project where he can grow as a manager and help shape a young club’s future. Though he brings a prior connection with Nijkamp, who hired him at PEC Zwolle in December 2018, both Stam and Nijkamp said their “friendship” had little to do with the decision to work together again.

“There are living 17 million people in the Netherlands and every time we talk about a Dutch candidate, the media is talking about, 'It's a friend of Gerard's, and he's coming to FC Cincinnati,'” Nijkamp said. “Yes, I like Jaap a lot as how he is as a professional in his job and what he will bring for our club because I was working very pleasant with him in PEC Zwolle.

“We know each other, yes. We like each other in the way we work,” Nijkamp added. “I think we also will have a good fit, but I also believe based on our conversations ... there are more connections than just people thinking we are friends.”

CINCINNATI — While Major League Soccer finalizes plans to restart the 2020 season, FC Cincinnati is gearing up with the hope that its new coach will arrive in time to lead the team through a fresh beginning.

A team spokesperson said Jaap Stam is still in the process of securing his work visa and approval to fly from his home in The Netherlands to his new adventure in the United States. However, the opportunity for him to potentially join FCC in Orlando – where all 26 teams will gather at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex for a World Cup-style tournament – would be ideal.

Stam fills the role vacated by Ron Jans, who resigned 12 days before the start of the season amid an investigation into a racial slur he made earlier during the preseason.

MLS suspended the season March 12 after just two games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the ratification of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement on Wednesday paved the way for the league to move forward with plans to resume play initially with the tournament in Orlando and potentially finish the season in home markets. The league on Thursday lifted the team training moratorium that had been in effect since mid-March.

“I think it would be awesome (to restart with Stam),” goalkeeper Spencer Richey said on a Zoom call with media Wednesday. “… I think part of this whole situation is, just, the future has been uncertain and the more stability and certainty you feel you can have in your life these days is so much better, and that's no different with the coaching staff. We've had some changes, obviously. That's no secret, but just in speaking on that one Zoom call with Jaap, I feel like you could feel his energy, you could feel his passion, and he's certainly had an incredible career as a player and he's going to be a guy that guys respect as a coach, so I think guys are really looking forward to that.”

Richey said this feels like a fresh start for the team, but more so once Stam is in place. FCC held its first small-group training session Thursday after weeks of individual training. Assistant Yoann Damet, who served as interim coach, continues heading things up in Cincinnati.

As some of the proposed details to the Orlando tournament emerged late last month, even Stam was on board with the idea, saying in his introductory press conference on May 22, “Orlando would be ideal for me because you get to know everyone really well when you’re all together like that for an extended period of time.”

MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a Zoom news conference with media Wednesday that dates and full details are still being arranged, but the players would be gone for no more than 35 days and teams would essentially be quarantined together at a hotel and at the Disney sports complex. No fans will be in attendance, but games will be broadcast on TV with some added visual enhancements to make the product even better for those watching at home, Garber said.

ESPN.com’s Jeff Carlisle reported from sources that players could arrive as early as June 24 for a two-week training period with a three-game guaranteed first round, followed by knockout rounds to determine a winner. Garber said the idea behind the tournament is related to providing a way to get back on the pitch in as safe a manner as possible (the league will provide regular testing for COVID-19) and a way to recoup some of the revenue lost, as the league is estimated to lose $1 billion this year.

The league and players’ union both had to give some concessions to reach an agreement, and negotiations heated up so much in the last week that MLS threatened a lockout if the MLS Players Association did not agree to its proposal with the main sticking point tied to a force majeure clause meant to allow either side to back out of the contract under extraordinary and unforeseen circumstances, such as a new wave of COVID-19 infections that would force MLS to shut down again.

Players around the league chose not to participate in voluntary training sessions Monday as a stand against the ultimatum, and no FCC players showed up for what would have been the club’s first small-group workouts after the league initially limited teams to individual training sessions. The idea of a lockout and the tough stance taken by players ultimately brought both sides to a deal.

“The tactic of the threat of a lockout is a scary thing, for sure,” said FC Cincinnati defender Nick Hagglund, who is one of the team’s MLSPA representatives. “I think ultimately it made the players dig their heels in even more, and I'm really proud of the players and how they responded to that. There was no panic and everyone was in it together making sure they know what the information was to make sound judgement. It was across the player pool. I'm really proud of FC Cincinnati and what they did to understand and make sure everyone was on the same page. Ultimately, MLS needed a decision made, especially on the Orlando trip, and obviously they wanted a specific thing, so it puts a timeline on everything. We thought we might have had a little bit more time, but once they said that, it was time to get a decision done. For us, ultimately, it was to make sure what we got for the players was right and that we were going to stand together and be unified.”

Players are taking just a 5% pay cut, according to Garber, but the extension of the CBA – one was approved in February but never ratified -- by one year to run through 2025 will help the league save money down the road when the new media-rights deals come into effect in 2023. The force majeure clause remained but with some tweaking of the wording.

Hagglund and Richey both said it will be nice now to just focus on soccer. Although there are risks to returning because of COVID-19, they were satisfied with the league’s plan to try to keep players and staff safe.

“I think that was a lot of the first thought that came to guys' minds when this idea of the tournament came together, but there's a lot of smart people that both the PA and MLS have brought on board to ensure it's as safe as can be,” Richey said. “We know there is some risk that comes with it, but we think there are enough protocols and enough safety measures in place that we will hopefully be able to get out of there healthy.”

Garber said all players will be required to participate unless they fit into the categories the league discussed with the MLSPA, such as a medical reason or extenuating family needs.

FCC is hoping to get a chance to return to Nippert Stadium to finish the season, ideally in front of at least a lower-capacity crowd. In the meantime, they will treat the Orlando tournament like playoff games. The club lost its first two games played before the season was suspended and was coming off a last-place finish in 2019, but there is reason for optimism with an improved roster and now a new coach who was known as a legendary defender in his playing career with Manchester United, among others.

“It wouldn't be exactly the same feeling of having a full season and then playing MLS Cup, but it's also like a World Cup kind of tournament, so when you win anything it's an exciting feeling,” Hagglund said. “I think it's obviously going to feel different, but any time you have an opportunity to lift a trophy, you are excited about that.”

CINCINNATI — Jurgen Locadia missed a chance to give FC Cincinnati a win for a second straight game, but the Orange and Blue still got something out of their first match in the league’s return to home markets.

FC Cincinnati played D.C. United to a scoreless draw in a closed-door match Friday at Nippert Stadium, adding a point to move up two spots to seventh in the Eastern Conference table. Only media, club employees and gameday personnel were in attendance.

Allan Cruz found Locadia open on a run to right corner of the 18-yard box in the 84^th minute, and Locadia had D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid beat inside but somehow managed to send the shot to the far post and hit the frame. The designated player and Brighton & Hove Albion loanee also missed a sitter in the 87^th minute of the MLS is Back Tournament Round of 16 game that ended in a draw before Portland advanced in penalties.

FCC (2-3-1) hadn’t played since that match on July 28, and Friday served as the club’s home opener – five months after originally scheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. D.C. United (1-2-3) was missing some key players and seemingly hasn’t found its rhythm yet but remains in 10th in the standings.

Here are three takeaways from the match…

1. Slow start, better second half

Cincinnati sat back defensively for the first 20 minutes and allowed D.C. to dominate possession, absorbing the pressure and patiently waiting for opportunities to attack. Those chances were few and far between for the entirety of the match, but FCC did begin to gain better control as the game went on and the Orange and Blue ended up with 56% possession for the match.

FCC, which played out of a 5-3-2 formation, opened things up by shifting to what looked more like 4-4-2 to finish the first half, and then got better movement out of Allan Cruz when he came in to replace injured forward/midfielder Siem de Jong to start the second half. The Orange and Blue had just five shots, two on target, while D.C. finished with seven – six in the first half – and just one on target.

“Part of the game plan is to play out of the back, so that's part of our game, and it's something that we want to develop moving forward, but we also know that there's a time and a place for it, and that was displayed today,” wingback Joe Gyau said. “So, the first 20 minutes, they had energy, they were pressing high. We were kind of playing into their hand by playing out of the back. So we had to stretch them out a little bit. Once we opened them up, then that's when we were able to create more space, and that's how we were able to find our groove.”

2. Third straight clean sheet

FC Cincinnati picked up where it left off in Orlando in terms of the progress displayed on defense, securing the team’s third clean sheet in six regular-season matches (two in the MLS is Back Tournament).

The Orange and Blue were getting peppered with free kicks from just outside the box in the first half, one of which Donovan Pines headed off the cross bar after a nice ball from Julian Gressel in the eighth minute. There were two more similar attempts over the next five minutes.

For a defense that allowed a league-record 75 goals in 2019, clean sheets early on are an especially good sign the roster improvements since then are paying off.

“It's not only the backline, because you don't play with a back five or back four -- you play with 11 players on the pitch and the army to defend,” Stam said. “It's the whole team was working and trying to work as a block. I think for the first 20 minutes, we gave away a little bit too much space in between lines, but after that we've been a lot better, and throughout the last couple of games, you know, they've been very solid. We all want to go forward. We want to create opportunities. But we also don't want to concede because, again, you want to take something out of it. The last games, we've done that, which is a very positive thing.”

3. Point taken

Locadia’s missed opportunity came up multiple times in the postgame press conference, as FC Cincinnati clearly was disappointed not to get the three points, but FC Cincinnati walked away satisfied nonetheless in getting a result.

“You’re pleased that you're not losing and that you get a point,” Stam said. “Of course, you want to have three. We knew we were facing a strong side … and you see how the game goes from the start till the end and then you get stronger and stronger and dominating more and, to be honest, in the second half. Then you're waiting for that moment that you can go through and score that goal and, you know we went through, but unfortunately we couldn't and couldn't finish it off and that was a pity.”

That final punch forward and finishing opportunities is all that’s missing right now, Gyau said. In terms of Locadia, Stam reiterated the importance of the striker just opening up opportunities.

“There are a lot of strikers in the world who don't get into positions to score goals, so if that was the case, that would be worse, but he's getting there and got his opportunity,” Stam said. “Unfortunately, he didn't score. Next time, I'm sure he's going to.”

CINCINNATI — FC Cincinnati will host its first home opener at West End Stadium on Sunday, May 16, the club announced Wednesday afternoon.

They will face visiting Miami CF in a match that will be nationally televised.

"The match will mark FC Cincinnati's first home Major League Soccer match to be played at a venue other than Nippert Stadium," club officials said in Wednesday's announcement.

The game will begin at 4 p.m. on May 16, nearly a month after the team's season opener at Nashville SC on April 17.

FC Cincinnati is looking for its first season-opening win since joining Major League Soccer.

The club is 0-2 in season-opening games, but has a chance to change that Saturday night, when it faces Nashville SC on the road.

“They have to score goals,” said WCPO contributor Laurel Pfahler, who covers FC Cincinnati.

Plain and simple, that slowly became the most frustrating part of the 2020 FC Cincinnati team, which showed great promise during the “MLS is Back” tournament in Orlando last summer.

After leaving the “bubble” in Orlando, however, the team went 2-12-4 to close the season.

“They need to make sure they keep possession and moving forward,” said Pfahler. “A lot of times in the midfield, last year, they ended up going backwards and never had numbers going forward.”

The club made moves to improve that deficiency this offseason – namely in adding Luciano Acosta, to go with other additions in the offensive end like Brenner and Calvin Harris.

One major talking point in recent weeks, however, has been the reported departure of Frankie Amaya.

Notably, Amaya is still listed on FC Cincinnati’s official roster, but according to multiple national reports, the 20-year-old midfielder was traded away earlier this month.

“The reason it hurts is because it came so late in the offseason – or the preseason, really,” said Pfahler.

Instead of replacing Amaya with a player from outside the organization, it appears the coaching staff will move Yuya Kubo to Amaya’s position, with the possibility of others filling that void at times as well.

FC Cincinnati opens the season at 8:30 Saturday night on the road at Nashville SC.

Unlike most games last season, there will be thousands of fans at Saturday’s game.

Nashville is allowed to host up to 40% capacity inside Nissan Stadium, which has a typical seating capacity of close to 70,000 fans.