FC Cincinnati will travel to face the New York Red Bulls in the Round of 16 of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The game will be played on Tuesday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Red Bull Arena.Â
The match will stream, for free, on the Bleacher Report Football YouTube channel and the B/R app.
Following the Round of 32, the competition’s remaining 16 teams were placed into four geographic groups (Northeast, Southeast, Central and West), with FCC grouped into the Northeast with the New York Red Bulls, Columbus Crew and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
Thursday’s draw set in place a bracket for the remainder of the U.S. Open Cup. The draw determined matchups in the Round of 16, with the winners of each group’s games preset to face each other in the Quarterfinals (to be played June 6-7). The team to emerge from the Northeast group will face the Southeast’s winner (Nashville SC, Inter Miami CF, Charlotte FC and Birmingham Legion FC) in the Semifinals on August 23. The 2023 U.S. Open Cup Final is set for September 27.
Should FC Cincinnati advance past the Red Bulls, the Orange and Blue will host the winner of the other Northeast matchup, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs Columbus Crew, on June 6 or 7.
The Round of 16 matchup for the Orange and Blue against the New York Red Bulls will mark the first meeting between the sides since last season’s MLS Cup Playoff Round One matchup, with Cincinnati’s dramatic, come-from-behind 2-1 win giving the Orange and Blue their first playoff win.
Across all competitions since 2019, FC Cincinnati are 3-4-3 against the Red Bulls. Eight of the 10 MLS fixtures between the two sides have combined for two or fewer goals.
The matchup will be the first Open Cup fixture between the two sides since FC Cincinnati’s USL era, when in 2017 the Red Bulls ended the then-second division side’s magical run in the Open Cup in the Semifinals. New York defeated Cincinnati in the Orange and Blue’s sixth game of the tournament by winning 3-2 after extra time in front of a sellout crowd of 33,250 at Nippert Stadium.
2023 marks the 108th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, the oldest national soccer competition in the United States, which first began in 1913. The Orange and Blue are 11-4-2 all-time in the event. Most notably, FC Cincinnati made a semifinal run in 2017, gaining national acclaim. The run included a win against the Columbus Crew in the Fourth Round, a penalty shootout win against the Chicago Fire in the Round of 16, and another victory over Miami FC in the Quarterfinals. FCC fell after extra time to the New York Red Bulls in the Cup Semifinals in front of a sellout crowd of 33,250 fans at Nippert Stadium.
FC Cincinnati advanced to the Round of 16 by defeating New York City FC, 1-0, Wednesday night in the Round of 32 and by beating Louisville City FC back in April in the Third Round.
Since joining MLS in 2019, FC Cincinnati are 4-2-0 in Open Cup competition.
For more information on the U.S. Open Cup, including scores and schedules, visit usopencup.com.
FC Cincinnati have a bye on Matchday 12 this weekend and will be back in action for a midweek matchup with CF Montréal next Wednesday, May 17 at TQL Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and tickets are available now at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or by calling (513) 977-5425 (KICK). The game can be streamed live via MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app and fans can also listen to the match locally on ESPN 1530.
