CINCINNATI – Three FC Cincinnati players have earned places on Major League Soccer’s Team of the Week presented by Audi for Week 4. Kenny Saief and Kekuta Manneh earned a place in the Starting XI, while Greg Garza was named to the seven-player bench. Head Coach Alan Koch was named Team of the Week coach for a second consecutive week.
The Orange and Blue notched their first MLS road win after defeating New England Revolution, 2-0, at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Manneh scored his first goal of the season and added an assist in the victory. He put the Orange and Blue ahead right before halftime, connecting with Saief’s return pass in the 44th minute. Manneh returned the favor to Saief in the 65th minute. The pacey forward led all FC Cincinnati players in chances created and fouls won, with three respectively. In addition, Manneh successfully completed 18-of-20 passes in New England’s half.
Saief notched his second assist and first goal of the season in his first start for the Orange and Blue. Saief’s cross from the edge of the 18-yard box helped Manneh put the visitors on top. The midfielder recorded his first MLS goal in the 65th minute of the match. Saief was active in the attack for FC Cincinnati, leading the team with 69 touches and 27 passes in New England’s half.
Garza led all FC Cincinnati players with four tackles in his first MLS start of the season. In addition, he was chosen to wear the captain’s armband during Kendall Waston’s absence due to international duty. The defender capped off his performance with five clearances and two interceptions for the Orange and Blue.
Koch was forced to make changes to the starting lineup after losing four starters to a combination of international call-ups and injury. FC Cincinnati’s head coach guided the club to their first-ever MLS road win, second consecutive win and second shutout as an MLS team.
FC Cincinnati return home for a match against the Philadelphia Union at Nippert Stadium on Saturday, March 30. The match will be televised locally on WSTR Star64, streamed regionally on FloSports, out of market on ESPN+ and carried on the radio on WDJO, the TuneIn app and fccincinnati.com. Season tickets, mini plans and individual-game tickets are on sale at fccincinnati.com/tickets or by calling 513-977-5425 (KICK).
For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati.
