Three FC Cincinnati players await their season openers this weekend when the USL Championship begins its 2020 season. Ben Lundt, Hassan Ndam and Rey Ortiz are all on loan from FCC and are looking to make an impact in the country’s second division.
To track their progress, expect a weekly “Loan Roundup” that provides all the details of the previous weekend, including highlights.
Ben Lundt
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Louisville City FC
Season opener: Louisville at North Carolina FC (Saturday, 2:30 p.m.)
Lundt is back on loan with Lou City after spending 2019 with FCC’s former USL rivals to the south. He had a bright start last year until an injury, and eventually surgery, ended his season in early June.
But Lundt is back healthy and in a familiar setting, meaning he should excel in his second professional campaign.
Before the injury, he made 12 appearances and earned four clean sheets. That’s the standard he’ll look to match in 2020.
FiveThirtyEight, a data-driven news and analysis site, predicts Louisville finishes fourth in the 2020 USL Championship Eastern Conference standings, but you can’t downplay a club that’s been to the conference final every year of its existence – and the USL Championship Final the past three seasons.
One interesting note: Lundt will be surrounded by plenty of familiar faces to FC Cincinnati fans. Four former players – Corben Bone, Antoine Hoppenot, Pat McMahon and Luke Spencer – are all on Lou City’s roster.
Hassan Ndam
Position: Defender
Club: The Miami FC
Season opener: Miami at Saint Louis FC (Saturday, 8 p.m.)
Ndam is on loan once again this season, but with USL Championship newcomers The Miami FC. The team should be familiar to the FCC faithful after the Orange and Blue beat Miami in the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. This will be The Miami FC’s first season in the USL Championship after previously playing in the NASL and NISA.
This year could be a big for Ndam, who was on loan with the Charlotte Independence in 2019, but regularly trained at the Mercy Health Training Center. Now he has a home to settle into and continue his development.
One interesting note: Miami is expected to win the Eastern Conference with 63 points, per FiveThirtyEight.
Rey Ortiz
Position: Winger
Club: Charlotte Independence
Season opener: Charlotte at Swope Park Rangers (Sunday, 5 p.m.)
After signing his first professional contract last month, Ortiz joined the Independence on loan hoping to produce an impactful rookie season.
The only one of FCC’s on loan players to spend preseason with the team, the 22-year old is a creative attacking player with a high work rate. He should fit in perfectly with a Charlotte side loaded with goal scorers
One interesting note: Assuming he lines up as a winger, Ortiz could join one of the USL Championship’s best front lines. Dane Kelly just joined the club from Indy Eleven and is the league’s career goals leader. Enzo Martinez, an Independence staple, has 77 USL Championship goals in his career and was a 2016 and 2017 USL MVP candidate.
