Eleven months after they last played at Nippert Stadium, the Orange and Blue will host their 2020 home opener on Friday night when they face D.C. United – five months after the teams were originally scheduled to meet in FC Cincinnati’s home opener.
While Friday night celebrates the team’s in-market return, this will be FCC’s sixth game of the regular season. This is what you need to know ahead of kickoff:
Here we go…
MLS suspended the regular season on March 12 – two days before FCC and D.C. United were supposed to meet at Nippert Stadium.
After that announcement, Cincinnati didn’t play again until July 11, when it faced Columbus Crew SC in the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando, Fla. Despite a loss in that match, the team responded by winning its next two to reach the knockout portion of the tournament before falling in a penalty shootout against the eventual champions: the Portland Timbers.
Of course, while FCC were in Florida, they developed a new playing identity and grew under head coach Jaap Stam, who referred to that tournament as a preseason before in-market matches returned.
They have officially arrived.
“The players are in a good phase,” Stam said about playing matches again. “They are in a good frame of mind and they know what to do.”
Can Cincinnati build upon the momentum it discovered during the MLS is Back Tournament?
Instead of only playing three group-stage games in Orlando, the Orange and Blue are set to begin an 18-game slate of matches that will count toward the regular season standings.
Stam: “Good to be back to play a game”
Photo by Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Kendall Waston joked Nippert Stadium feels like a “rental home” because he hasn’t been there for so long.
“It’s like a rental home because you’ve not been there for a while and you miss it a lot,” the captain said Wednesday afternoon. “There’s nothing nice not being there on the field in a place that you like. (Thursday) is going to be our first practice there since a while and hopefully we can enjoy it and make our home a strong home.”
If the MLS is Back Tournament was an introductory phase of Stam coaching FCC, the upcoming matches should hopefully resemble a sense of normalcy – even if at least the first three home matches are played without fans.
“Unfortunately, the fans can’t be there, but of course they were following us throughout the internet and watching the game on television,” Stam said. “So that’s good to be back to play a game. Hopefully we can continue in getting results like you’ve seen.”
Not a sprint, but not a marathon
FCC’s upcoming schedule feels like an 800-meter race. It’s not a sprint, but it’s not long distance, either.
The Orange and Blue are about to play six games in a 23-day span – and that’s just the first phase of MLS’ return to home markets. If the club can play 18 more games, which the league hopes, that will require extensive travel and little time for recovery.
“I don’t know how to call it in this new tournament or whatever,” Waston said. “It’s a good challenge for us to keep improving and showing what we are capable of.”
Cincinnati is about to play three of its next four matches at Nippert Stadium. Hopefully that creates laboratory for Stam to keep tinkering with his tactics and FCC can find some momentum.
With a shortened regular season, there’s a good chance that playoff seedings will come down to the regular-season finale. What can the club do between now and then to ease pressure in crunch time?
Match Info:
FC Cincinnati hosts D.C. United
Kickoff: Friday, 7:30 pm.
Where: Nippert Stadium (No fans permitted)
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 80 degrees
TV: WSTR Star 64
In-Market Streaming: fccincinnati.com
Out-of-Market Streaming: ESPN+
Club Connections
D.C.’s Felipe Martins has multiple connections with FCC players and coaches. In 2014, he was with Yoann Damet and Jack Stern in the Montreal Impact organization. Martins and Hassan Ndam were both in the New York Red Bulls organization in 2017, and Martins played with Kendall Waston for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in 2018.
Greg Garza and Brandon Vazquez played with Julian Gressel for Atlanta United FC from 2017-19, while Yamil Asad was also with Atlanta in 2017.
Garza and Paul Arriola both played for Club Tijuana from 2013-17.
Joseph-Claude Gyau and Caleb Stanko have both played alongside Arriola for the U.S. Men’s National Team. On Sept. 6, 2016, Stanko and Arriola played in a 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago. Gyau and Arriola then represented the U.S. on June 5, 2019, against Jamaica.
Garza has also represented the USMNT with two other D.C. United players: with Bill Hamid on Nov. 18, 2014 against Ireland, and Jan. 29, 2017 against Serbia.
Garza, Gyau and Spencer Richey were all at IMG Academy when Earl Edwards Jr. was there between 2007-09.
Kendall Waston and Ulises Segura both played for Deportivo Saprissa on 2014.
