TUCSON, Ariz. – The Orange and Blue play their second preseason game in four days on Saturday when they face Sporting Kansas City in Casa Grande. The match starts at 1 p.m. ET (11 a.m. MT) and won’t be livestreamed.
If Wednesday night’s 3-0 win over Phoenix Rising FC (USL Championship) showed what FC Cincinnati are capable of, Saturday’s matchup is a test to see how FCC stands against a fellow MLS club.
“This will be our first big test against an MLS side, so I’m looking forward to it,” center back Nick Hagglund said. “Excited to see the progress we’ve made so far here in preseason.”
That progress is the point of FCC’s three weeks here in Tucson. The club started last week working on its shape and playing style. While that’s continued this week, more emphasis was added on shooting and set pieces.
Against SKC, head coach Ron Jans said he’s hoping to see another convincing performance that builds upon the “promising” Phoenix win.
“It’s so good when you put a lot of time in the playing style and you have a real game,” he said. “You want to see what you practiced and I think they showed some really good things.”
About Sporting KC
SKC finished 11th in the 2019 Western Conference standings, but expect an improved roster for Saturday’s game. The perennial Western Conference power faced a barrage of injuries that lasted the entire season and derailed the campaign.
In 2020, they’re led by Alan Pulido, their new DP who signed a four-year contract in the offseason. He commanded a club-record transfer fee and will headline their forwards.
In addition, the club is known for its academy, which we highlighted back in December during the “Examining the Academies” series. SKC will likely use at least a handful of academy products against FCC.
