Previewing FC Cincinnati for USL Playoffs
Usually when new franchises form and play in their inaugural seasons, struggles usually occur and teams generally don’t play well enough. Coming into this season, FC Cincinnati was a new club in the United Soccer League. The buzz around the Queen City was exciting as now this city, which is soccer crazed, finally had their professional soccer team. Little did anyone expect, but this team set out on a very special season in the first year of existence. The team showed resilience and grit as they shocked everyone by placing third in the Eastern Conference and one of the top seeds in the USL Playoffs. The team is led by John Harkes, a former player for the US Men’s National team. Whats even more amazing is that they never scored more than two goals in any match this season. They may not be overpowering their opponents, but they have shown that have more willingness to win. Their matchup in the first round of the playoffs will be with the Charleston Battery who they did not defeat in the regular season as they lost and drew against them. This will be a test, but the playoffs is a whole new season and anything can happen. Lets look at FC Cincinnati’s roster:
Goalkeeper
Mitch Hildebrandt
Dallas Jaye
Dan Williams
Hildebrandt has arguably been one of the main reasons for success for this club as he has been a rock. It’s almost like he’s a brick wall in front of the net and he has shown that he is one of the best keepers in the league. Jaye is the number two choice with Williams behind him.
Defenders
Tyler Polak
Harrison Delbridge
Evan Lee
Pat McMahon
Austin Berry
Derek Luke
Each of these guys has the capability of starting, but considering there is only four back positions to start, two have to be on the bench. Don’t be surprised to see Harkes substituting one of these guys into the game for an attacker with the lead. Austin Berry is arguably their best back and his resume suggests he is as he is a former Major League Soccer Rookie of The Year recipient. McMahon and Delbridge are also very good backs with Delbridge forming a nice partnership with Berry. Especially when Berry was injured, Luke, Lee, and Polak showed how good their defenders are as they filled in nicely and made up for his absence. Polak likely will round out with Berry, McMahon, and Delbridge for the starting four, but Lee and Luke also capable of starting as well.
Midfielders
Jamie Dell
Ross Tomaselli
Kenney Walker
Paul Nicholson
Eric Stevenson
Alvaro Anton Ripoll
Francisco Narbon
Omar Mohamed
Corben Bone
Jimmy McLaughlin
Michael Millay
This part of the team is the deepest and with the best depth. Also it is the scariest part of the team. Tomaselli has led the way with steady play, while Bone and McLaughlin have been bright spots this year as they have given other defense fits. Ripoll, Millay, and Narbon have been outstanding substitutes. Walker has been a huge component for this team as some may view him as the x-factor coming into this game. Stevenson and Nicholson have been awesome as well. Mohamed has been a nice player for the team as he uses his speed to create havoc and opportunities. Honestly, there are so many options here, Harkes will probably start the best players depending on who they play. Dell has not played yet this season.
Forwards
Luke Spencer
Sean Okoli
Omar Cummings
Casey Townsend
Andrew Wiedeman
Antoine Hoppenot
This part of the team on paper doesn’t look scary, but, oh, it is. Okoli is their top striker as he led the team with 16 goals and won the league’s Golden Boot award. Cummings is a speedy and experienced player who can start, but might be more valuable coming off the bench as he maybe needed in a crucial late game situation. Wiedeman has been outstanding this season. Hoppenot has proved to be a worthy weapon off the bench. Spencer and Townsend provide some depth.
This will be an exciting first round matchup for FC Cincinnati as Nippert Stadium is going to be loud and rocking. The fans here are rowdy and love watching this team play so that could factor in a lot for this game. Expect this team to feed off that energy and to advance the second round.
