Preview: Battle of The Queen Cities | FC Cincinnati vs Charlotte FC
SHAWN BEHMER
Well. I’m still not sure how The FC pulled off a 3-2 victory at Chicago Fire and neither did Pat Noonan when he said, “Sometimes this stuff doesn’t make sense,” in the postgame presser. However, credit to Noonan and the staff for trying something new and keeping the guys motivated despite facing adversity.
Now that more guys are healthy and available for selection, how do we line up? Will we see a similar lineup from recent matches? Or will we see more of the old (players)? Before we get to lineups, let’s try to make sense of where both clubs stand.
The FC is unbeaten in the last five matches. Meanwhile, Charlotte FC has yet to win a match since April 18. However, both clubs are neck and neck as The FC currently sits at 6th in the Eastern Conference and 14th in the Supporters’ Shield race. Charlotte FC sits at 7th in the East and 15th in the Shield race.
Just like every match this season, this one also gives shootout energy as Charlotte lost four of their last five matches with a goal differential of -7 in this period. Meanwhile, The FC has conceded the fourth-most goals in MLS play with 2.30 goals conceded per match.
Head-to-Head
Chat – this is a team I absolutely hate playing and don’t even remind me of the 10 (9) year anniversary match last year where Referee Filip Dujic (wrongfully) sent off Brian Anunga for stunting too hard.
Even with the addition of Brian Anunga’s stunting abilities, it’s not enough as The FC holds a 2-4-2 record against Charlotte FC and it gets worse. The last time The FC beat Charlotte FC was wayyyyyyy back in September of 2023.
Despite the poor H2H record, I truly believe The FC will win this, considering Charlotte’s poor form and it’s about time we get a nice win-streak going. The vibes couldn’t be higher and the older players should be feeling the pressure from the kids – that’s gotta mean something, right?
Players to Watch
FC Cincinnati
Evander: It seems like every week he breaks a record or reaches a significant career milestone, as last week he recorded his first professional hat trick. With 5 goals in MLS, it seems that Evander is slowly returning to his MVP-level of play.
Kenji Mboma Dem: It speaks volumes that he is stealing minutes away from a healthy Tom “Tom ‘Thóm Barleaux’ Barlow” Barlow and Ayoub Jabbari. The 24-year-old recorded an assist against Chicago and it looks like he’s up to the challenge as the second striker.
Kévin Denkey: This man will be out for vengeance after letting Evander walk away with a hat trick against Chicago. First, Denkey gave Evander his penalty, which denied Denkey from a hat trick. Next, Denkey watched as Evander recorded a hat trick the following week. Denkey is going to be hungry for more goals.
Honorable mention: Kristian Fletcher. Now here is a guy The Chief has dubbed not real. Let me be the first to tell you that he… is in fact… real. The 20-year-old has experience up top and out wide which leads me to believe that there could be a chance we see him get minutes at striker or wingback. I have no particular reason why you should watch him other than it would be cool to see what he brings to the table.
Charlotte FC
Kristijan Kahlina: This guy ~ always ~ balls out when he faces The FC. The former Goalkeeper of the Year in 2024 has had a quiet season so far, but we all know what that means – he will look like an MVP candidate on Saturday.
Possibly Tim Ream: I am told Ream will be available for selection this weekend despite missing time due to obtaining an AARP membership.
John Hantavirus: This up-and-coming player is deadly in front of goal, but is capable of laying a real stinker. He is also very dangerous in tight spaces.
FC Cincinnati vs PRO Referees
Our PRO Referees assignment:
REF: Ismail Elfath
AR1: Corey Parker
AR2: Kyle Atkins
4TH: Jair Marrufo
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard
AVAR: Tom Supple
Ismail Elfath has made 327 appearances as a ref and issued 1,201 yellow cards with an average of 3.7 yellow cards per match.
FC Cincinnati Lineup Notes
Teenage Hadebe is out
Ayoub Jabbari is out
Alvas Powell is out
Kyle Smith is suspended due to picking up a red card.
FC Cincinnati Projected Lineup
This is where the fun begins.
In addition to Matt Miazga and Nick Hagglund returning for Chicago, Miles Robinson, Obinna Nwobodo and Kristian Fletcher are back from the dead and available for selection against Charlotte. Meanwhile, we will be without the services of Teenage Hadebe (injury), Kyle Smith (red card), Ayoub Jabbari (injury) and Alvas Powell (also injury).
With that in mind, there’s a lot to consider that could go into the lineup selection. Who’s going to be on a minutes restriction? Will Pavel be given a rest even after taking a nasty, studs-up challenge? Will anyone else be rotated ahead of the midweek match against Miami?
So. Here is my best guess on what we could see.
I believe DP CB Miles Robinson will return to the starting lineup for the first time since April 18. After Albright’s comments on believing he is the best CB in MLS, you best believe Noonan will force him back into the lineup and find a way to make it work. I mean… you kinda have to, considering the roster designation.
I think we all can agree that Pavel Bucha deserves a rest, especially after escaping a serious injury against Chicago. So, Obi gets the nod followed by Pavel going in at the start of the second half (assuming Obi is on a minutes restriction).
Lastly, I have Kyle “The Cincinnati Kid” Smith replaced by Nick “The Cincinnati Kid” Hagglund. Honestly, I just want to see Nick Hagglund’s long throws again – as Evan Louro said about Hagglund’s long throws, “He’s Ohio corn-fed.”
Final Thoughts
There’s plenty for Noonan to think about ahead of the match. As long as he knows that if we score more goals than Charlotte, we just might have a chance.
I’m predicting a little bit of the same from the Chicago match. So I’m going with a 3-2 win to The FC because why not?
FC Cincinnati Predictions Against Charlotte FC
The Chief: 2-1
Kevin: 1-1
How to watch FC Cincinnati against Charlotte FC
FC Cincinnati head to Bank of America Stadium for a rematch with Charlotte FC on Saturday, May 9. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. You can watch the match on Apple TV or by visiting our good friends at Streetside Brewery.
A special thank you to our supporters on Patreon and to our sponsors, E&L Roofing and Streetside Brewery for keeping the lights on.