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After missing out on an opportunity to claim first place in the Eastern Conference, FC Cincinnati return home for the first time in nearly three weeks to face FC Dallas on Wednesday night.

Cincinnati (9-4-2, 29 points) is winless in its last two matches (0-1-1), including a 4-2 loss at Atlanta United on Sunday night. It was a disappointing defeat for Cincinnati, as Atlanta hadn’t won since March 29.

In addition, Cincinnati defender Nick Hagglund sustained two broken ribs and a collapsed lung in an on-field collision during the match. He was taken to the hospital for surgery on his lung and will have another procedure for his broken ribs.

“Maybe it threw us off a little bit,” FCC head coach Pat Noonan said. “The way that we conceded the first goal with the errant pass and poor marking on the set piece, you lose that rhythm and then they capitalized on the aftermath of that with the momentum they had.”

The good news for FC Cincinnati is that they return home on Wednesday, and they will carry a 5-0-1 record in MLS play at TQL Stadium into their match with FC Dallas (4-6-4, 16 points).

On the other side, FC Dallas are coming off a heartbreaking loss at the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, conceding a penalty kick in the 86th minute in a 1-0 defeat.

Dallas is winless in its last four matches in all competitions, with its last win coming on May 7 against AV Alta FC in the Round of 32 of the U.S. Open Cup. Dallas’ last win in MLS regular season competition came on April 27 at Inter Miami.

“Just to lose on that goal, on the penalty it is hard to swallow.” FC Dallas head coach Eric Quill said. “We got to find a way to be better in certain moments that we can punish the opponent and better some decision making but the effort and the fight was there.”

–Field Level Media