Like most MLS teams this weekend, St. Louis City FC and host FC Cincinnati will have to manage the rigors of a short turnaround when they meet Saturday night.
FC Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan knows there will be a time-management crunch for the team’s third match in eight days, but 26 of the 29 teams in the league played Wednesday so his club won’t be alone in the predicament.
“When you lose that extra day of prep like we had in the lead-up to Atlanta (on Wednesday), things happen a little bit faster,” Noonan said. “You have to try to get as much information in a short amount of time to your players.”
Noonan’s players have proved they can handle all the information their coach has to dispense. FC Cincinnati has won its past five fixtures, conceding just three goals during the streak.
The club is coming off a 1-0 win Wednesday over visiting Atlanta after a goal in the seventh minute via a header from 19-year-old forward Kevin Kelsy. Defense was the storyline for the final 83 minutes as FC Cincinnati limited Atlanta to one shot on frame.
FC Cincinnati enters the match at 8-2-3, good for 27 points and second place in the East behind Miami. It has permitted the fewest goals in the league with just 10.
St. Louis City FC (3-2-7, 16 points) could use some success to move up the West ladder from their current ninth-place position.
St. Louis is coming off a 2-0 home loss Wednesday night to Los Angeles FC that snapped a five-match streak without a loss.
St. Louis had an Anthony Markanich goal wiped out via video review and failed to convert a penalty kick. Later, Markanich was dismissed in the 75th minute after earning his second yellow card of the night.
“You feel a little bit of weight of what’s going your way on the night and what’s not going your way on the night, and that breaks your rhythm,” coach Bradley Carnell said.
This is St. Louis’ first visit to Cincinnati. St Louis earned a 5-1 home victory in a match between the teams last year.
–Field Level Media
