Saint Louis FC And FC Cincinnati Meet For The First Time Tomorrow

UPDATE

Saint Louis FC fell 2-1 to FC Cincinnati in the contest.

FC Cincinnati, a first-year United Soccer League club, visits World Wide Technology Soccer Park this Saturday to meet local side Saint Louis FC for the first meeting between the teams on Saturday, July 9, 2016.

Fresh off a 1-1 tie with Seattle on Wednesday night, Saint Louis FC will play their third game in the span of a week tomorrow night as Cincinnati comes to town. Dale Schilly’s squad will be looking to earn a valuable three points after earning only one of a possible six points in the last two games.

STLFC traveled to the Kansas City area last weekend to face the Swope Park Rangers. The home squad scored in the opening minute and that proved to be the deciding goal as Swope Park took a 1-0 win. The game featured a 90-minute rain delay shortly before the end of the first half and a constant downpour when action wasn’t halted.

Saint Louis FC currently sits in sixth place in the USL’s Western Conference with a 6-6-5 record and 23 points through 17 games. The top eight teams in each conference at the conclusion of the 30 -game regular season makes the USL Playoffs with the top four teams hosting the bottom four teams.

Who Is FC Cincinnati?

FC Cincinnati is currently in third place in the Eastern Conference with 31 points on a 9-3-4 record through 16 games played. The team just lost for the first time since mid-April, an eleven-match unbeaten streak.

Former U.S Men’s National Team player and National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee John Harkes is the head coach for Cincinnati. Harkes earned more than 90 CAPS for the USMNT and served as its captain for three years. He also played for DC United in the early years of MLS.

Fans have consistently shown up at Marshall Wireless Stadium to support STLFC during the club’s brief existence. 4,440 fans were on hand for the midweek game on Wednesday that was streamed live on ESPN3. Attendance in Cincinnati’s home matches, however, has been a totally different story.

FC Cincinnati plays its home matches at the 40,000-seat Nippert Stadium on the University of Cincinnati campus. That capacity is quite a bit larger than Saint Louis’s 5,500 and leads to the club being able to offer promotions like college student tickets for just $5. Attendance at their home games in their first USL season has been nothing short of jaw-dropping. 17,380 fans showed up at their last home game.  On July 16, they are set to host English Premier League Club Crystal Palace F.C. in a friendly that they are touting they have sold 25,000 tickets for thus far.

FC Cincinnati is owned by a group on investors led by Carl H. Lindner III, the Co-CEO of American Financial Group. The Linder family is said to be worth an estimated $1.7 billion or more thanks in large part to the business dealings of the late Carl Lindner, Jr.

It’s been a stated goal on Lindner and company to move FC Cincinnati on to MLS, the top tier soccer league in the United States. With the success of the USL side, the city is being looked at for future MLS expansion, but that may hinge on getting a soccer-specific stadium of their own.

What’s The Enemy Saying?

As you may expect from their game attendance, the soccer community in Cincinnati is strong. Cincinnati Soccer Talk has seven things to know about the match tomorrow night. The writes notes that FC Cincinnati captain Austin Berry returned to action in their last match after being injured in April. Look for him to come off the bench here in St. Louis. Also noted is the fact that Cincinnati has that big friendly match with Crystal Palace to look forward to next week before a tough slate of three USL matches against Eastern Conference foes.

As far as other players Saint Louis needs to watch out for, Sean “Ugo” Okoli is one and Omar Cummings is another. Cummings will be trying to make a statement against this fellow Jamacians.

Get Tickets To See Saint Louis FC vs FC Cincinnati

Tickets are still available for the match tomorrow, although the game is likely to sell out. Head over to SaintLouisFC.com to purchase tickets or call the Ticket Office at 636-680-0997. Be sure to ask about their special flex ticket packages.

Tailgating for Saturday’s match will begin at 5: 30 pm with the game set to kick off at 7: 30 pm. Head to the very back of the parking lot to party with the St. Louligans supporters group at their tailgate.

Mandrinas will be giving away gifts as fans enter Marshall Wireless Stadium and fans are invited to stay around after the game for a post-game autograph session with players.

Looking for a ride to the game? Saint Louis FC partners with JED Transportation and several local establishments to offer the Pub 2 Park shuttle service. Reserve your spot now on a shuttle from International Tap House in Soulard, Amsterdam Tavern, Smugala’s Pizza in Sunset Hills or Hotshots in Fenton.

Brought to you by Mills Apartments