The condensed post-MLS Is Back regular season schedule combined with a crumbling roster appears to have finally broken FC Cincinnati. Following a 3-0 defeat in Philadelphia last week, FCC were denied a late penalty and lost 1-0 at home to Toronto Sunday night. With six regular-season contests remaining, the Orange and Blue sit 13th in the Eastern Conference with 13 points (3 wins, 4 draws, 10 losses) from 17 games. Only two points separate FC Cincinnati from basement-dwelling D.C. United, and the possibility of finishing last in the East for the second consecutive season is inching closer to reality.
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Injuries have begun to decimate FC Cincinnatiâs already misshapen roster. After left back Greg Garza and striker Jurgen Locadia left the Philadelphia match with injuries, center back Kendall Waston picked up a knock in practice prior to Sundayâs match. All three were unavailable against Toronto, MLSâs top squad (37 points). During that match, right back Mathieu Deplagne went off in the first half and goalkeeper Przemyslaw TytoĹ departed late in the second half with an apparent knee injury. Oh, and FCCâs top backup center back, Tom Pettersson, was unavailable due to illness.
Fortunately for head coach Jaap Stam, right back Saad Abdul-Salaam was available for the first time since July 22; midfielder Siem de Jong returned following a five-game absence; and left back/winger Andrew Gutman was fit enough to play following a two-match injury absence. Nick Hagglund also started, making a quick recovery after announcing on September 26 that he had contracted COVID-19. All four players took the field vs. Toronto. For Waston, itâs not surprising that his workload finally caught up to him. Prior to missing Sundayâs match, the 32-year-old had started every one of FCCâs 2020 matches and still ranks among the leagueâs minutes leaders despite his absence vs. Toronto.
That injuries are occurring in rapid successionâin particular, what appears to be a spate of muscle injuriesâshouldnât come as a shock. FC Cincinnatiâs first post-MLS Is Back regular-season game took place August 21, and its final regular-season match is scheduled for November 8. Over that span, the club will have played 18 league games in 80 days, roughly one match every 4.5 days. In 2019, FCC played 34 league games over 219 days, or one match about every 6.5 days. Two daysâ difference may not sound like a lot on the surface, but the extra days of rest add up quickly over the course of a regular season that typically requires around seven months to finish.
The haphazard nature of the 2020 campaignâa fact out of anyoneâs control, obviouslyâhasnât helped. FC Cincinnati completed two league matches in early March before COVID-19 shut down the league. When MLS reconvened in Orlando in July for MLS Is Back, FCC had four games in 17 days after not playing a competitive match for four months. Then three and a half weeks passed before FC Cincinnati commenced its regular-season restart.
On Sunday, FC Cincinnati began a stretch of five successive (presumably fan-less) forays at Nippert Stadium. Barring a miracle run of results, these matches represent the final contests for the club at the University of Cincinnatiâs football stadium, FC Cincinnatiâs home since its inaugural season in 2016. FCCâs last scheduled home match is October 28 vs. Sporting KC. Construction on the West End Stadium has continued through the pandemic, so the clubâs new home remains tipped to open the 2021 MLS season.
Itâs a damn shame Orange and Blue supporters wonât be able to provide Nippert with a proper send-off; instead, theyâll have to savor their own personal memories from home. I hadnât paid much mind to FC Cincinnati before a family friend invited me to their first home game in 2016, and I was blown away by the size of the crowd. I was there for the clubâs lone playoff victory (via penalty kicks) in 2018. But itâs the home matches vs. Columbus, Chicago (one of the best sporting events Iâve attended, period) and New York Red Bulls during FC Cincinnatiâs U.S. Open Cup run in 2017 that will always be burned into my memory, three hellaciously loud and entertaining (midweek!) Nippert environments.
Prior to tonightâs fourth Hell Is Real Derby of the season against Columbus, FC Cincinnati announced another player acquisition, though he wonât be able to join the shorthanded roster immediately. Franko KovaÄeviÄ, a 21-year-old Croatian striker for Bundesliga side TSG Hoffenheim, has been brought over on loan by FCC through June 30, 2021. He has yet to make his first-team debut, but heâs scored six goals in 11 appearances for Hoffenheimâs second team.
FC Cincinnati and Hoffenheim announced a partnership in late September, and this is the first player move in that deal. Weâll see if KovaÄeviÄ can clear the necessary government and health protocols to debut prior to the end of the season, but itâs evident General Manager Gerard Nijkamap had his eye on 2021 with this move. âFranko is a player that will provide competition for our forward position group,â Nijkamp said. âWe look forward to getting him integrated within our team so that he is familiar with the organization, club philosophy and city prior to the start of the 2021 season.â
Injuries and another goal-less streak (the current one is at five-plus matches) have ushered FC Cincinnati into a tailspin. Now the Eastâs third-place team awaits, and Columbus has outscored FC Cincinnati 7-0 in three matches this season. Can the walking wounded summon some magicâĂlvaro Barrealâs platinum blonde hair didnât do the trick last weekâas their stay at Nippert comes to a close? The scoring sorcery may not arrive tonight, but who knows what will happen when last-place D.C. United shows up on Sunday. (Letâs be real, probably a 0-0 draw.)
Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. Off the pitch, he is the associate editor for Signs of the Times magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at @GrantFreking.
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