US Open Cup Round 3 Information:
- Who: FC Cincinnati vs Louisville City FC
- When: Wednesday, April 26, 2023 – 7:00 PM EST
- Where: TQL Stadium – Cincinnati, OH, US
- How To Watch: B/R Football YT Channel/Bleacher Report App
FC Cincinnati plays host to former USL rival Louisville City FC in the third round of the US Open Cup. Louisville, in the USL, is third in the table (4-2-1) after drawing against undefeated Charleston Battery on Saturday.
Previous Matchups:
FC Cincinnati has played Louisville City FC 11 times prior to their matchup on Wednesday. All time, Cincinnati is 5-4-2 against Louisville. The previous US Open Cup matchups are:
- June 12, 2019 (US Open Cup) – FC Cincinnati 2 (23′ Adi, 103′ Manneh) – Louisville City FC 1 (30′ Mkosana)
- May 31, 2017 (US Open Cup) – FC Cincinnati 1 (48′ Djibi) – Louisville City FC 0
Who starts on Wednesday?
Last season, FC Cincinnati hosted USL side Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in the third round of the US Open Cup. Then, they rested their key starters and let their reserves play. Of those starters, only 4 remain on the roster this year – that being Nick Hagglund, Ian Murphy, Álvaro Barreal, and Roman Celentano. Álvaro Barreal’s brace in extra time secured a 2-0 for the Orange and Blue, but he too wasn’t a starter at that time last season with Ronald Matarrita starting at LB. So… who starts on Wednesday?
GK: Alec Kann
Evan Louro started and played the full match for FC Cincinnati 2 on Sunday, and Roman Celentano has played every minute for FC Cincinnati this season. The clear-cut starter, barring injury, is Kann who’s only appeared in one FC Cincinnati 2 match this season, and hasn’t appeared for the first team at all.
LWB: Isaiah Foster
Foster was absent from the FC Cincinnati 2 matchday roster entirely after starting for the 2s consistently. He’s played both as the left center back in the 3-back formation, as well as the left wingback, the role Álvaro Barreal plays on the first team.
Since Foster’s arrival from USL side Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, he’s made the reserves for FC Cincinnati twice, and Wednesday’s contest seems like the perfect time for him to play as that LWB.
LCB: Ian Murphy
Another player that was absent from the FC Cincinnati 2 match on Sunday, Murphy is also one of the four starters from last year’s US Open Cup Round 3 match, and he seems to be a lock for Wednesday’s fixture against Louisville.
Murphy’s only played 83 minutes for FC Cincinnati, and although he’s played a match for FC Cincinnati 2, he seems to be the fourth CB on the depth chart for FC Cincinnati – behind Matt Miazga, Yerson Mosquera, and Nick Hagglund. Keeping Murphy in the match-ready form will be key in the chance that one of those CBs is unable to play a match.
CCB: Joey Akpunonu
Akpunonu has played four matches for FC Cincinnati 2 and has looked great for them. Starting out at RCB, he’s now taken over the central CB role for FCC2 and has been a strong presence for the team defensively. The 2023 MLS SuperDraft pick out of Bowling Green started, but played just 25 minutes on Sunday for FC Cincinnati 2, coming off for what looked like a preplanned substitution for Stiven Jimenez – another hint at Akpunonu starting on Wednesday.
RCB: Bret Halsey
Bret Halsey was a former 7th overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft by RSL, but after his stint with USL side Colorado Springs and fellow FC Cincinnati defender Isaiah Foster, Halsey signed with FC Cincinnati 2 this past offseason.
Back in late March, Halsey was added to the first team roster as part of a short-term loan, but he hasn’t seen the pitch a single time for the Orange and Blue, instead playing all of his minutes for the 2s. Halsey is eligible to play this match because of this loan, and this seems like the perfect chance to play him as part of the defensive line on Wednesday.
RWB: Alvas Powell
With the signing of Santi Arias, Powell has fallen from a playoff starter to third-string RB over one offseason. But with Arias’ consistent injury issues, the team will want Powell to be seeing minutes consistently.
He hasn’t played any minutes for the 2s, obviously, as Powell is an 11-year vet of MLS and a Jamaican international. This should be an obvious chance for Powell to see a full 90 minutes of action in that RWB role to keep him fresh for the season ahead.
CM: Stiven Jimenez
Stiven Jimenez is the youngest player on the FC Cincinnati roster, at just 15 years old. The Homegrown product was impressive during the spring camp in Florida but hasn’t seen the pitch yet for the first team. He’s played well in the midfield for FC Cincinnati 2, and this should be a great test for Stiven against a strong Louisville side.
Jimenez subbed on for Akpunonu in the 25th minute of Sunday’s FC Cincinnati 2 match but was subbed off at halftime. Just like Akpunonu, this seemed to be a preplanned substitution, not one forced due to injury, and he should be ready to go on Wednesday.
CM: Malik Pinto
Pinto has been one of the best surprises of the season so far for FC Cincinnati, with him playing substantial minutes when Obinna Nwobodo and Junior Moreno were out due to injury and international duty. Wednesday’s match should provide a good opportunity to see what Pinto can do over a full 90 minutes in the midfield.
CAM: Marco Angulo
Angulo started in the “10” role in FC Cincinnati’s match in Chicago. While he didn’t impress in that role, there’s still a clear need for a backup CAM behind Acosta on the roster. Yuya Kubo would also potentially fit in this role, but he’s been riddled with injuries the last year or so and is, because of that, unreliable when the Orange and Blue have needed him to slot in at the 10. Giving Angulo another chance at the 10, not in the freezing weather of Chicago, seems like a great choice.
FW: Dom Badji
Badji is the class act, the veteran leadership this team will take onto the pitch Wednesday. Last year, Haris Medunjanin took on those responsibilities, and I expect Badji to do the same this year – lead a group of young, inexperienced guys (except Kann and Powell…) and take on that leadership role.
Badji is behind a talented list of forwards on the roster: Brandon Vazquez, Brenner, Sergio Santos, but with Brenner’s transfer to Serie A side Udinese practically done at this point, Badji will now step into the first forward off the bench role for Pat Noonan.
FW: Quimi Ordóñez
Finally, the Guatemalan U20 international Quimi Ordóñez. Ordóñez is getting ready for the U20 World Cup, as Guatemala will look to make it out of Group A which consists of hosts Argentina, Uzbekistan, and New Zealand.
His omission from the FC Cincinnati 2 Starting Lineup and bench more than guarantees his place in the Starting XI for FC Cincinnati on Wednesday (at least in my book). Ordóñez will look to add more quality minutes under his belt before Guatemala’s first match in the U20 World Cup, on May 20th, against New Zealand.
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