FC Cincinnati travels to New Jersey Saturday to take on the New York Red Bulls in the Queen City soccer team's first-ever appearance in the Major League Soccer post-season.
The Orange and Blue punched their ticket to the playoffs by finishing the regular season with a 12-9-13 record. The team earned a fifth seed. The Red Bulls are a four seed. The teams' two regular season matchups ended in 1-1 draws.
The MLS playoffs are a win-and-stay-in, lose-and-go-home format, so there will be a winner this meeting. The winning side will face number one seed Philadelphia, which has a first round bye.
"We're excited for the opportunity," says Pat Noonan, FCC head coach. "I think the group is in good spirits, and rightfully so. We're anticipating a very tough matchup, but preparations have gone well."
Noonan says the players are very motivated for Saturday's match. Fans may see some different tactics and game management, he notes, given the win/lose format.
"It's a neat experience as a player and now as a head coach. This is the best part of the year when you're a team, a coach, a player that gets to compete in the playoffs because anything can happen. I think anybody that's experienced that before in the group now should be excited about this opportunity with this particular group."
How to watch
As the higher seed, New York gets to host Saturday's game. Kick-off is at noon. It will be televised locally on Star64 and nationally on Univision.
The team is hosting a watch party at TQL Stadium. That event is sold out, but the game is expected to be televised around town at the team's various official pub partners.
