Orlando City (0-0-2, 2 pts) heads home from Kansas City for their second home match of the 2021 season this weekend, taking on FC Cincinnati (0-1-1, 1 pt) at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night at Exploria Stadium. Tickets for the Club’s three home matches in May are sold out due to demand from Season Ticket Members and Partial Plan holders and no individual game tickets will be available, but the game will be televised locally on FOX35 Plus and streamed live throughout the Central Florida area on LionNation TV.
Here’s everything you need to know about Cincinnati:
Key Transactions and Player News
Key Additions - CF Brenner (São Paulo), AM Luciano Acosta (Atlas), LB Rónald Matarrita (NYCFC), CB Gustavo Vallecilla (SD Aucas, loan)
Key Departures - CM Frankie Amaya (New York Red Bulls), CB Kendall Waston (Saprissa), LB Greg Garza (retirement), AM Siem de Jong (Heerenveen), GK Spencer Richey (Seattle Sounders)
Player News - Brenner, a 21 year-old striker signed as a Designated Player this winter, scored a penalty in his Cincinnati debut on April 17 against Nashville. Acosta also scored in that match, his return to MLS after a successful stint with DC United from 2016-19, when he scored 24 goals and added 35 assists in 126 games. Acosta missed out with an injury last weekend against NYCFC.
Take a look at FC Cincinnati’s full roster here.
Team Form
It was not a pleasant Saturday at Yankee Stadium for FC Cincinnati, as the Blue and Orange were steamrolled 5-0 by hosts NYCFC. All five New York City goals came on set pieces, including four in the second half. Cincinnati has finished with the worst record in MLS in each of their first two seasons, earning just 41 points across their first 59 regular season games.
Head-to-Head
Orlando City faced Cincinnati twice in the Ohio club’s inaugural 2019 season. Orlando obliterated Cincy 5-1 in their first meeting on May 19, 2019, with both Nani and Tesho Akindele notching braces. The two teams drew in the return match at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, as a late Benji Michel equalizer canceled out Allan Cruz’s opener. The two sides did not play in 2020.
Rasmussen University Fact
Cincinnati was the only team in MLS to sign two Designated Players this offseason, including expansion side Austin FC, who signed one of their two DPs (Cecilio Dominguez) in a previous window.
