New York City FC are at Citi Field Wednesday as they welcome FC Cincinnati
For this edition of 'The Away End' presented by Berkeley College & Rennert International, we spoke to Brad Gough, one-half of the Talking Tactics with Coach Gough podcast on Cincy Soccer Talk.
Hi Coach, thanks for speaking with us. How long have you been covering FC Cincinnati?
I’m so happy to have the chance to collaborate so thanks for having me. I started unofficially covering FC Cincinnati in 2017 by tweeting my tactical observations during matches. I joined Cincinnati Soccer Talk and started covering them in a more official capacity just before the 2018 season.
What would you describe as your highlight during that time?
There were a lot of good moments when the team was still playing in the USL, chief among them being the US Open Cup run where the team knocked off the Columbus Crew and the Chicago Fire. But learning that the team had gotten the MLS bid that they had so badly wanted takes the cake for me. To know that we were going to have a team in Cincinnati competing in the top flight of American Soccer was very exciting.
How would you evaluate the team's season so far?
Pat Noonan has this team vastly overperforming so far in 2022. I said prior to the season that finishing 10th-12th in the East and seeing signs of noticeable improvement was going to be a successful season. To be playing meaningful games in September is something I never would have dreamed the team capable of during the preseason.
If you were to identify their dangerman who would that be?
With Luciano Acosta out on yellow card accumulation for Wednesday’s match, FCC’s dangerman will have to be Brandon Vazquez. Not only does he score goals, but his intelligent movement opens up the field for his teammates. Without Acosta to progress the ball I think the team will have to rely on Brandon to hold the ball up quite a bit in transition, and then do the work of finishing off any chances that happen to fall to him in the box.
What do you think will be the decisive factor in Wednesday's game?
Without a doubt, I think the decisive factor on Wednesday will be set pieces. Not only has FCC given up a shockingly high number of penalty kicks and other set-piece goals, but they’ve also been able to capitalize on them offensively of late. Defenders have scored off set pieces for three games in a row now, and if they can make it four I like FC Cincinnati’s chances to at least come away from Citi field with a point.
And finally, for any of our fans that may be in Cincy for a game in the near future, are there any spots you'd suggest they check out?
Many people gather at one of the many local breweries before matches, but my go-to pre-match spot is Standard Beer on 15th St. A short walk from the stadium, this is a bar and bottle shop that can account for the needs of any beer-lover. You can pick up take-out from any of the wonderful restaurants nearby (check out The Eagle for fried chicken and maple bacon), then bring it to The Standard to eat. The icing on the cake here is that the famed FCC Supporter’s march comes right by, so you can watch it pass before heading to the stadium.
