After an extended mid-season break thanks to a scheduled bye week and a coincidentally scheduled FIFA international window, FC Cincinnati is back in action in sunny Northern California for its 17th match of the season MLS 2024 vs. San Jose Earthquakes.
As far from home as they will be this season, FCC left an extra day early for San Jose to beat the three-hour time difference and practiced in “The Capital of Silicon Valley” on Friday. The return to action now follows a grueling six-week spell which will see the Orange and Blues play three weeks of double-headers before the League Cup.
“It was a good break. I think it was a good opportunity for everyone to relax a little bit and get away. I was happy with the way we came back. I thought the first week with small numbers, the intensity was good,” head coach Pat Noonan said of the break between matches. “I didn’t do too much at first after a long break, but I got some higher numbers to start this week, and I was really happy with the quality of play after a long break and really without a game last weekend, you “I’m worried about the motivation or concentration of the group, but the guys did a good job.”
The trip out West poses unique challenges for the group as they will look to bounce back from a loss two weeks ago to NashvilleSC that now seems like a distant memory. Although off to a slow start, the San Jose Earthquakes boast one of the most potent offensive units with a revamped forward group that joined the club after the 2024 season opened. Once these forwards have joined the organization, there has been a significant improvement in San Jose’s performance as it seeks to move out of its current last place in the rankings.
“Like most games we prepare for, (San Jose) is a dangerous opponent,” Noonan said Thursday from the Mercy Health Training Center. “I don’t want our group to focus on where they are in the standings at all, because I think that’s not really indicative of the quality of (San Jose) and the challenges we’ll face. So that part is important , Because the second you think you have any advantage because of our position in the standings or the position of our opponent, you enter the field and understand pretty quickly that it’s a bad approach.
FCC enters the match in second place in the Supporters’ Shield standings, two points off first place, with two games in hand against leaders Inter Miami CF. With Miami taking on Philadelphia earlier today, FCC could take the lead in the standings with a two-game margin still intact, with one win and one loss for Miami.
With 2.06 points per game so far this season, FCC is on pace to earn 70 points, potentially eclipsing its 2023 trophy points total (69).
FC Cincinnati at San Jose Earthquakes – Saturday June 15, 2024 – 10:30 p.m. ET – PayPal Park
Flow: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Talent TV (English, Apple): Mark Followill (PxP), Mariano Trujillo (analyst)
Talent TV (Spanish, Apple): José Bauz (PXP), Max Cordaro (Analysis)
Radio talent: Tom Gelehrter (PXP), Corben Bone (analyst)
Be sure to follow @FCCincinnati on TwitterInstagram and Facebook for live game updates.
All time against San Jose
FC Cincinnati has only faced the Quakes twice in the club’s young history. Yet in their last meeting, FCC made club history with a monumental 6-0 victory, the biggest victory in club history in terms of margin and number of goals.
In this match, Brenner scored a hat trick, Luciano Acosta scored and had two assists, Yuya Kubo scored and Roman Celentano got a clean sheet with five saves.
In the only other previous meeting, FCC lost 1-0 to San Jose in the club’s inaugural MLS season at Avaya Stadium on May 4, 2019.
The Californian dream’ – If FC Cincinnati wins at PayPal Park, it will be the club’s first victory in the Pacific Time Zone (0-3-2). Last year, a 1-1 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps marked FCC’s only true trip to the West Coast. FCC is currently undefeated in their last two visits to the West Coast.
I feel the Earth moving – FC Cincinnati has a league-high six road wins this season (6-1-1). The club has won four straight on the road, which is the longest streak in club history and the longest active streak in MLS. A fifth consecutive victory on Saturday would be the longest streak since 2022, when CF Montreal won seven in a row, which is tied for the club record with clubs LA Galaxy 1997/98 and DC United 1999.
California, here we come – FC Cincinnati defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 6-0 when the clubs last met in September 2022 at TQL Stadium. The victory marked FCC’s largest margin of victory in an MLS match and the six goals scored was FCC’s most in a single MLS match.
All brewed – When FC Cincinnati takes the field Saturday night, it will have been 17 days since the Orange and Blue faced Nashville SC on May 29. Excluding the four-month pause due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the current pause is tied for the fifth-longest in-season gap between games in FCC history.
Make waves – FCC defender Miles Robinson was officially named to the United States men’s national team on Friday for the 2024 Copa América. Robinson, 27, will join the team that will face Bolivia, Panama and Uruguay in the of tournament groups. Should the American make the final, the FCC defender would miss up to six matches with the club before returning to action.
Recruiting the San Jose Earthquakes (3-11-2, 11 points, 14th in the Western Conference, LTLLW)
San Jose got off to a horrible start to the season, losing eight of its first nine matches and arriving mid-season in last place in the league with just 11 points. But despite the poor results, the Quakes have found answers along the way and appear to have improved in recent weeks.
DP attacking midfielder Hernán López, the catalyst for this improved performance, joined the team after a short spell with Argentine club Godoy Cruz, but was brought up at River Plate’s academy. Lopez, 23, who the club signed to a record deal, has added a much-needed offensive spark with his creative freedom and skills on the ball. Since his arrival, starting in five matches and playing six, the Argentinian has contributed two goals and an assist while already ranking third at the club with 12 “total offensive assists”.
Christian Espinoza, another Argentine at the club since 2019, has become a bonafide star in the league during his tenure in San Jose. In 169 appearances for the club, the winger has scored 96 goals and leads the club this year with 9 assists and two goals.
San José’s offense has had no difficulty producing since the arrival and integration of its new DP in López. The Quakes scored 24 goals in 16 matches, one more than FCC (23 in 16 matches), but the defense faltered to the tune of 39 goals conceded, a league high. Four more than the next closest MLS club (Montreal).
“With San Jose, I look at their front four, they’ve had a lot of consistency in their lineup, especially in those positions,” Noonan said of his weekend opponent. “I think (Cristian) Espinoza is one of the best attackers in our league, but he also works very hard against the ball (on defense). I think he’s a high level player, his qualities in 1v1, his ability to create with both feet, an excellent cross of the ball. You get (Jeremy) Ebobisse running hard in front of goal, working well on the back line to allow space to attack in behind and bring the midfield into play. You know (Amahl) Pellegrino on the left side, how he works outside, inside and sometimes almost as a second striker, things we looked at there, and then (Hernan) Lopez is a new face for our guys, for us as a team as well. I think with a two-week period for them as well, you have a lot to work on, and so it continues to improve for this group.
Brazilian goalkeeper and 2023 starter Daniel struggled early in 2024, but then suffered a season-ending injury. Backup starter and MLS veteran William Yarbrough, who rejoined the club this season after five years with Colorado, continued to struggle and ranks third and last in the league in xG-GA this season.
Head coach Luchi Gonzalez is now in his second year with the club, returning to the club that drafted him 6th overall in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft. The Florida native previously served as head coach and director of the FC Dallas academy, as well as an assistant coach for the United States men’s national team from 2021 to 2022. Gonzalez, who became known in Dallas for his signature “Luchi Ball” tactic, is focused on possession and counter. -press in case of loss of possession. Most often, he deploys a 4-2-3-1, with Jeremy Ebobisse and Amahl Pellegrino joining the two Argentine DPs in advanced positions.
