FC Cincinnati riding 10-game unbeaten run into clash with Seattle Sounders FC

Some observers and fans were concerned when FC Cincinnati's away game against Seattle Sounders FC was moved from April 9 to Sept 27. The Sounders, who needed the scheduling tweak to accommodate their Concacaf Champions League campaign, are usually firing on all proverbial cylinders come September.

September is late-season in Major League Soccer, and under head coach Brian Schmetzer, Seattle's consistently played meaningful games during that time of year. It wasn't hard to imagine FC Cincinnati facing a grueling scenario against the Sounders if Cincinnati also happened to be playing meaningful games in September.

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Now, with the match arriving Tuesday at Lumen Field, the stage seems a fitting one for an FC Cincinnati team on the brink of the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time in club history. In a team-best season that's seen FCC routinely set and reset new, lofty standards, there's no better setting than Seattle in which to prove its playoff mettle.

"This is a winning team, a winning culture. They know what it looks like in tough moments to find results," FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said Monday during a Zoom call with local media. "They've been put in this position in years past quite a few times. Whether it was injuries or international duty or whatever reason players were away, they've found ways to win games, and that's a credit to Brian and his staff to be able to prepare any group to step out and win games. We need to be very cautious about how we go into this game mentally in terms of whoever we see on the field tomorrow is going to be a very challenging game."

FCC can't clinch its first MLS playoff berth Tuesday, but a win would open up scenarios where it could lock up postseason qualification Saturday against Chicago Fire at TQL Stadium.

The match falls during a FIFA window for international matches and camps. That will deprive Seattle (12-16-3, 39 points) of some of its top talent, but the Sounders are still the reigning champions of the Concacaf Champions League, and MLS Cup finalists in four of Schmetzer's seven seasons in charge.

Accomplishments like those aren't realized without a deep pool of talent, which Seattle certainly boasts.

As Seattle sits in 10th place in the Western Conference, it's on the fraying edge of the playoff picture. All the teams beneath it in the standings have been eliminated from playoff contention. It's even on points with clubs that have been eliminated, and only a game in-hand is keeping the club's faint playoff hopes alive.

Unlike Seattle, which faced the hardships related to a congested schedule as a result of its Champions League success, FC Cincinnati has risen to the occasion come crunch time in this year's MLS Cup playoff picture.

FCC (11-8-12, 45 points) enters the game tied for fifth place in the Eastern Conference and is undefeated in its last 10 matches. The club is arguably playing its best soccer at the most important time of year.

"I think the experiences leading up to the June (international) break, really - it felt like we experienced so many different thing in terms of winning and losing and how we went about doing that that helped us grow as a group," Noonan said. "Now, I think you see a team that is able to manage the game in a better fashion. Winning always helps with the confidence, and we found ways to win, different ways to win whether it was six goals in our San Jose game or, you know, grinding out results, even draws, against New York City (FC) on the road.

"I think over the last two weeks, we've been more consistent. I think that's fair. We had a stretch where even though we weren't losing games, we would have a strong performance and follow that with an average performance... So, the last couple weeks have been a more consistent, and a better version of our group, and certainly it's an important time to be seeing that."

The game

Kickoff: 10 p.m. EST, Tuesday | Lumen Field, Seattle

TV/Radio/Stream: WSTR Star 64 / ESPN1530 / FCCincinnati.com (in-region); ESPN+ (out of market)

Series info: In their only prior meeting, Seattle Sounders beat FC Cincinnati, 4-1, in FCC's first-ever MLS match on March 2, 2019.

Cincinnati.com prediction: Seattle Sounders 2, FC Cincinnati 2.

FC Cincinnati

2022 record: 11-8-12, 27 points; tied for fifth place in MLS Eastern Conference

Goals for: 56

Goals against: 50

Coach: Pat Noonan – first season at FC Cincinnati

Projected starting lineup: 

Roman Celentano, goalkeeper

Alvas Powell, right back

Alvaro Barreal, left back

Matt Miazga, center back

Geoff Cameron, center back

Nick Hagglund, center back

Obinna Nwobodo, defensive midfielder

Junior Moreno, defensive midfielder

Luciano Acosta, attacking midfielder

Brenner Souza da Silva, forward

Brandon Vazquez, forward

Seattle Sounders FC

2022 record: 12-16-3, 39  points; 10th place in MLS Western Conference

Goals for: 44

Goals against: 42

Coach: Brian Schmetzer - seventh season as Seattle head coach

Projected starting lineup: 

Updates, Tuesday: Xavier Arreaga (Ecuador), Jordan Morris (United States), Nouhou (Cameroon), Alex Roldán (El Salvador) and Raúl Ruidíaz (Perú) aren't expected to be available for Seattle due to international call-ups.

Stefan Frei, goalkeeper

Jimmy Medranda, left back

Yeimar Gomez, center back

Jackson Ragen, right back

Dylan Teves, midfielder

Kelyn Rowe, midfielder

Josh Atencio, midfielder

Danny Leyva, midfielder

Leo Chu, midfielder

Freddy Monteiro, forward

Albert Rusnák, forward

Noteworthy

FC Cincinnati is unbeaten in its last 10 matches (4-0-6) and has only lost once in its last 17 games (5-1-11).

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati vs Seattle Sounders MLS match preview