Preview, prediction for 2nd-ever FC Cincinnati vs. Vancouver Whitecaps meeting
There's no question FC Cincinnati will hurt by the absence of attacking midfielder and newly minted Major League Soccer All-Star, Luciano Acosta, in Wednesday's match against Vancouver Whitecaps.
Acosta will serve a one-match suspension against Vancouver the straight red card he was issued in Saturday's 1-1 draw with New York Red Bulls. The red card carries with it a one-game suspension.
Further discipline beyond that was possible, but Acosta will only face one match away from his team.
That's still a considerable personnel loss for Cincinnati.
"Certainly, we will miss an important piece, if that's the case," FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said. "But I think we also are very confident with the group that we have, and guys that can play different roles in being able to put a strong 11 on the field to go and win a game.”
More: FC Cincinnati: Luciano Acosta becomes the 1st MLS All-Star in club history
A road map exists for FC Cincinnati to succeed without Acosta, though. Acosta facilitates a significant amount of FCC's attacking productivity and the team centers around him in many ways.
Still, there is a short-term path forward without Acosta. It was first unveiled June 18 at Subaru Park for a game against the Philadelphia Union.
"Yeah, I think it gave us an idea of what it looks like without Lucho on the field," Noonan said during a Monday interview regarding the strategy against Philadelphia.
Acosta, who was available off the bench in the match, didn't factor heavily in the eventual come-from-behind, 1-1 draw following his return to the team from health and safety protocols.
With Haris Medunjanin and Obinna Nwobodo working in tandem in the midfield, and Alvaro Barreal playing in a more advanced position, FC Cincinnati created enough chances to score through Brandon Vazquez and take a deserved draw against what was then the leading team in the MLS Eastern Conference.
On Wednesday at TQL Stadium (8 p.m.), FC Cincinnati will look for its first win in three games when the Whitecaps visit.
Vancouver sits 10th in the Western Conference but has 24 points – two fewer than FC Cincinnati – and has a comparable record at 7-9-3.
Twenty-nine-year-old Canadian Lucas Cavallini leads the attack for Vancouver (six goals, two assists). Four other Whitecaps have scored two goals apiece, but the club has lacked for consistent offensive firepower with just 20 goals on the year – all but three MLS clubs have more scores.
"Well-organized team defensively, tough to break down. I think it'll be a different type of game than we just played and a team that's strong in transition," Noonan said of Vancouver. "They have a front three, four, depending on who's on the field – with (Ryan) Gauld, with (Brian) White, with Cavallini – that once they're able to find them in transition, Gauld, pretty strong in turning and playing forward with those two running to goal.
"So, we have to be very patient at times with how we look to go to goal. But we also have to be very alert in those transition moments to not allow them to get out on the break."
The game
Kickoff: 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday | TQL Stadium
TV/Radio/Stream: WSTR Star64 / ESPN1530 / fccincinnati.com
Series info: Vancouver won the only prior meeting between the clubs, taking a 2-1 result Aug. 3, 2019, at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium.
Cincinnati.com prediction: FC Cincinnati 2, Vancouver Whitecaps 1
FC Cincinnati
2022 record: 7-7-5, 26 points; tied for sixth place in MLS Eastern Conference
Goals for: 30
Goals against: 33
Coach: Pat Noonan – first season at FC Cincinnati
Projected starting lineup:
Roman Celentano, goalkeeper
Ray Gaddis, right back
Tyler Blackett, center back
Geoff Cameron, center back
Nick Hagglund, center back
John Nelson, left back
Obinna Nwobodo, midfielder
Haris Medunjanin, midfielder
Brandon Vazquez, forward
Brenner Souza da Silva, forward
Alavaro Barreal, forward
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2022 record: 7-9-3; 24 points, 10thVancouv in Western Conference
Goals for: 20
Goals against: 33
Coach: Vanni Sartini – second season as Whitecaps head coach
Projected starting lineup:
Cody Cropper, goalkeeper
Javain Brown, center back
Ranko Veselinović, center back
Jake Nerwinski, center back
Marcus Godinho, wing back/midfielder
Pedro Vite, wing back/midfielder
Russell Teibert, midfielder
Andrés Cubas, midfielder
Ryan Gauld, midfielder
Brian White, forward
Cristian Dájome, forward
PLAYER TO WATCH: Vancouver goalkeeper Cody Cropper – Cropper started the 2021 season with FC Cincinnati and was pressed into action unexpectedly during warmups for the second match of the season, an April 24, 2021, contest against New York City FC at Yankee Stadium. The game would be Cropper's only appearance with the FC Cincinnati, which lost to NYCFC, 5-0.
NOTEWORTHY: FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Alec Kann (health and safety protocols) and newly acquired striker Sergio Santos will be available for selection for the Vancouver match. In addition to Acosta's suspension, Allan Cruz will be suspended for the Vancouver match after he started against the Red Bulls, marking his first start since mid-April.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Preview, prediction for FC Cincinnati vs. Vancouver Whitecaps game
