FC Cincinnati Colorado Rapids Preview: Five Questions With Cincinnati Soccer Talk

CINCINNATI, Ohio – Colorado Rapids head to Cincinnati this weekend to take on 2023 Supporters’ Shield winners FC Cincinnati. Geoffrey Tebbetts of Cincinnati Soccer Talk was kind enough to answer our questions ahead of the match to help Pids fans preview FCC.

FC Cincinnati have become the hunted this year as Supporters’ Shield winners. How is that defense of that title going so far?

Has FC Cincinnati really become “the hunted” this season? Columbus has the MLS Cup and momentum in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Miami has both the league’s biggest attraction and the Leagues Cup trophy. Those two teams have the bigger targets on their back, so that seems to have taken off some of the pressure.

Of course, the defense of the Shield has been predictably rough. The offense has been rewritten with major pieces allowed to leave, forcing Lucho Acosta to wear many hats. At times Pat Noonan is taking the defensive approach to win games, but that’s not so easy when you’re 20^th in the league in scoring.

There’s been some roster turnover. Álvaro Barreal and Brandon Vazquez left in the winter. DeAndre Yedlin and Miles Robinson have come in. Which new signing’s had the biggest impact so far? Where’s the biggest hole?

The Superman-sized hole in the offense is hard to ignore. While Cincinnati pulled in Corey Baird for his goal-scoring ability, the forwards have not been able to find space without a big body like Brandon Vazquez misdirecting traffic in the box. The team is likely hopeful that Venezuelan Kevin Kelsy would be that distraction the team needs on offense.

The biggest impact would have to be Miles Robinson, hands down. The departure of Yerson Mosquera left a massive void in the back line, but the USMNT mainstay has given stability next to Matt Miazga and allowed Pat Noonan to distribute his other center backs as the play calls for them.

Any advice for the Rapids defense on how to stop Lucho Acosta? Also, what’s going on at the striker position with Aaron Boupendza on the bench last game? 

The best option might be to force Lucho to play the hero when all his other options are wasted. It may be best to shut down his paths to his options instead of trying to shut Lucho down himself. Frustrating him will cause him to try to go it alone, and those tend to be more a game of chance than a game of skill.

Boupendza’s issues seem to stem from underperforming during the team’s overall lack of communication. At times during the CF Montreal match two weeks ago, it felt like Boupendza was stranded on an island. Hopefully, this past weekend’s lineup shakeup was meant to make the team reestablish their options again and let Boupendza work his way back into confidence.

Chris Armas is still getting settled as a first year manager. They’ve struggled with second half adjustments the last two games a bit, even though they won. What does Pat Noonan do well in terms of in-game adjustments?

Noonan provides starting lineups that are tactically constructed for the style of play he desires. He has the wherewithal to establish pressing lineups and target particular players to gain possession early. He pulls back his defending midfielders when encountering high-possession teams and counters progressively.

That being said, he hasn’t seen much of a heavy lead or deficit at halftime this season, so the tactic seems to be more of a bend-not-break approach. When changes are required, it does help that he has flexible players who have shown they can fit into scenarios. Yuya Kubo has been one of those Army knives who can fill a random spot for Noonan, allowing the head coach to shuffle formations or substitutes.

Got a prediction for us? Lucho hat trick? Calvin Harris revenge tour?

While Colorado has performed well so far, I think the argument can be made that they have not been able to figure out a full 90-minute performance. That would be difficult to pull off against the Cincinnati defense, especially if Obi Nwobodo starts to play his style of defensive midfield like he did against Atlanta. I also feel we are starting to see players understand their roles better, so I expect Corey Baird to score again against the Rapids.

Give me the 2-0 win I previously predicted in our Jersey Swap podcast.

Photo Credit: John Babiak

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