The Open Cup, MLS and his legacy: an interview with former FC Cincinnati forward Djiby Fall

Charlie Hatch | chatch@enquirer.com

Show Caption Hide Caption Djiby Fall on his 4-goal night Djiby Fall talks about his 4-goal performance in FC Cincinnati's home opener.

The club's history is short, but few Futbol Club Cincinnati players have made as much of an impression as Djiby Fall.

At times he scored gorgeous goals and helped spark the historic 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup run. When he scored against Columbus Crew SC, he wept. But then there were other times filled with unnecessary yellow cards and, allegedly, a bite.

Djiby played one season for FC Cincinnati and finished with 16 goals, which tied the then-club record for goals scored. Currently, Danni König has 21.

Now, the 33-year-old Senegalese striker plays for Hobro IK in the Danish Superliga. He's made four appearances this season.

Below is the interview with Djiby from a phone conversation Monday afternoon.

The Enquirer: How would you compare the Superliga to the (United Soccer League)?

Djiby Fall: The Superliga in Denmark, when you compare to every team every week, all the teams they have are at a very good level, but they have one team here called FC Copenhagen that’s at a higher level. But in general, they have a very good level and every team is a very tough challenge. If you compare to USL, you can have four, five or six good teams. The level between the teams is not the same. You can see that. Here, though, every game is a new challenge.

ENQ: You’re back in Europe. How do you think the American experience went?

DF: I think it was a good experience. I really enjoyed it with good moments in Cincinnati with lots and lots of good memories. I had a very good life. In general, I was so happy that I did well. But of course, I cannot do this alone. It was with my teammates, and to them, I want to say thank you for every single thing they were doing. To go for the first time to the semifinal of the U.S. Open Cup, everybody didn’t expect we could do it, but inside my heart I trusted it because the Open Cup, to me, was like Europa League and I played in it many times and always had a lot of fun. It was a very good experience in Cincinnati.

ENQ: Obviously, Cincinnati joins Major League Soccer next year. It was always something people talked about last year. Do you have any opinion about that?

DF: I heard about that but now I’m not a player for FC Cincinnati. For me, that was the right direction because they worked very hard to put this team into MLS. I think the fans of FC Cincinnati really deserved that. They love football and they support the team, so I’m happy for them to be in MLS next season, of course.

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ENQ: Some of the goals you scored were some of the biggest in club history. Your name is something people remember. Looking back, do you understand the significance of the goal against Columbus and what it meant to people in Cincinnati?

DF: Yeah, but think from this game, everything was beginning from this game. From my thoughts, the fans started (getting surprised) from this game because nobody was expecting we could win against Columbus Crew, an MLS team with great players and big teams. We played with a lot of character and it showed. Then the fans started a process with this team and it improved how (MLS) respected the city and the club. To bring them to MLS, why not? Because we impressed on the pitch and our fans were showing that. That was something very special. And what I say to you, I played a lot of Europa League games, so I was loving to play games like that because there was pressure. I’m not young, I have experience. We just did our thing. Going to the semifinal, this isn’t a thing you do every year. A team like FC Cincinnati, no one expected it. And we did it. I’m happy for them and the experience. It also gave many motivations for players to come. That’s why I say everything was beginning from us and this game. The fans come more and more and now everyone is following. It’s good. I think it’s good for the club.

ENQ: How would you like to be remembered by FC Cincinnati and the supporters?

DF: I don’t know, but I think they recognized what I did. If they recognize that, then they’ll never forget me.