Patrick Brennan

pbrennan@enquirer.com

The verbiage coming out of the FC Cincinnati camp to describe Wednesday's match against star-studded New York City FC of Major League Soccer is stronger than you might expect.

Words and phrases like "privilege," "big deal" and "huge challenge" have been deliberately offered up by players and coaches discussing the game, and probably with good reason.

The 5 p.m. IMG Academy Suncoast Pro Classic tournament game in Bradenton, Florida isn't just another preseason game for the first-year USL franchise. It can't be just another preseason game. Not with NYCFC's laundry list of legendary international talent (see: Pirlo, Lampard, Villa, Diskerud, Poku).

Given the star power they're up against, and the resulting skepticism about their ability to cope with all that talent as a first-year USL team, Cincinnati players and coaches said they see the date with NYCFC as an opportunity to announce themselves on a national stage, to further their brand, and to create more buzz.

"It’s a privilege to be able to play a side that has some of the best players to ever play the game," said Cincinnati midfielder Corben Bone. "It means a lot to us. We’re a brand new club, so we could put our mark on the game around the country (with a win). That’s a big deal."

Alexi Lalas chimes in on 'Harkes versus Reyna'

One of the most intriguing aspects of the Cincinnati-NYCFC game is the longtime connection between Cincinnati head coach John Harkes and Claudio Reyna, NYCFC's sporting director. Their battle for bragging rights shouldn't be lost on Cincinnati and NYCFC fans.

Alexi Lalas, a Fox Sports soccer commentator and former U.S. men's national team player, said their friendship could be a very real factor in the match.

Both Harkes and Reyna are natives of northern New Jersey and the New York City metro area. Both played college soccer at the University of Virginia, and also played together as members of the U.S. men's national team throughout the 1990's.

A friendly rivalry isn't out of the question when Harkes' and Reyna's teams meet Wednesday, although Harkes said they've just been hanging out during the IMG Academy tournament.

"We’ve had some good talks already. It’ll be great," Harkes told The Enquirer. "On a friendship level with Claudio, it’s fantastic. It’ll be a huge challenge but hopefully we can give them good competition and Claudio can go, ‘wow, you guys really gave us a challenge.’ ”

Lalas, whose U.S. national team career overlapped with Harkes' and Reyna's, said there's no doubt Harkes wants to beat for NYCFC for multiple reasons.

“This is ultimately a competition. None of us ever got anywhere without a healthy, and a beautiful arrogance as I call it – we all have it," Lalas told The Enquirer. “For John, the more success that he has, the better off his reputation as a coach is.

"Whether he continues on (at FC Cincinnati) if the vision they have there is realized, or he becomes a valuable, sought-after coach for some MLS team, he’s working on his image and his coaching perception. Every single time you get in front of a team and the perception is that they are better, if you can do well against them and get one over on them, that’s a good thing. People will remember that… It’ll be good for John to test himself and to test his team against a very good NYCFC team."

Preseason update

The round-robin IMG Academy Suncoast Pro Classic tournament with $10,000 up for grabs saw Cincinnati erase a two-goal deficit Saturday to draw its first game against KR Reykjavík, 2-2. The fan reaction to Cincinnati's first-ever televised preseason game was notable in Greater Cincinnati.

Wednesday will be NYCFC's fifth run-out this preseason, and they're outscoring their opponents 5-0 in their previous four games. In addition to the 2-0 victory Saturday against HB Koge, NYCFC defeated Florida Gulf Coast University (1-0, Jan. 31), Oklahoma Energy (1-0, Feb. 12) and Montreal Impact (1-0, Feb. 17).

How will FCC approach NYCFC tactically?

Harkes had his squad open the KR Reykjavík match tactically in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and not much positive attacking play resulted. Cincinnati was, however, able to stifle KR's attack.

In the second half, Harkes sent Cincinnati out in a more attacking-focused 4-4-2 formation. The positives of the formation switch were cancelled out by the negatives. KR jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second half, indicating there's still some work to do on the defensive end of the 4-4-2 formation.

Cincinnati also produced far more attacking play in the 4-4-2, and scored two goals.

It's likely we'll see more 4-4-2 for at least some of the match, but there will be little margin for error defensively against NYCFC, of course.

Match-up to watch

Corben Bone will enter the NYCFC match riding the wave of momentum from his wonder-strike and long-shot goal-of-the-year candidate during Saturday's KR Reykjavík draw.

But Bone's going to have his work cut out for him in the midfield should he have to square off with NYCFC's Andrea Pirlo, the Italian midfield maestro that helped guide Italy to the 2006 World Cup title, among countless other club trophies and accolades. Bone said he welcomes the challenge of playing Pirlo.

"It would be a good test for me, but once you step on the field, that respect you have for (Pirlo) as one of the greatest to play, it kind of goes out the window. On the day, he's the enemy. If I'm playing midfield and he's playing midfield, I have to win that battle. It's me against him."

Of course, it's unclear when (if at all) Pirlo and NYCFC's other stars will enter the game. Against HB Koge on Saturday, NYCFC had to find space for three trialists in its starting lineup.

It's entirely possible Bone and Pirlo won't meet up on the pitch. From the FC Cincinnati perspective, they'll likely be hoping that doesn't happen.

Where to watch FCC v. NYCFC

By far, the best option for taking in the high-profile preseason friendly is to travel to one of FC Cincinnati's pub-partner locations. Slake your thirst with a few pints and enjoy the game with fellow FC Cincy supporters. Multiple supporters groups will meet at Rhinehaus in Over-the-Rhine at 119 E 12th St. Other official FC Cincinnati pub partners showing the match include: Molly Malone’s (Covington, Kentucky), Taste of Belgium (Clifton), The Pub in Rookwood, Brass Tap, Listermann Brewing (Evanston, adjacent to Xavier University), and Next Chapter (Mount Adams).

IMG Academy will be streaming all the games its hosting live. Follow this link, but know that you'll have to pay $5.99 for single-day access to their programming.

What's up next for FCC after NYCFC?

FC Cincinnati confirmed the following three preseason friendlies, as well as the date of its return from preseason training in Florida.

- HB Koge (Danish Super League; Feb. 27; IMG Academy)

- FC Cincinnati returns from preseason training in Florida (Feb. 28)

- Indy Eleven (March 12, location/time TBA)

- Xavier University men's soccer (March 18 at the XU Soccer Complex)

Other FC Cincy news

The club announced Tuesday a media partnership with iHeartMedia. What's it mean? All of Cincinnati's regular-season home matches will are on local radio ESPN 1530.