Tyler Gibson expected to make his FC Cincinnati debut Saturday against La Liga's Espanyol

Charlie Hatch | chatch@enquirer.com

Show Caption Hide Caption Alan Koch discusses contract extension through 2020 Alan Koch will coach FC Cincinnati through the 2020 season.

Tyler Gibson might make his club debut Saturday night, Futbol Club Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch said Thursday after practice.

Signed in the offseason, Gibson fractured his fibula on Feb. 4 during a preseason training session in Florida. He had surgery soon after. It was expected he'd miss four-to-six months.

"Tyler got through a full training session today, so we anticipate he's going to get some minutes," Koch said. "Not huge minutes, but hopefully he can get through the game and get to make his club debut on Saturday, which would be awesome."

FC Cincinnati hosts RCD Espanyol in its third-annual international friendly at Nippert Stadium. Espanyol plays in La Liga, Spain's first division.

Because it's a friendly, both sides can play as many players as interested. Cincinnati can only play 11 starters and a maximum of three substitutes during United Soccer League matches.

More: Get to know La Liga's RCD Espanyol, FC Cincinnati's international friendly opponent

More: FC Cincinnati win against New York Red Bulls II showcased roster depth

More: FC Cincinnati's Tomi Ameobi and his wife, Andrea, have a baby girl Tuesday

More: First month free: Subscribe to unlimited digital access to Cincinnati.com

Get the latest FC Cincinnati news. Download the FC Cincinnati Soccer app on both the Apple App Store and Google Play for Android users.

While Saturday isn't a competitive match officially, it's an opportunity for Gibson or others with limited minutes to see playing time.

"It's huge," Koch said about Gibson's recovery. "I’ve only had a few moments in my coaching career where the actual life of a training session is sucked out of it, and we had one of those moments in preseason when he got injured. You could just feel the love of everybody in the group for him.

"Everybody was devastated when he got injured, so the fact that he’s been how he is and how he’s supported everybody while he hasn’t been able to play and how his teammates have supported him through his recovery, he’s been awesome. I think it’s a big part of why the group has come together how it is. We’re excited to hopefully give him that."