Patrick Brennan

pbrennan@enquirer.com

Futbol Club Cincinnati's arduous three-game road trip to begin the 2017 United Soccer League season has certainly taken a toll on the squad.

FC Cincinnati will carry into its first home match of the campaign a 1-2-0 record, two goals over three games and several players battling injury.

The club's latest frustration arrived Sunday. It suffered an injury to a key player and was dealt a red card in the early stages of what ended up being a 2-0 loss at Bethlehem Steel FC.

Optimism around the FC Cincinnati fan base appears to be somewhat lessened of late, but it's still early in the season.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Sunday's game and a big-picture overview of the club's on-field situation:

TACTICS TRASHED AT BETHLEHEM

It's hard to infer much about FC Cincinnati from the totality of its 90-minute performance against Bethlehem because the team was operating in an uncommonly adverse situation. Former Premier League defender and new acquisition Justin Hoyte left the game early through an undisclosed injury. He amassed just 10 touches prior to exiting the game.

An update on Hoyte's condition isn't expected to be available until later this week, according to the club.

By the 23rd minute of Sunday's match, FC Cincinnati was down a man after defender Paul Nicholson was sent off for a red card.

At that point, FC Cincinnati was forced to make huge adjustments. Bye, bye, game plan.

No one will mistake Bethlehem for a USL title contender, but it isn't a slouch either. And with a man advantage for the vast majority of the game, Cincinnati was going to be hard-pressed to get anything out of the road match.

Seku Conneh netted twice for the hosts to send FC Cincinnati packing. That outcome, or something like it, was always the most likely result after Nicholson was sent off and Cincinnati was forced to defend for its collective life for the last 67-plus minutes of the match.

To illustrate how crippling Steel FC's man advantage was, FC Cincinnati was out-shot 20-7 in the contest. None of Cincinnati's shots hit the target in the second half.

OFF THE PACE FOR 62 GOALS – WITH PLENTY OF SEASON LEFT

FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding set a very calculated and precise target for 2017: Score 62 goals, or about two goals per game. At that rate, FC Cincinnati would surely be at or near the top of the USL's Eastern Conference, which would mean an easier first-round playoff match-up (keep in mind the club didn't clear its first-round hurdle last year against a very tricky opponent in Charleston Battery) and home-field advantage for multiple rounds of the USL Cup playoffs.

So far in 2017, FC Cincinnati's scored two goals over its first three games – a per-game average of about .7 goals.

Obviously, FC Cincinnati is well off the pace for 62 goals. But forget the number "62," for a minute. That's a lofty number and it's not necessarily required for the kind of success FC Cincinnati aspires to.

The aim of 62 goals was more of a statement about how FC Cincinnati would play in 2017. Relentless attacking soccer was the pursuit. They haven't achieved it yet, but there's still time to get there.

ONE THING THAT HASN'T DISAPPOINTED

Goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt already has two penalty saves and one shutout through three games. He saved a Conneh penalty Sunday to allow FC Cincinnati to stay afloat in the immediate aftermath of Nicholson's red card. His first penalty save came in the season opener at Charleston Battery, although the rebound from that shot ultimately resulted in a goal against.

His shutout, and Cincinnati's lone win, came April 1 at Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

Hildebrandt is tied for the fourth-most saves in the USL (13) and is doing his part to keep Cincinnati competitive while the rest of the team figures things out.

JUDGE FC CINCINNATI IN OCTOBER, NOT EARLY APRIL

Not only has FC Cincinnati struggled to live up to its own preseason hype thus far, they've failed to match the 2016 team in terms of goals and results.

Through three games last year, FC Cincinnati had scored four goals and was 2-1-0. This year, they've scored twice and posted a 1-2-0 record.

Still, it's entirely too early to panic.

There are 29 league games left for FC Cincinnati to sort itself out. And big off-season acquisitions and lofty expectations don't change the fact that the team underwent a coaching change less than two months ago. Head coach Alan Koch is an accomplished, proven coach at the USL level. There's no reason to doubt him three games into the 2017 campaign.

The USL Cup is awarded and hoisted in October, not the second week in April.

NEXT UP:

FC CINCINNATI v. St. Louis FC

Game: Saturday, 7 p.m. at Nippert Stadium

TV/Stream: Star-64/YouTube

Opening week podcast

Join The Enquirer Thursday at Rhinehaus in Over-the-Rhine (119 E. 12th St.) for the first episode of the FC Cincy Beat Podcast's second season. Special guest and FC Cincinnati co-captain Austin Berry will join the show and help us preview Saturday's home opener against St. Louis FC.

Austin Berry to join FC Cincy Beat Podcast