Patrick Brennan

pbrennan@enquirer.com

The match: Futbol Club Cincinnati (10-3-4, 34 points, third place in United Soccer League Eastern Conference; +9 goal differential)

VERSUS

New York Red Bulls II (11-1-5, 38 points, second place in Eastern Conference; +18 goal differential).

Wednesday’s match at Nippert Stadium is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Form guide (last five USL results, ending with most recent game):

FC Cincinnati: Win-Tie-Win-Loss-Win

NYRBII: Tie-Win-Tie-Win-Win

Recent results, season series: Wednesday marks FC Cincinnati’s and NYRBII’s first-ever meeting. The teams conclude their home-and-away season series Aug. 28 in Harrison, New Jersey.

FC Cincinnati rolls back into league play after an almost 10-day layoff that saw the team host Crystal Palace FC of the English Premier League in the interim. Cincinnati lost, 2-0, but, of course, there were more significant takeaways from the match than the final score. Cincinnati last played in a USL match July 9 and won, 2-1, at St. Louis. Forward Omar Cummings scored early in his first start of the year and Eric Stevenson provided the eventual game-winner for Cincinnati.

Record crowd sees FC Cincy fall to Crystal Palace

New York is cruising along in the league, having scored six goals in its last two outings. Most recently, they traveled to Charlotte Independence where they won, 2-1. New York is on an 11-game unbeaten streak and has dropped just 13 points in the standings this season.

What to watch for: New York the best in the east? Lost in the weekend craze of Crystal Palace’s visit was Cincinnati head coach John Harkes’ declaration that New York is the best team in the league.

“For me, probably the best team in the league that I’ve seen on a week-to-week basis, and we’ve got to be prepared for that,” Harkes said after Saturday’s game.

Harkes’ statement checks out factually – New York has a slight edge over top-of-the-table Louisville City FC in terms of points per game (2.235 versus 2.21). It’s not hard to fathom that one of the more competitive organizations in Major League Soccer would have a stocked lower-league affiliate. But, having twice participated in slug fests against Louisville City, it’s still a strong statement from Harkes to suggest there’s a tougher opponent awaiting Cincinnati.

Louisville City’s lead at the top of the conference is widening, but FC Cincinnati might have to wait until the weekend to tend to that matter (Cincinnati also has two games in-hand on LouCity). For Wednesday, in their first-ever meeting with NYRBII, Cincinnati would do well to hold serve and draw the visitors.

Playoff position: With 13 games remaining in the regular season, it’s just about time to start tuning into the standings relative to FC Cincinnati’s playoff outlook. The upcoming three-game home stand could have a significant impact on Cincinnati’s playoff seeding as they’re set to play the Eastern Conference’s No. 2, No 1. and No. 4 teams in New York, Louisville and Charleston Battery (July 30). It’s entirely possible no shakeup occurs, but FC Cincinnati could also gain some serious ground over this stretch.

I’ve received some questions about the USL playoff format, so, a reminder: The USL’s 2016 playoff format will see the top eight teams from both conferences advance to the playoffs. A single-elimination bracket will be used to crown the conference champions. The team with the superior regular-season record will then host the USL championship game.

Player to watch for New York: Branden Allen. Allen is NYRBII’s leading scorer with 18 points via eight goals and two assists. He’s the talisman in a slightly top-heavy New York attack that’s seen seven players tally multiple goals on the year.

Player to watch for FC Cincinnati: Paul Nicholson. The midfielder-turned-defender was back in the midfield Saturday against Crystal Palace. After the game, Harkes said there was nothing to it and that none of his tactical arrangements against Palace were indicative of possible future changes. But why wouldn’t Harkes want to kick the tires and test out players, formations and systems against a top-level opponent? Nicholson’s proven himself a versatile commodity and worthy of a starting spot. Where he ends up playing in the games to come will be something to keep an eye on.

Where to watch: Not heading to Nippert Stadium for the match? The game will be carried on ESPN3 as it's been designated the USL Game of the Week. Locally, the match will be televised on the CW Cincinnati, according to FC Cincinnati's website, as well as on radio on ESPN 1530.

Side note: FC Cincinnati's Aug. 3 game at FC Montreal has been pushed up to a 2 p.m. kickoff. Previously, the game was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.