FC Cincinnati faces difficult test at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in U.S. Open Cup 3rd round

If Futbol Club Cincinnati and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC have a rivalry, it's been heavily one-sided to this point.

Through six previous encounters, FC Cincinnati is unbeaten with three wins. The teams tied 2-2 when they last met April 22 at Nippert Stadium.

But Wednesday night could change things.

Cincinnati will play in Pittsburgh in the third round of the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Along with bragging rights for the winner is the possibility of hosting a Major League Soccer team in the next round.

"This escalates things for sure," midfielder Jimmy McLaughlin said Monday after practice. "The rivalry is more so because the history of the cities rather than us and them."

Maybe the looming matchup is when that changes.

FC Cincinnati enters Highmark Stadium first in the United Soccer League Eastern Conference standings. No one on either team will need reminding of the club's impressive U.S. Open Cup run last year that eventually halted in the tournament's semifinals. Coaches and players alike have said they're hoping to equal, if not surpass that high-water mark set last year.

Of course, doing so means Cincinnati would need to beat a Riverhounds side that's fourth in the Eastern Conference, unbeaten in 2018 and hasn't conceded a goal at home this season.

Wednesday night is a matchup between a high-octane Cincinnati offense that includes arguably the strongest attacking players in the league, against a Bob Lilley-coached Pittsburgh team that bolsters the stingiest backline. It's an incredibly intriguing matchup and, whether through 90 minutes, extra time or penalties, will eventually end in one team unravelling the other.

"Knowing Bob's teams, he's willing to change things," Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch said Monday. "He changed a lot when they came out and played us here, as did we. It was a chess match and we know Wednesday is going to be a chess match too."

Regardless of outcome, the third-round clash serves as a validity test to both teams. Throw in the fact that each plays its biggest rival at home Saturday night and Wednesday's game suddenly feels incredibly hard to predict the starting lineups, let alone the outcomes.

And that's what makes this Cincinnati-Pittsburgh matchup different from previous ones. In the past, FC Cincinnati has promoted an "orange out" against Pittsburgh, an obvious play on the Bengals-Steelers rivalry. In the first meeting at Nippert Stadium in 2016, a handful of Bengals players served as honorary captains.

Perhaps Wednesday is when the rivalry becomes less about other teams and colors and more about two of the best teams in the USL. If previous pairings needed promotion, this one already has full authenticity.

"It's a big match," McLaughlin said. "There's a lot of pressure on both teams.

"It’s a massive match for both of us. They’re trying to make a cup run as well. I’m sure they know what happened with us last year. I think people are always gunning for us and that’s just kinda how it’s always been playing for this club since day one."

What better way for Pittsburgh to finally assert itself in the rivalry than to ruin another FC Cincinnati cup run while maintaining its unbeaten streak. As for Cincinnati, another win means another reminder to the Riverhounds that they might be good, but not good enough. Plus, it means another U.S. Open Cup run for supporters to dream about.