Patrick Brennan

pbrennan@enquirer.com

There was a time not long ago when the River Cities Cup series between Futbol Club Cincinnati and Louisville City FC was little more than a marketing solution searching for an actual rivalry.

It was a manufactured feud born in a Feb. 2016 press release before the clubs had ever played one second of competitive soccer against each other. It was met by plenty of observers on both sides of the Ohio River with curiosity and cynicism.

The teams' matches did eventually become a priority to both fan bases during the 2016 United Soccer League season, but that occurred in the midst of a furious race to the regular season finish line in which Cincinnati and Louisville jockeyed for playoff position at the top of the USL's Eastern Conference.

Four matches and 13 months into the teams' on and off-field relationship, there can be no mistaking the complexion of that relationship now: It is a rivalry in the truest sense of the word following the April 22 match that led to a six-game suspension for Cincinnati's Djiby Fall, and it is still simmering more than a month later.

FC Cincinnati on Wednesday hosts "Lou City" at Nippert Stadium in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (7 p.m.). Because it's a U.S. Open Cup game, it won't be on local TV. You can watch via live stream on fccincinnati.com.

The winner advances to host a coveted and highly-valuable fourth-round date against Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew SC – a match that offers an enticing lure for two second-division clubs that, to varying degrees, are actively positioning themselves in the ongoing MLS expansion process.

Following April's dustup, the USL schedule indicated Cincinnati and Louisville would have to pause their white-hot dispute until mid-July (and August after that) when the teams next meet in league play, but the U.S. Open Cup offered soccer fans a gift: A rematch, about five weeks on from the Djiby incident some referred to a "bite-gate."

And in the perfect piece of symmetry, Djiby is expected to play against his antagonists in the next chapter of this running drama.

Djiby's ongoing suspension doesn't carry over to the Open Cup and a Tuesday FC Cincinnati news release stated he'd "make his return" to the field against Louisville.

The two clubs feuded publicly after their April 22 meeting in which Djiby was accused of biting Louisville midfielder Niall McCabe. A USL disciplinary panel found that Djiby did indeed bite McCabe, and the six-game suspension was handed down.

The resulting dispute between the two clubs over the incident, which included an appeal of the suspension by FC Cincinnati, dragged on for the better part of a week.

FC Cincinnati has subsequently been shutout twice in league play and dropped seven points during Djiby's absence. This only added to the Cincinnati's frustration over the episode, and was part of the rationale behind a trade for Danish striker Danni Konig in early May.

MORE: FC Cincinnati's Djiby Fall suspended 6 games for 'major game misconduct'

MORE: FC Cincinnati: We will welcome Djiby back

FC Cincinnati officials have mostly said all the right things publicly since April 22. Nothing incendiary has been added to the embers that remain from the original dispute, although head coach Alan Koch pulled back the curtain regarding the club's stance on Louisville.

"I've only coached one game against Louisville and I don't really have to think too far back as to how I felt during that game and after that game," Koch said following Cincinnati's May 17 second-round win over AFC Cleveland. "When the day comes that we get to play against them, we'll be very, very excited."

Players, too, have tried to tread lightly on the matter of the rematch, although some of their comments have also been revealing.

Konig revealed in his post-match remarks Saturday that a "team owner" met with Cincinnati players recently and conveyed their desire to beat Louisville.

"I'm looking forward to it," Cincinnati defender Harrison Delbridge said with a slight smirk when asked May 17 about playing Louisville in the Open Cup.

Louisville City played down the rivalry during press conferences this week, but it wouldn't be much of a stretch to think the organization might still be frustrated over FC Cincinnati's dispute of the biting accusation.

In short, Wednesday sets up as a possible powder keg of on-field emotion, not to mention skillful play from two of the Eastern Conference's top four teams. It won't take much to spark the fuse.

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

THE MATCH: FC Cincinnati (5-4-3 overall; 4-4-3 in USL; plus one goal differential in U.S. Open Cup) versus Louisville City FC (5-1-3 overall; 4-1-3 in USL; plus-nine goal differential in U.S. Open Cup).

FORM GUIDE (last five results across all competitions, ending with most recent)

FC Cincinnati: D-L-W*-W-W

Louisville City FC: D-D-L-W*-W

FC Cincinnati defeated defending National Premier Soccer League champion AFC Cleveland 1-0 to advance from the Open Cup's second round. Louisville City advanced to the third round via a 9-0 rout of Tartan Devils FC, a quintessential pub team. FC Cincinnati and Louisville have played to a 1-1-2 record in their all-time series.

*Denotes U.S. Open Cup match.

MORE: Djiby lifts FC Cincinnati to Open Cup third round

SCOUTING REPORTS

Louisville City enters the Cincinnati match well-rested and well-prepared as it hasn't played in 11 days.

The time off has afforded Louisville City an opportunity to work out its on-field issues in training, Brian Ownby said this week to LouisvilleCityFC.com.

However, the club's relatively small squad – Louisville has just 20 players rostered, according to its website – is entering a stretch of four matches in 12 days.

Three of those matches are on the road, so Louisville will have a delicate balancing act regarding how it uses its personnel resources over this stretch, which begins Wednesday at Nippert Stadium.

The team is relatively healthy, Louisville head coach James O'Connor said this week, although sluggishness is a something of a concern.

Still, O'Connor told Louisville media, his side is "desperate to give a good account of itself" against FC Cincinnati.

FC Cincinnati started its current three-game winning streak in its May 17 U.S. Open Cup match. The NPSL champions from Cleveland provided a formidable defense, although their offense was somewhat lacking.

From there, FC Cincinnati won convincing against Bethlehem Steel FC but scraped by to a 1-0 victory against one-win Toronto FC II this past weekend.

MORE Konig scores twice in win over Bethlehem Steel FC

MORE: FC Cincinnati grinds out 1-0 win over Toronto

PERSONNEL

How FC Cincinnati lines up on Wednesday is anyone's guess, as is which 18 players Koch elects to dress for the match. As far as injuries go, FC Cincinnati's health is improving every day.

Former Premier League defender Justin Hoyte is 100 percent and could return to the field.

Kenney Walker, who has missed five games in a row, is expected to dress for FC Cincinnati on Wednesday, according to a team news release. Walker could benefit from some additional rest ahead of the club's Saturday road match at the Rochester Rhinos.

FC Cincinnati doesn't have any players on suspension for Wednesday's match.

ABBREVIATED PITCHSIDE NOTES

• FC Cincinnati announced Tuesday a live stream will be available for the Louisville City match on fccincinnati.com. “With only a week to get the necessary components in place for our second-round match against AFC Cleveland, we were unable to show that match online," FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding said in a news release. "However, having the extra week for the third round was essential to putting together a broadcast plan in line with the quality our fans have become accustomed to when watching a home FCC match.”

• FC Cincinnati left back Tyler Polak was named to the USL Team of the Week for his comprehensive performance in Saturday's 1-0 win over Toronto.