FC Cincinnati downs Lou City, earns Columbus Crew SC date

Show Caption Hide Caption FCC 1, Louisville City FC 0 FC Cincinnati defeats Louisville City FC 1-0 win in Lamar Hunt US Open Cup game, Wednesday, May 31, 2017, at Nippert Stadium. With the win, FC Cincinnati advances to play MLS side Columbus Crew.

The loudest roar from the crowd during Futbol Club Cincinnati's third-round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match against Louisville City FC came after the final whistle.

The Nippert Stadium public address speakers bellowed out details of FC Cincinnati's upcoming fourth-round U.S. Open Cup match against Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew SC.

At that moment, the 6,519 in attendance roared the roar of a throng twice its size, all for a dream date with an in-state rival FC Cincinnati's never actually played but with whom they've shared an affinity for MLS since the club's inception.

FC Cincinnati booted arch-rival Louisville City FC out of the Open Cup with a 1-0 victory Wednesday at Nippert. The win set in motion a two-week-long build-up to the match with Columbus, one of the original MLS franchises, but also stands as a singular moment in FC Cincinnati's 2017 season.

“The guys are ecstatic, the club is ecstatic and the fans are ecstatic after today’s win against Louisville FC,” FC Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch said afterward. “We’re thrilled to host the Columbus Crew in the next round. This game is very, very unique. You ride the waves at times and we’re going to keep going with it. We’re still a young club, but it’s obvious as to where our club wants to go in the future but we’re looking forward to hosting the Crew in the coming weeks.”

Djiby Fall, the Cincinnati striker still suspended in United Soccer League play due to a biting feud that stemmed from the April 22 match with Louisville, scored the eventual game winning goal in the 48th minute of Wednesday's match.

Djiby chested the ball on goal off a corner kick and was denied by a narrow margin. He gathered the resulting loose ball and blasted it into the back of the net.

Djiby then enjoyed a prolonged celebration and was helped back to his side of the field by match official Brandon Artis before play restarted.

The goal made Djiby the club's leading scorer in U.S. Open Cup play (2). He now has eight goals in eight games across all competitions in 2017.

From there, FC Cincinnati mostly made tidy work of closing out the game. Cincinnati goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt was pressed into three saves in recording his second shutout in two matches.

FC Cincinnati advances to face Columbus Crew SC FC Cincinnati knocked rival Louisville City FC out of the U.S. Open Cup May 31 via a 1-0 win at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium.

In keeping with the recent history of the rivalry, which Cincinnati now leads 2-1-2, there was a dustup after the game.

When the rival coaching staffs attempted to shake hands, Koch appeared to have his arm jerked back by Louisville head coach James O'Connor. An apparent argument then ensued and a Louisville coach refused to shake Koch's hand.

Both coaches played down the incident in their post-match remarks. Koch said there was "no physical contact. Shook hands. That was it."

"There are moments in the game where everyone should respect the game," Koch said. "The assistant coach didn't want to shake my hand, but he eventually shook my hand. Everything's fine. We're all squared."

It was clear before a ball was kicked in the match that the game could get heated. Both teams indicated they were fully invested in the non-league contest based on their lineup selections.

FC Cincinnati deployed a starting lineup that featured just three changes from its Saturday league win over Toronto FC II.

One of those changes was the addition of Djiby. Another was the insertion of former Premier League defender Justin Hoyte after his weeks-long battle with a hamstring injury.

In sum, FC Cincinnati's lineup featured 82 combined starts and 92 total appearances in 2017 league play.

Louisville City's starting lineup was also robust, and featured mostly regular starters.

"It's a big game. We're playing at home. We're obviously playing a local rival," Koch said when asked about his lineup selections. "They went all-in, too. It's pretty obvious both groups had the same focus."

The match was evenly played. Louisville came out fast despite an 11-day layoff from competitive matches. They scarcely threatened Hildebrandt's net late in the match, however.

FC Cincinnati was comparatively slow out of the gate, but had the better of the chances throughout the game even as Louisville maintained about 53 percent of the possession.

With Hoyte on the field and previously-injured Kenney Walker dressed for the match, FC Cincinnati was as healthy as it's been all year.

Despite some moving parts as a result of Djiby's suspension and the players returning from injury, the side showed flashes of the team that was promised to fans in the offseason.

Cincinnati is on a four-game winning streak with two wins apiece in the USL and the Open Cup.

"That was a very, very delicate chess match we went through throughout the course of the 90 minutes," Koch said. "I think we, thankfully, as a group, managed the moments very, very well... I think we'll take a lot of confidence as a group."

FC Cincinnati will play Crew SC June 14 at Nippert Stadium. The forthcoming "Ohio derby" as some are calling it started collecting attention and momentum shortly after FC Cincinnati's victory.

6.14.17. Mark it down. First Ohio Derby. #CrewSC — Anthony Precourt (@APrecourt) June 1, 2017

Cincinnati's appearance in the fourth round marks its longest run in the competition in the two years it has competed.

The winner of the Cincinnati-Columbus match will progress to the last 16 of the Open Cup. An open draw will take place June 15 to determine matchups and host sites for the last 16.

Ticketing information for the June 14 match against Crew SC will be emailed to season ticket holders, according to FC Cincinnati.

The general public sale for tickets is scheduled to begin Tuesday at 9 a.m.

FC Cincinnati has two league matches – Saturday at the Rochester Rhinos and June 10 against the Charlotte Independence at Nippert – prior to the Crew SC match.