Much to the chagrin of the FC Cincinnati faithful, this Saturday’s match between FCC and the Charlotte Independence was cancelled due to poor field conditions and severe weather in North Carolina. Several of the Orange and Blue’s close competitors were in action this weekend however, and added points to their season totals.

Louisville City FC and the Richmond kickers drew 0-0 at City Stadium in Richmond. New York Red Bulls II and the Charleston Battery both picked up 1-0 wins away from home. Orlando City B did the Orange and Blue a favor by knocking off the Rochester Rhinos 2-1 in Florida. Rochester could have drawn level on points with FC Cincinnati and Charlotte in the standings if they had won.

FC Cincinnati entered the weekend in second place. These results see Red Bulls II and Charleston leapfrog FC Cincinnati and take over second and third place in the standings. The top 5 in the Eastern Conference now looks like this:

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Of course, FC Cincinnati will be able make up the Charlotte game at a future date still to be determined.

FC Cincinnati should benefit from the week and half of rest and training following their win on Wednesday May 18th in the US Open Cup. Many of the starters didn’t participate in that Open Cup match and therefore will have enjoyed two full weeks of rest before the next match day. The break also provides additional time for team captain Austin Berry to recover from the thigh strain he sustained on April 29th.

Despite a quiet week on the field, it was a busy week off the field considering the announcement that FCC will face English Premier League side Crystal Palace on July 16th at Nippert Stadium. There was also quite a bit of buzz and social media banter following the announcement of the US Open Cup 4th round pairings. With this announcement, FC Cincinnati learned that if they can get past NASL’s Tampa Bay Rowdies on June 1st, they will face Ohio rival and MLS side Columbus Crew SC in the 4th round.

What’s next?

The Orange and Blue will face a familiar foe next weekend when they line up against the Harrisburg City Islanders at Nippert Stadium. You’ll remember that Harkes’ men faced Harrisburg just over 2 weeks ago on May 7th away from home. That match resulted in a rather tame 1-1 draw. Harrisburg is coming off a rather impressive 3-1 win against the Bethlehem Steel. Cincinnati now has a reputation to maintain in terms of attendance, so make sure to get your tickets at the FC Cincinnati website or by calling 513-977-KICK. It’s a week away but as of right now the forecast is calling for weather in the 80’s with any chance of rain clearing by noon. We’re due for some good weather for the next night out at Nippert!

@walkermichaelg for @cincysoccertalk

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