Patrick Brennan

pbrennan@enquirer.com

Futbol Club Cincinnati has run its gauntlet of three games in a week. They've emerged as a gritty contender near the top of the United Soccer League, and the kind of team many expected them to be at the season's outset.

Cincinnati (4-2-2) concluded its taxing week with a 1-1 tie against Harrisburg City Islanders FC, and a 1-0-2 record overall. On Wednesday, Cincinnati won, 3-1, at Orlando City B, and the week began with a 1-1 tie against Wilmington Hammerheads FC.

Big picture: Turnaround since Louisville City FC loss: Since losing 3-2 at home to Louisville City FC, Cincinnati is an unbeaten 2-0-2. Along the way, the team has fallen behind in each game — a disturbing trend, to be sure. The game-chasing is a foremost concern for the team, and head coach John Harkes has addressed it at seemingly every step along the way. FC Cincinnati is making life harder for itself, and chasing each game from behind is a tough way to hang with the league's elite. It might not be sustainable over an entire season. Probably isn't. In the interim, however, the team has found a way to grind out a result in each game since the Louisville loss. They've picked up eight points in the standings out of a possible 12. They're tied for 3rd in the Eastern Conference. League-wide, the team's 14 points are tied for fourth-best. You might not like FC Cincinnati's living-on-the-edge style, and it will probably catch up to them down the road if they can't make the right fixes. For now, you can't argue with the results. The Louisville game is looking more and more like the wake-up calls fans hoped it would be and that media thought it needed to be. FC Cincinnati is playing up to the lofty expectations some held for them at the outset of the season.

Record FC Cincy crowd sees Louisville City win, 3-2

Lineup changes: FC Cincinnati's starting lineup saw only a single change through the first seven games, and that change was in direct response to defender and team captain Austin Berry's quadriceps injury. So, it was interesting to see three changes to the lineup for the Harrisburg game as Omar Cummings, Derek Luke and Antoine Hoppenot all made their first starts of the season, respectively. Paul Nicholson, Berry's stand-in, started his third game of the season, too. It was probably just a matter of time until Cummings made a start. After missing the first four games of the season due to various injuries, Cummings appeared in each of the last four games. His minutes increased in each appearance, so he appeared to be working his way toward a start. Hoppenot's been Harkes' first option off the bench in several games this season, so it's not a surprise to see him make a start either. Cincinnati exhausted all five of its substitutions against Harrisburg, which suggests fatigue, and that's to be expected after playing three games in a week. I wouldn't rule Cummings out for a start in Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (4 p.m. kickoff). Same goes for Hoppenot.

The goal against: FC Cincinnati's latest deficit started with a turnover in the attacking half of the field by Cincinnati midfielder Corben Bone. To their credit, FC Cincinnati tracked back and tried to regain possession, but Harrisburg's counter attack was lightning fast. They sliced through the midfield and the final pass leading to the goal slid through three Cincinnati players. It was far from a sterling moment for the back line as it appeared any one of the three players could have broken up the pass. Jamaican forward Craig Foster was on the other end of the pass, and he didn't have much left to do. He calmly finished his chance to put the hosts up, 1-0. Any goal against is disappointing, but this one was particularly so because of the turnover that started the break for Harrisburg.

The goal for: Jimmy McLaughlin, playing against his former club for the first time, tied the game at 1-1 late in regulation. The ball squirted out to the edge of the 18-yard box off a corner kick, and McLaughlin took a blistering shot that skipped in off Harrisburg's goalkeeper. There haven't been many set-piece goals for Cincinnati this season, so McLaughlin's is a welcome sight. It's also big for McLaughlin to get on the score sheet. McLaughlin has led Cincinnati in shots most games this season, and narrowly missed goals on multiple occasions. He's been a key offensive facilitator even without notching a goal, so the rest of the Eastern Conference will have a big problem on its hands if McLaughlin has finally found his scoring touch.

Cincinnati returns to action Saturday at Nippert Stadium against Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.