Patrick Brennan

pbrennan@enquirer.com

The timing of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup couldn't be better for Futbol Club Cincinnati.

FC Cincinnati is winless in its last five United Soccer League matches and stands at 2-4-3 overall in the league, and none of that matters in U.S. Open Cup, a separate, single-elimination competition involving amateur and professional clubs to crown a national club champion.

The Open Cup offers all the possibilities for success, both in terms of results and match attendance, and none of the baggage that's weighing the team down in USL play – that's what Wednesday's second-round Open Cup match against defending National Premier Soccer League champion AFC Cleveland means to FC Cincinnati.

It's also a chance to take lessons from Saturday's deflating 2-0 loss to Orlando City B and make corrections.

"I think it's great we get a game this soon after what happened on Saturday," FC Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch said in a post-training interview Tuesday. "We were very, very frustrated after the game, so the beauty is we don't have to wait a full week again, so, we as a group are very excited to play a game."

Cup competition isn't without its stresses, of course. Single-elimination means narrow margins for error, and Cleveland AFC is no slouch.

"I like cup competitions because it's very playoff-like. It's do or die," Koch said. "You learn a lot from players playing in those types of games where there is a little extra pressure. If you lose, it's over."

The stage is definitely set for an exciting sideshow to FC Cincinnati's league season.

In addition to hosting Wednesday's match (FC Cincinnati would have played in Iowa had Cleveland lost to the Des Moines Menace last week), the winner of the FC Cincinnati-Cleveland match was awarded hosting rights for the third round, which could see rival Louisville City FC make the trek back to Nippert.

The grudge match there would be viewed as an enticing proposition by many.

From there, a victory in the third round would see the winner through to the fourth round and a possible date against a Major League Soccer opponent.

"I was going to cut you off there - we're just focused on the game at hand," Koch said when asked about the Open Cup path that's been laid out for the club "Louisville could be next. Whoopty doo. All the focus is on tomorrow night."

FORM GUIDE (most recent results, ending with most recent)

FC Cincinnati: D-D-L-D-L

AFC Cleveland: W-D

SCOUTING REPORTS

Matches between teams of different leagues can sometimes be tough to predict. Lack of common opponents and varying skill levels creates a gap in context for scouting opponents.

Koch said that won't be a problem tomorrow as he and his staff have a good idea of what NPSL soccer looks like after watching tape of Cleveland's first-round Open Cup win over the Des Moines Menace.

MORE: FC Cincinnati could host Louisville City FC in U.S. Open Cup

Koch said he's expecting an experienced Cleveland side, and one that's battled-tested after its run to the NPSL title in 2016.

"We know they're going to be an older and experienced side," Koch said. "They've also had the benefit of already playing a cup game. We haven't played one."

Koch said FC Cincinnati expects to start a "hybrid" group of players for the match – one that includes regular starters, reserves and the suspended Djiby Fall, who is in the midst of a six-game suspension in USL play.

The suspension, it was determined weeks ago, does not apply to Open Cup play.

"We have a lot of confidence in those guys that they can go out and get the result," Koch said of the team he'll field Wednesday.

Cleveland opened its title defense this weekend with a 3-3 draw against the Dayton Dynamo. Chris Cvecko scored two goals in the match for the "Royals," bringing his haul to three goals over the last two games.

Cvecko also scored the game-winner for Cleveland in its first-round Open Cup match.

USOC HISTORY

FC Cincinnati posted a 1-1 record in its first-ever U.S. Open Cup campaign last season. It won its first-ever game in the competition against Indy Eleven NPSL and was then knocked out in a road match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, then of the North American Soccer League.

By virtue of the number of season ticket holders it has, FC Cincinnati should break its single-game USOC attendance record of about 8,700.

Omar Cummings and Jimmy McLaughlin are the only players in club history to score in the competition. Both scored in a second-round win last year against the Indianapolis club.

THE MATCH

FC Cincinnati v. AFC Cleveland, Nippert Stadium, 7 p.m. (no live stream broadcast available).