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USL FC Cincinnati

FCC Opens USL Docket at Charleston Saturday

March 15, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
FC Cincinnati News Release


FC Cincinnati will open the USL regular-season this Sat. at Charleston Battery.

The match-up marks the third straight year the two teams have opened the season in Charleston, SC.

FCC will be looking for their first win this Sat., having been unsuccessful in five tries and is 0-3-2 in the series.

PRESEASON RECAP

The Orange and Blue had a challenging preseason schedule and posted an impressive 5-1-1 record.

The team logged wins over USL foes Tampa Bay Rowdies (1-0), Indy XI (2-1) and Nashville SC (2-0) in addition to a pair of victories over collegiate teams NKU (3-0) and UC (1-0).

FCC bookended the preseason schedule with a 1-1 draw against New England Revs and a 2-1 loss to Sacramento Republic FC.

Daniel Haber led the team with a goal and four assists.

Dekel Keinan had two goals, notching one apiece against NKU and Sac Republic.

Ten different players scored at least one goal as FCC out-scored the opposition 11-4.

KEINAN NAMED TEAM CAPTAIN

Defender Dekel Keinan has been named team captain by Head Coach Alan Koch.

Said Koch, "Dekel has come into preseason and earned the respect of our entire group through his actions," commented Koch. "He has the necessary verbal skills to lead the group and is truly a man of action. His willingness to work for the team is on display every day. He will wear the armband for the team but will also have a great group of veteran leadership around him this season. We are fortunate to have a leader of his experience leading our team into battle this season."

KOCH LOOKING FOR CONSISTENCY, DEPTH

Two of the hallmarks of the FCC squad will look for are consistency and depth, Koch said on the first show of the Toyota Dealers FC Cincinnati Fan Show.

With 17 new players, joining the nine returners, Koch and his staff have assembled a solid 26-man roster that they feel will be able to endure a 34-game slate in addition to expected participation in the U.S. Open Cup.

Evan Newton and Spencer Richey have the slight edge in the competition for the goalkeeper's position and one of the two will most likely kick off the season in goal this Sat.

Newton joined FCC from Sacramento Republic FC while Richey spent the 2017 season with Vancouver Whitecaps' MLS and USL sides.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Richie Ryan, Kenney Walker and Will Seymore will be players to watch in the midfield this season.

Ryan joined the squad in mid-February after playing the 2017 season with Miami FC, where he helped the club win a Spring Championship and advance to the NASL playoff semi-final.

Walker is in his third season with FCC and had a team-high seven assists last year to go along with two goals.

Seymore played for Alan Koch's Whitecaps 2 team in 2016 and was a third-round pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas.

TRIO DAY TO DAY

Danni König, Emery Welshman and Jimmy McLaughlin have been listed as day to day.

FCC HIRES NEW TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Luke Sassano has been hired as FCC's first Technical Director and comes to Cincinnati from New York Cosmos.

Sassano will oversee scouting, negotiations and player acquisition and transactions. He will help establish the club's overall technical vision and will develop and execute both short and long-term strategies for player development.

A LOOK AT THE BATTERY

Charleston Battery returns 12 players from the 2017 roster but lost a host of goal scorers, including Forrest Lasso, who is now donning the Orange and Blue.

Key returners for the Battery are captain Taylor Mueller and starting goalie Odisnel Cooper.

The Battery secured newcomers Ian Svantesson, who scored 11 goals for Tulsa Roughnecks last season as well as former FCC player Victor Mansaray.

Mansaray, a loan from Seattle Sounders, played in eight games for FCC in 2017, making three starts.

Charleston finished second in the USL Eastern Conference in 2017 with a 15-9-8 (W-L-D) record.

Match No. 1 | Season Opener

at Charleston Battery MUSC Health Center | 7:00 PM

TV: WSTR

VIDEO: USL YouTube

Check out the FC Cincinnati Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 15, 2018


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