skip navigation

USOC Battle ‘Personal’ for FCC’s Ex-Fire Duo

By CHARLIE CORR - charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com, 06/27/17, 2:21PM EDT

Share

Cincinnati’s Bone, Berry gear up for four-time Open Cup winners


Photo courtesy of FC Cincinnati / Austin Berry (center) and Corben Bone (right) were Original XI signings by FCC in December of 2015

The David and Goliath superlatives will always linger for any non-Major League Soccer team advancing in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, but FC Cincinnati is not your typical David.

David didn’t have an army of 30,000-plus supporters in his corner.

This David also is equipped with more than just a slingshot, from Day 1 recruiting a strong corps of 11 players who signed with the club in December of 2015.

Two of those original FC Cincinnati players started their professional careers representing their Round of 16 opponent, four-time Open Cup winner the Chicago Fire.

Midfielder Corben Bone and defender and Cincinnati native Austin Berry were first-round selections by the Fire in the MLS SuperDraft, carrying the big expectations that come with being at the front of the class. On Wednesday, the Cincinnati duo will attempt to defend its home turf on the opposite territory when another huge crowd is expected at Nippert Stadium, and a national audience viewing from afar (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN Deportes).

“To play against the Fire, it’s something that’s personal to me,” Bone, selected No. 13 by the Fire in the 2010 SuperDraft, said. “They’re a totally different team and they’re doing really well this year. I’ll always have a little part of them in me because I spent four years there. I enjoyed it. The soccer may not have gone the way I wanted it to there, but I have nothing but great things to say, about the city in general, the coaches who were there, and the fans.

“Saying that, I 100 percent want to win this game. There’s a little bit in me where I want to show my worth against my previous club, so there’s motivation in that for sure. It’s a Round of 16 game in the Open Cup, so it’s a personal matter.”

Both players know firsthand the Fire’s Open Cup track record and the weight they put into this tournament.

“We always put a lot of emphasis on it, and it’s different from club to club,” Berry, the No. 9 pick in 2012, said of his Fire tenure’s approach to the Open Cup. “In Chicago, we always went for it, and [lower-division clubs] were some of the harder games because you were the team expected to win. You were facing players that you’ve never played before. When I played for Frank Klopas, he played pretty much a starting 11, even if the game was sandwiched between two league games.”


Photo courtesy of Brett Hansbauer / FC Cincinnati

Bone recalls being on the 2011 Fire side that advanced to the final. He was just outside the 18-man roster when Chicago fell to Seattle Sounders FC in the championship.

“When we made it to the final, I was actually the 19th guy on the roster,” Bone said. “So I was there, but I was sitting up in a box watching the game. ... I had played in the earlier rounds, and it was fun. I really appreciated it.”

FCC had a memorable first visit to the Fourth Round in this year’s tournament as Djiby Fall scored the lone goal and Nippert drew 30,160 spectators during a 1-0 victory against in-state foe Columbus Crew SC.

“When we scored the goal, I had never been in a stadium that loud – it was almost deafening,” Berry said. “It was loud last year when we had 35,000 for Crystal Palace, but this game meant something, on top of it the rivalry. Everyone knew what was at stake.”


Photo courtesy of Brett Hansbauer / FC Cincinnati

Cincinnati has grown accustomed to high-profile matches, thanks to its dedicated fan base. Berry and Bone have their MLS experience to fall back on, but last season was one of adaptation for a number of players.

“There were definitely some challenges that we faced last year coming in,” Berry said. “Some of the staff, Corben and maybe three or four of us have been in big environments, but nobody else had really played in front of crowds likes that, or in winning stadiums. You need to know how to communicate on the spot. So last year it was a little bit different. Thankfully we have kept a lot of the corps together, and everybody has really taken into it. That pressure to perform is neutralized, and you’re seeing that on a weekly basis.”

The FCC locker room has embraced the gravity that comes with being a player in Cincinnati. The USL’s top draw puts the club in a spotlight much brighter than most.

“That pressure is a privilege, and a good thing,” Bone said. “With all the eyes, the fans, the club’s expectations, those are all good things. It’s a good kind of pressure, and you want to succeed for all those reasons. The culture is that we want to go out and perform for those 25,000, 30,000 in the stands. It galvanizes our team.”

Bone has been publicly candid about his professional career and the difficult times he has had in piecing everything together on the field. Following a 2016 USL season in which he was named the club’s MVP, it is clear he has found a renaissance of sorts.

“I came here looking for a resurgence and I found it I think,” Bone said. “It happens that I’m playing the best soccer of my career in front of the biggest fans of my career. It’s a special thing for me. Coming out of college and getting drafted, it’s expected to be a great thing, but I was disappointed that I wasn’t playing and had a sour taste for the game in general. It didn’t pan out the way that I wanted it to.

“It taught me about perseverance, going from team to team and still chasing my dream.”


Photo courtesy of Brett Hansbauer / FC Cincinnati

For the Cincinnati native Berry, he too has made effort to rekindle his career, which started with a strong 2012 season with the Fire that earned him MLS Rookie of the Year honors. To also have the chance to put his skills on display in his hometown is icing on the cake.

“Not a lot of athletes have the opportunity to play in their hometown, let alone be at the very beginning of a club, so from that perspective it has been unique,” Berry said. “I’ve been here from the beginning, have seen soccer grow, and that’s something you don’t always have the opportunity to do as a player. I get to do that now, to be a role model in the community.

“It’s been one of the most fun seasons I’ve ever had, to play in front of friends and families and take it by storm at the highest level.”

Follow the USL Championship

Most Recent News

Most Read News

Latest Videos