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Fans Brought ‘Extra Fire’ in FCC Victory

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 06/15/17, 11:31AM EDT

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Crowd of 30,160 helped produce special night in Open Cup upset of Crew SC


Photo courtesy Brett Hansbauer / FC Cincinnati

CINCINNATI – In the club’s short history, FC Cincinnati has seen some special atmospheres at Nippert Stadium, most notably when River Cities Cup rival Louisville City FC has come to town.

In Wednesday night’s 1-0 victory against Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew SC in the Fourth Round of the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the first meeting of any kind between the two Ohio clubs, the feeling produced by an Open Cup-record crowd of 30,160 fans felt even more amplified.

“I think I saw a little extra fire in the crowd, from both groups,” FCC Head Coach Alan Koch said. “Every player on the field was motivated as it was an important game, and we were comfortable playing in front of a group like that. Our guys were fatigued but the fans helped to pick them back up a bit. This is a big result as a club for us and upsets like this don’t happen very often. This is what our club, our city, and our fans are working towards. It’s a testament to all of that.”

What those on hand saw, including a large continent from Columbus that produced a band of gold not far from The Bailey, was a tense affair that saw Djiby Fall’s third goal of the Open Cup and ninth of the season overall earn his side a third consecutive 1-0 win in the 104th edition of the historic tournament. Fall’s winner in the 64th minute came off a cross by former Arsenal defender Justin Hoyte, whose initial ball into the area was sent straight up in the air when Fall and a Crew SC defender challenged for it.

Fall set himself for the second chance, and produced a perfect looping finish that arced out of the reach of Brad Stuver into the right corner of the the Crew SC goal.

“It’s normal to be emotional when you see the way the fans reacted, and how happy they were, so I was thrilled to be able to give them that,” Fall said. “It was a big moment for everyone tonight.”

While Fall produced the goal, Koch produced the plan that helped the lead hold up. Playing in a 3-5-2 system, a break from the team’s normal 4-3-3, Cincinnati remained compact as Columbus pressed throughout the game for a breakthrough. There were certainly some heart-stopping moments, especially two in the six minutes of stoppage time that saw a low ball by Niko Hansen flash through the penalty area just past the lunge of Adam Jahn near the left post, and Federico Higuain’s volley that went just over the bar, but FCC’s defense held up admirably to the pressure.

“The Crew’s movement is fantastic and our group had to manage that movement and keep them out of dangerous areas,” said Koch. “We played against a very, very good team. It was a challenge all around. We possessed as much as we could and managed when we didn’t have the ball.”


Photo courtesy Brett Hansbauer / FC Cincinnati

Columbus started a number of regular starters, including Higuain and the likes of Wil Trapp and Justin Meram as it aimed to return home with a victory. Crew SC Head Coach Gregg Berhalter was disappointed by his club’s elimination from the tournament, but praised the atmosphere and the backdrop it provided to the contest.

“This is what makes soccer special, and it’s great to give Americans a taste of a real cup atmosphere,” said Berhalter. “Both groups of fans were amazing and electric and this is what you want to see. The people were awarded with a good game and positive atmosphere. We had to play more disciplined as we come from a higher league, and we took the game very seriously, but in terms of the result, I think we played well enough to win the game but that just wasn’t the outcome tonight.”

For Cincinnati, a Fifth Round clash against one of the Chicago Fire, Atlanta United FC or Miami FC awaits in the draw on Thursday morning. On Wednesday night, though, it was time to savor a historic night in the club’s history.

“This is pretty special,” said FCC President Jeff Berding. “In all of our wildest dreams, when we started this wonderful club, in this wonderful sports town, we couldn’t have dreamed of this. I am truly speechless over this stunning night. It’s a special night for Cincinnati, but beyond just the club, this is a big-league soccer experience against a big-league club. The environment and the crowd were beyond what was expected, and nobody predicted the numbers for the night. We really felt the love and the energy from the city.”

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