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FCC to Welcome La Liga’s RCD Espanyol

By USLSoccer.com Staff, 06/15/18, 9:58AM EDT

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Club’s third international exhibition set for July 28 at Nippert Stadium


Photo courtesy Brett Hansbauer / FC Cincinnati

CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati announced on Friday it will face Spanish club RCD Espanyol of La Liga in an international friendly, presented by Cincinnati Bell, on Saturday, July 28. Kickoff at Nippert Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The night will also see FCC publicly celebrate the club’s acceptance to Major League Soccer with special pregame and in-game programming.

Espanyol is a Barcelona-based club that was founded in 1900 and has won Copa del Rey – Spain’s national cup championship – four times, most recently in 2006. The club has earned a pair of runner-up finishes in UEFA Europa League play, most recently in 2007. In 2017-18, one of Espanyol’s signature wins came when the club defeated UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid.

“Espanyol is a world-renowned club with an amazing history of developing and producing some of Spain’s top young talent,” said FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding. “They play an exciting brand of football and we know our fans will be entertained by the game next month. To be able to add our celebration of Major League Soccer to the night, it will be a great evening for all of our supporters who’ve shared this journey with us.”

The Espanyol friendly will represent FC Cincinnati’s third international friendly in club history, with the club having first faced English Premier League club Crystal Palace in 2016, where an FCC-record 35,061 fans watched a 2-0 win by the visitors. Last year on July 24, 2017, FC Cincinnati met La Liga’s Valencia at Nippert Stadium in front of 23,144 fans before falling 2-0.

“FC Cincinnati is generating incredible passion in Greater Cincinnati and is literally changing the perception of our city,” Christi Cornett, Chief Culture Officer of Cincinnati Bell, Inc., said. “Our customers and our employees are excited about the future of this team, and Cincinnati Bell is proud to support FC Cincinnati as the presenting sponsor for this great event.”

Espanyol is led by new manager Rubi, who was brought on board June 3 to lead the club into the 2018-19 La Liga season.

Among the top players on Espanyol’s roster are Costa Rican center back Oscar Duarte, who will represent his country at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Additionally, Colombia’s Carlos Sanchez was a member of his country’s preliminary roster for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The club also features multiple players who have played for Spain’s National Team and who have represented Spain at FIFA’s youth competitions, and many who currently play for the Catalonia National Team. 

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