FC Cincinnati Looks to Continue Road Domination in Trip to Nation’s Capital

July 2, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release

The Orange and Blue earned an important victory over the weekend. Still, they turned the page quickly to their next challenge, a road matchup with the always-challenging D.C. United in the nation’s capital in the midweek.

DCU, led by former New York Red Bulls manager Troy Lesene, brought that Red Bull-style grit and frustrating tactical play and escaped TQL Stadium with a scoreless draw earlier this season. But now, with growing confidence, FCC looks to continue its road domination and win a club-record ninth game on the road this season and its seventh consecutive road match.

Pat Noonan’s squad has been dominant in road matches this year, showing the flash and firepower to win games with four goals when needed, as well as the grit and discipline to see out 1-0 victories like they did over the weekend. With 25 points on the road already, FCC could still set the modern away points record this season.

“I think over the last two years, winning games on the road and how you go about winning those games has helped our group to be consistent in expecting to win and understanding the different challenges that you’re going to face and how you go about it,” Noonan said Monday at Mercy Health Training Center. “We’re not looking to drastically change how we play. We’re not looking to sit in when we go on the road and absorb. But there’s always going to be moments in the game – just like you saw in Dallas – for you know after that first 15 minutes where we needed to defend well.”

“I think guys have, I don’t wanna say embraced it, but recognize the importance of not being in control of games and knowing how to defend the box to stay in games to give you know guys like Lucho in our attack, opportunities to go make a play and change the momentum and change the outcome. So they expect to go on the road and win games and when you have that expectation I think you go into it in a good way.”

The draw with D.C. United earlier this season came at a strange time for FCC, as the club tried to figure itself out to start the season while also traveling internationally for the Concacaf Champions Cup. In some ways, the matchup mirrors this trip to the District of Columbia. At the time, FCC was working to solve its offensive game with many new pieces at play, and this time, with the defense depth challenge, FCC is looking to continue its evaluation of defenders.

Across the field, though, DCU, in Pat Noonan’s…