FC Cincinnati return to TQL Stadium for Matchday 3 as they take on Seattle Sounders FC this Saturday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Orange and Blue will look to stay unbeaten going up against the top team in the Western Conference after opening the season with a win against Houston Dynamo FC and draw at Orlando City SC.
Saturday’s matchup is the only fixture across MLS on Matchday 3 between two clubs unbeaten through two games played. It also marks the first time the Orange and Blue will play host to the Sounders in the third all-time matchup between the sides.
Single match tickets are still available at fccincinnati.com/tickets or by calling (513) 977-5425 (KICK).
FC CINCINNATI vs SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC – SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 2023 – 7:30 p.m. ET – TQL STADIUM
HOW TO WATCH
Stream: Apple TV – Free
TV Talent (English): Tyler Terens (play-by-play), Devon Kerr (analyst)
TV Talent (Spanish): Bruno Vain (play-by-play), Andres Agulla (analyst)
Local Radio: ESPN 1530
Local Radio Talent: Tom Gelehrter (play-by-play), Kevin McCloskey (analyst)
This weekend’s match will be available for free on Apple TV. Visit here for more information on MLS Season Pass.
Be sure to follow @FCCincinnati on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for live updates from the game.
GAME ACTIVATIONS
Don’t forget to swing by Washington Park beginning at 4:30 p.m. for a number of free activities leading up to kickoff, including live music from party rock and pop band What She Said, Snookerball, FCC inflatables and more. At 6:30 p.m., fans can join the high-energy march into the stadium with smoke, drums and chants!
The Amador Sisters will perform pre-match on the East Plaza of TQL Stadium with special happy hour drink specials, including $2 off all alcohol at the Coors Light Corner and Heineken bars until kickoff. Hot chocolate will also be available for purchase at select locations in the concourse and premium sections.
Fans will also want to arrive and get into their seats early for exciting elements that supporters won’t want to miss! For a full list of gameday activations, visit the matchday guide, HERE.
Can’t make it to the game and looking for a place to watch the Orange and Blue? Head to one of the club’s official Pub Partners presented by Coors Light which broadcast all home and away games and feature opportunities for fans to win prizes all season long.
ALL TIME SERIES
Seattle Sounders FC hold a 1-0-1 record against FC Cincinnati in two previous meetings, both coming at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. FC Cincinnati’s inaugural MLS match was a trip to the Pacific Northwest, a 4-1 Sounders win on March 2, 2019. Late last season, the two sides played to a 1-1 draw on September 27.
SCOUTING SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC (2-0-0, 6 PTS, 1ST WESTERN CONFERENCE)Seattle are off to a blistering start after picking up wins against the Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake over the first two matchdays of the MLS season. It’s a refreshing start for a Sounders side that had an uncharacteristic 2022 campaign, at least in league competition, finishing 11th in the Western Conference and missing the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in club history.
Jordan Morris’ early season form has contributed to Seattle’s early success. Morris has three goals in two matches and paces the way-too-early MLS Golden Boot race. The U.S. Men’s National Team forward has been a consistent goal scorer for the Sounders since joining the club in 2016 and will look to bag double-digit goals for the fourth time in his career.
Seattle have no shortage of riches in midfield, beginning with longtime Sounders Nicolás Lodeiro and Cristian Roldan. The two have combined 367 regular season appearances, 73 goals and 106 assists since 2016 and helped lead the Sounders to MLS Cup wins in 2016 and 2019. João Paulo, who was named to the 2021 MLS Best XI and was a Landon Donovan MLS MVP finalist, patrols the defensive third while relative newcomers Albert Rusnák and Kelyn Rowe help fill out one of the strongest midfields in MLS.
The Sounders were sound on defense in 2022, conceding 46 goals which was the ninth-lowest total in the league. Seattle bring back a largely unchanged backline and will be directed once against by veteran goalkeeper Stefan Frei. Frei recorded five clean sheets in 2022 and moved to third all-time in regular season shutouts (91). Fourth-year center back Yéimar Gomez Andrade (Yéimar) led the league in interceptions a season ago (75) and will remain Seattle’s anchor in defense.
At the helm is Brian Schmetzer, one of the most successful active coaches in MLS. He helped lead the Sounders to an MLS Cup win in his first season and took Seattle to the MLS Cup Finals in four of his first five seasons in charge. While last year did not result in a postseason appearance for Seattle, it did result in the Sounders becoming the first MLS side to win the Concacaf Champions League and book a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup, which Schmetzer’s squad partook in early last month in Morocco.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
THE QUEEN CITY AWAITS – The Sounders make their first trip to TQL Stadium on Saturday in their first road trip of the 2023 season. In FC Cincinnati’s last nine interconference matchups, the Orange and Blue are 4-2-3 against Western Conference competition and 2-1-2 at home.
In their last four against the West, FC Cincinnati are 3-0-1.
THE WELCOMING COMMITTEE – After Seattle’s visit on Saturday, just three active MLS clubs will have yet to visit Cincinnati in MLS play: Austin FC, FC Dallas and expansion side St. Louis CITY SC.
The Orange and Blue won their most recent two matchups against MLS clubs making their first-ever trip to Cincinnati by a combined 8-0 scoreline (September 3, 2022 vs. CLT: W, 2-0; September 10, 2022 vs. SJ: W, 6-0).
CAPTAIN LUCHO – Luciano Acosta was not the number one goal-scoring option for FC Cincinnati last season with Brenner and Brandon Vazquez coming off career years, but the Argentine playmaker is always going to be a threat pushing forward for FCC.
Through the first two MLS matchdays, Acosta leads the team in shots, shots on target, key attacking passes and is tied for the team lead in passes (Obinna Nwobodo, 108). He matched a career-high three shots on target against Orlando this past Saturday and will look to cause Seattle headaches this weekend.
FIVE THOUSAND – Last Saturday at Orlando, Yuya Kubo became just the third player in club history to reach 5,000 career MLS minutes played with FC Cincinnati (Nick Hagglund, Luciano Acosta).
More names could be added to the list this Saturday. Brenner (4,957) and Álvaro Barreal (4,918) could become the fourth and fifth players in club history to reach the milestone this Saturday against Seattle.
HOW’S THE WEATHER? – The season-opener against Houston Dynamo FC was the second-coldest starting temperature for an MLS game in Cincinnati all-time, with kickoff marked at 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest home game in club history (recorded at the opening whistle) was 41 degrees on March 30, 2019 against Philadelphia Union.
NOONAN’S TAKE
Head Coach Pat Noonan on facing Seattle Sounders FC
“I’m excited to see how our group steps on the field, on our home field and with our fans behind us, and see how we, in different ways, can make [Seattle] uncomfortable. But we also understand that there’s a lot of things that we need to be focused on on their side, to limit their attack, to limit how they can put us under pressure, to limit how they can move the ball and make us chase the game. There’s some specifics in that, but it’s a really good early test for us and if we find a way to win this game, regardless of how we play, I think that’s important that you beat good teams at all stages of the season.”
Visit HERE for FC Cincinnati’s 2023 home platform match schedule. The full 2023 regular season schedule can be viewed HERE. All matches will air live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. The unprecedented subscription service featuring every MLS regular season, playoff and Leagues Cup match is available now.
All tickets, including Single Match Tickets, Full Season Tickets and Half Season “Orange” and “Blue” Ticket packages, can be purchased at fccincinnati.com/tickets or by calling (513) 977-5425 (KICK). For more information about Group Tickets and Premium hospitality options including suites and all-inclusive experiences, call (513) 763-1025.
For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team’s official mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.
COURTESY FC CINCINNATI COMMUNICATIONS
