CINCINNATI, Ohio – FC Montreal will face FC Cincinnati on Saturday at 7pm at Nippert Stadium in the first of a four-game series on the road.
In its last game on the road, the Bleu-blanc-noir won 2-1 against the Richmond Kickers with goals from Alessandro Riggi and Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla. The team then lost 2-0 at home last week against the Rochester Rhinos.
“We want to get back on track and bounce back,” said defender Thomas Meilleur-Giguère. “Our goal is to come back from this trip with a positive record. It will be an interesting challenge.”
Winger David Choinière got his first minutes with the first team last Wednesday in the Amway Canadian Championship semifinal return leg against Toronto FC, coming on as a sub in the 87th minute. He has one goal and an assist in 2016 in the USL.
Cincinnati has three wins, one loss and two ties at home with a 6-2-3 overall record, good for third place in the Eastern Conference. In its last game, the Ohio team tied the Richmond Kickers, 1-1, at Nippert Stadium, with Sean Okoli scoring the goal for the locals. Okoli is also the team’s top scorer with five goals.
“We need to be aware of what we need to consistently do,” said head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. “Now, we hope that in the next four away games, we can be aware and build on this. It’s in tough times that we see everyone’s character and qualities. Cincinnati is a good and solid team with a lot of players coming from MLS and about 15,000 fans per game on average.”
It is possible that some players from the MLS team will be made available for the game, depending on their playing time needs.
After Saturday’s game, FC Montreal will continue its away game series, starting with Toronto FC II on Wednesday, June 15, at 11:30am. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds will be the next opponent on Saturday, June 18, at 7pm, followed by a game against the Harrisburg City Islanders on Tuesday, June 21, at 7pm.
The next FC Montreal’s home game will take place on Sunday, June 26, at 3pm at the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex against Orlando City B.
