2017 FC Cincinnati season

The 2017 FC Cincinnati season was the club's second season of existence, and their second in the United Soccer League (USL). It was FC Cincinnati's first season as a second-tier team in the U.S. soccer pyramid, as the United States Soccer Federation provisionally promoted the USL from Division III to Division II for the 2017 season. FC Cincinnati plays in the Eastern Division of USL.

FC Cincinnati

2017 season
General manager	Jeff Berding
Head coach	Alan Koch
Stadium	Nippert Stadium
USL	Sixth, Eastern Conference
USL Playoffs	Quarterfinals
U.S. Open Cup	Semifinals
Top goalscorer	League: Baye Djiby Fall (11) All: Baye Djiby Fall (15)
Highest home attendance	League: 30,417 (September 16 vs. NYRB II) All: 33,250 (August 15 vs. New York)
Lowest home attendance	League: 15,244 (April 19 vs. Tampa Bay) All: 6,519 (May 31 vs. Louisville City)
Average home league attendance	League: 21,199 All: 21,696
Biggest win	CIN 4–0 STL (4/15)
Biggest defeat	LOU 5–0 CIN (8/12)
Home colors Away colors Third colors
← 2016 2018 →

The season is best remembered for FC Cincinnati's championship run in the U.S. Open Cup. They won matches against five teams, including Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire of MLS (the highest division of U.S. soccer), to advance to the semifinals, a feat not achieved by a lower-division team since 2009. Their run was also noted for setting many attendance records; their matches against the New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire were respectively the 2nd and 3rd highest-attended U.S. Open Cup matches ever, beaten only by the 2011 Final.^[1] Their match against Chicago Fire aired on ESPN, marking the first time a match from the Round of 16 received a national television broadcast.^[2]

Club

Coaching staff

Alan Koch became the club's head coach on February 17.

Yoann Damet was hired as assistant coach on March 28.

Position	Staff
Head coach	Alan Koch
Assistant coach	Yoann Damet
Goalkeeper coach	David Schureck
Scout/Youth Coordinator
Athletic Trainer	Aaron Powell
Strength & Conditioning	Ben Yauss
UC Health	Dr. Angelo Colosimo Dr. Brian Grawe

The club announced on October 21, 2016 that assistant coach Ryan Martin would not be returning for the 2017 season.^[3] On December 14, 2016, the club announced that Alan Koch, former head coach of the Whitecaps FC 2, would be taking Martin's place as an assistant coach, in addition to acting as the director of scouting and analytics.^[4] On February 17, 2017, the club announced that head coach John Harkes was relieved of his coaching duties and replaced with Alan Koch. On March 28, 2017, Yoann Damet was added to the staff as assistant coach.^[5]

Roster

FCC's starting eleven before a match

As of December 15, 2016, FC Cincinnati has confirmed the return of seventeen players from the 2016 roster, as well as the signing of one new player. Fifteen of these players were announced on November 14, and goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt was announced three days later.^[6][7] On December 15, the return of Eric Stevenson and the new signing of Kadeem Dacres were announced.^[8] The club held a public tryout with over eighty participants on December 18, 2016.^[9] On January 6, 2017, the club announced the signings of Andy Craven, Marco Dominguez, and Aaron Walker (who was selected from the public tryout).^[10] On February 6, 2017, the club announced they acquired striker, Victor Mansaray, on loan from Seattle Sounders FC.^[11] On March 29, 2017, the club signed Justin Hoyte, a former defender for Premier League club Arsenal.^[12] On May 10, 2017, the club traded forward Andy Craven to the OKC Energy FC for forward Danni König.^[13] On May 15, 2017, the club announced the signing of defender Josu.^[14]

Where a player has not declared an international allegiance, nation is determined by place of birth.^[15]

No.	Position	Player	Nation
1	GK	USA	Mitch Hildebrandt
2	DF	USA	Matt Bahner
3	DF	USA	Tyler Polak
4	DF	AUS	Harrison Delbridge
5	MF	USA	Aodhan Quinn
6	MF	USA	Kenney Walker
7	FW	USA	Kadeem Dacres
8	MF	ENG	Paul Nicholson
9	FW	SEN	Djiby Fall
11	FW	DEN	Danni König
12	MF	USA	Aaron Walker
15	DF	USA	Pat McMahon
16	FW	USA	Kyle Greig (on loan from Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
19	MF	USA	Corben Bone
20	MF	USA	Jimmy McLaughlin
21	MF	CAN	Marco Dominguez
22	DF	USA	Austin Berry
23	FW	USA	Andrew Wiedeman
26	DF	USA	Garrett Halfhill
27	GK	USA	Dan Williams
30	GK	GUM	Dallas Jaye
32	DF	TRI	Justin Hoyte
51	DF	NED	Sem de Wit
70	FW	GER	Kevin Schindler
74	DF	GER	Mélé Temguia
99	DF	ESP	Josu

Competitions

  Win   Draw   Loss

USL

Main article: 2017 USL season

Results Table

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32
Stadium	A	A	A	H	H	H	A	A	H	H	H	A	H	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	A	A
Result	L	W	L	W	D	D	L	D	L	W	W	L	D	D	W	D	L	W	W	W	L	D	L	L	W	D	D	W	D	W	L	W

Source: MLS
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Charleston Battery v FC Cincinnati

March 25, 2017 1	Charleston Battery	2–1	FC Cincinnati	Charleston, South Carolina
7:00PM EST	Lasso  8' 38' Portillo 71' (pen.)	CIN Report CHS Report Box Score	Fall 59'	Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 2,247 Referee: Geoff Gamble Assistant referees: Brian Marshall Assistant referees: Jordan Davis Fourth official: Wayne Pavlischek

Pittsburgh Riverhounds v FC Cincinnati

April 1, 2017 2	Pittsburgh Riverhounds	0–1	FC Cincinnati	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
5:00PM EST	Agbossoumonde  31'  42' Washington  84'	CIN Report PIT Report Box Score	Dacres  45+1' Fall 55' Mansaray  84'	Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 2,586 Referee: Guido Gonzalez Jr. Assistant referees: Cory Richardson Assistant referees: Brandon Smith Fourth official: Maxwell Hartman

Bethlehem Steel FC v FC Cincinnati

April 9, 2017 3	Bethlehem Steel FC	2–0	FC Cincinnati	Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
4:00PM EST	Burke  28' McKenzie  33' Jones  45+1' Conneh 47', 60'	CIN Report BTH Report Box Score	Nicholson  23'	Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 3,005 Referee: Jorge Gonzalez Assistant referees: Daniel Richman Assistant referees: Kevin Lock Fourth official: Lorant Varga

FC Cincinnati v Saint Louis FC

April 15, 2017 4	FC Cincinnati	4–0	Saint Louis FC	Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00PM EST	Mansaray  38' Fall 35', 45+2', 48', 62'	CIN Report STL Report Box Score	Guzman  63'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 23,144 Referee: Brandon Artis Assistant referees: James Duling Assistant referees: Benjamin Hall-Volpenhein Fourth official: Eric Tattersall

FC Cincinnati v Tampa Bay Rowdies

April 19, 2017 5	FC Cincinnati	1–1	Tampa Bay Rowdies	Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00PM EST	Delbridge 36' Bahner  58' Dacres  75'	CIN Report TB Report Box Score	Schäfer 7' Lowe  20' Nanchoff  65' Boden  70'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 15,244 Referee: Jon Freemon Assistant referees: Cory Richardson Assistant referees: Noah Matos Fourth official: William Gaither III

FC Cincinnati v Louisville City FC

April 22, 2017 6	FC Cincinnati	1–1	Louisville City FC	Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00PM EST	Mansaray  30' Berry  50' Walker  69' Quinn 78' Fall  86'	CIN Report LOU Report Box Score	Ownby 19' Totsch  20' DelPiccolo  83'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 20,437 Referee: Mark Kadlecik Assistant referees: Maggie Short Assistant referees: Jeffrey Swartzel Fourth official: Aaron Mitchell

Bethlehem Steel FC v FC Cincinnati

April 29, 2017 7	Bethlehem Steel FC	1–0	FC Cincinnati	Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
5:00 PM EST	Seku Conneh  42' Wijnaldum  59' Moar  80' Roberts 87'	CIN Report BST Report Box Score	Polak  85' Craven  90+4'	Stadium: Goodman Stadium Attendance: 3,086 Referee: Danielle Chesky Assistant referees: Brian Dunn Assistant referees: Patrick Casey Fourth official: Matthew Vodzak

Richmond Kickers v FC Cincinnati

May 6, 2017 8	Richmond Kickers	1–1	FC Cincinnati	Richmond, Virginia
7:00 PM EST	Sekyere 7'	CIN Report Box Score	McLaughlin 70' Delbridge  86'	Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,008 Referee: Charles Murphy Assistant referees: Gregory Brigman Assistant referees: Ryan Graves Fourth official: James Walker

FC Cincinnati v Orlando City B

May 13, 2017 9	FC Cincinnati	0–2	Orlando City B	Cincinnati, Ohio
5:00 PM EST	Bahner  15' Quinn  35' König  39' McLaughlin  58' Bone  67'	CIN Report OCB Report Box Score	Hines  33' da Silva 75' (pen.) Laryea  80' 90+1' Donovan  90+3'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 19,310 Referee: Calin Radosav Assistant referees: Benjamin Hall-Volpenhein Assistant referees: Matthew Fotia Fourth official: Benjamin Miller

FC Cincinnati v Bethlehem Steel FC

May 20, 2017 10	FC Cincinnati	2–1	Bethlehem Steel FC	Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00 PM EST	König 18', 52' Fordyce  43' Quinn  86'	CIN Report BST Report Box Score	Conneh 33' (pen.)  47' Nanco  45' Tribbett  64' Brown  90'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 18,441 Referee: Malik Badawi Assistant referees: Walter Heatherly Assistant referees: Nait Hegerty Fourth official: Kevin Fikar

FC Cincinnati v Toronto FC II

May 27, 2017 11	FC Cincinnati	1–0	Toronto FC II	Cincinnati, Ohio
5:00 PM EST	König 18' Delbridge  27' Quinn  35'	CIN Report TOR Report Box Score	Alseth  84'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 18,214 Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr. Assistant referees: Maggie Short Assistant referees: Jeffrey Swartzel Fourth official: Matthew Fotia

Rochester Rhinos v FC Cincinnati

June 3, 2017 12	Rochester Rhinos	1–0	FC Cincinnati	Rochester, New York
6:00 PM EST	Kamdem 65'	CIN Report ROC Report Box Score	Walker  63' Halfhill  90'	Stadium: Rochester Rhinos Stadium Attendance: 2,158 Referee: Jorge Ramirez Assistant referees: Gabriel Angelone Assistant referees: Ankur Singh Fourth official: Anthony Perdue

FC Cincinnati v Charlotte Independence

June 10, 2017 13	FC Cincinnati	1–1	Charlotte Independence	Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00 PM EST	K. Walker  43' Hoyte 45'	CIN Report Box Score	E. Martínez  17'  90' A. Martínez 18' Waechter  56'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 21,115 Referee: Bardhyl Pashaj Assistant referees: Art Arustamyan Assistant referees: Kyle Maust Fourth official: Noah Matos

FC Cincinnati v Charleston Battery

June 17, 2017 14	FC Cincinnati	2–2	Charleston Battery	Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00 PM EST	Djiby 4' König  45+1' Wiedeman 80'	CIN Report CHS Report Box Score	Romario Williams  49' 58' Lasso 72'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 21,074 Referee: Eric Tattersall Assistant referees: Maggie Short Assistant referees: Matthew Rodman Fourth official: Kevin Fikar

FC Cincinnati v Saint Louis FC

June 24, 2017 15	FC Cincinnati	2–0	Saint Louis FC	Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00 PM EST	Cochran 7' (o.g.) Djiby  52' König 66'	CIN Report STL Report Box Score	Guzmán  28' Cabalceta  50' Cochran  72' Charpie  86'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 20,125 Referee: Victor Rivas

Orlando City B v FC Cincinnati

July 1, 2017 16	Orlando City B	1–1	FC Cincinnati	Orlando, Florida
8:30 PM EST	Schweitzer 2' Hines  45+1' Clowes  46' da Silva  87'	CIN Report OCB Report Box Score	Djiby 16' Berry  75'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 980 Referee: Lorant Varga

Tampa Bay Rowdies v FC Cincinnati

July 6, 2017 17	Tampa Bay Rowdies	2–0	FC Cincinnati	St. Petersburg, Florida
8:00 PM EST	Paterson 39' Cole 44' Savage  68' Mkandawire  90+1'	CIN Report TBR Report Box Score	Quinn  7' Dacres  45+2' McLaughlin  74'	Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 6,269 Referee: Jonathan Weiner

FC Cincinnati v Richmond Kickers

July 9, 2017 18	FC Cincinnati	2–0	Richmond Kickers	Cincinnati, Ohio
6:00 PM EST	Djiby 3' Nicholson  72' Bahner  78' Quinn 90+1' (pen.)	CIN Report RIC Report Box Score	Sekyere  87'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 21,769 Referee: Joe Freemon Assistant referees: Benjamin Hall-Volpenhein Assistant referees: James Duling Fourth official: Aaron Mitchell

Louisville City FC v FC Cincinnati

July 15, 2017 19	Louisville City FC	2–3	FC Cincinnati	Louisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM EST	Ilić 8' (pen.) Smith  27' Davis  36' DelPiccolo  78' Wiedeman 90+3' (o.g.)	CIN Report LOU Report Box Score	Djiby 16' Bone  52' Delbridge 55' König 77'	Stadium: Louisville Slugger Field Attendance: 11,632 Referee: Marcos de Oliveira

FC Cincinnati v Harrisburg City Islanders

July 22, 2017 20	FC Cincinnati	3–0	Harrisburg City Islanders	Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00 PM EST	Djiby 32' König 70' McLaughlin 85'	CIN Report HAR Report Box Score	Thomas  62' DiPrima  85'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 18,334 Referee: Jorge Ramirez
Note: Originally scheduled for July 26, 2017[16]

FC Cincinnati v Rochester Rhinos

July 29, 2017 21	FC Cincinnati	2–3	Rochester Rhinos	Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00 PM EST	McLaughlin 29' Djiby  42' Josu  44' Berry  81' Jaye  84' König 86' (pen.) Greig  87' Walker  90+2'	CIN Report ROC Report Box Score	Graf 12' Kamdem  54' Fall (pen.)  78', 82' (pen.)	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 23,548 Referee: Guido Gonzalez Jr.

FC Cincinnati v Orlando City B

August 5, 2017 22	FC Cincinnati	2–2	Orlando City B	Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00 PM EST	Greig 6' Quinn  42' König  90+2'	CIN Report OCB Report Box Score	Ellis-Hayden  8' Martz 14' Hines  45+1' Barry 55'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 25,308 Referee: Bardhyl Pashaj

Louisville City FC v FC Cincinnati

August 12, 2017 23	Louisville City FC	5–0	FC Cincinnati	Louisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM EST	McCabe 16' Spencer 45+2' Kaye 57' Ballard 72' Reynolds 83'	CIN Report LOU Report Box Score	Schindler  13' de Wit  36' Walker  76'	Stadium: Louisville Slugger Field Attendance: 13,812 Referee: Charles Murphy Assistant referees: Walter Heatherly Assistant referees: Maggie Short Fourth official: Kevin Fikar

New York Red Bulls II v FC Cincinnati

August 19, 2017 24	New York Red Bulls II	4–0	FC Cincinnati	Montclair, New Jersey
4:00 PM EST	Bonomo 23' (pen.) Tinari  41' Ndam 42'  65' Flemmings 73', 74' Scarlett  86'	CIN Report NYRB Report USL Report	Berry  60' Josu  89' Nicholson  90+2'	Stadium: MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field Attendance: 730 Referee: Kevin Broadley

FC Cincinnati v Ottawa Fury FC

August 23, 2017 25	FC Cincinnati	3–1	Ottawa Fury FC	Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 PM EST	König 34' McLaughlin 42' Polak  52' de Wit 57'	CIN Report OTT Report	Manesio  24' Dos Santos  48' 63' Barden  50'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 20,058

FC Cincinnati v Pittsburgh Riverhounds

September 2, 2017 26	FC Cincinnati	1–1	Pittsburgh Riverhounds	Cincinnati, Ohio
4:00 PM EST	Hildebrandt  34' Wiedeman 40' Walker  50' Delbridge  82'	CIN Report PIT Report Box Score	Hertzog 3' Jack  90+2'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 22,643 Referee: Joseph Dickerson

Harrisburg City Islanders v FC Cincinnati

September 12, 2017 27	Harrisburg City Islanders	1–1	FC Cincinnati	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
6:30 PM EST	Brent  18' McLaws  48' Mendoza 51' Miller  89' Mensah  90+5'	CIN Report HAR Report Box Score	Dacres  56' McLaughlin 90+6'	Stadium: FNB Field Attendance: 1,820 Referee: Jaroslaw Werel

FC Cincinnati v New York Red Bulls II

September 16, 2017 28	FC Cincinnati	4–2	New York Red Bulls II	Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00 PM EST	Berry 5'  9' Fall  14' Wiedeman  23' Bahner  26' Bone 32'  76' Delbridge 67'  73' Walker 72'	CIN Report NYRB Report Box Score	Valot 18' 80' Baah  88'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 30,417 Referee: Rosendo Mendoza

Saint Louis FC v FC Cincinnati

September 23, 2017 29	Saint Louis FC	2–2	FC Cincinnati	Fenton, Missouri
8:30 PM EST	Rudolph 42' Volesky 59' (pen.) Stojkov  87' Radosavljevic  90+5'	CIN Report STL Report Box Score	Greig  41' Bone 70' König 90+5' (pen.)	Stadium: World Wide Technology Soccer Park Attendance: 4,376 Referee: Ismir Pekmic

Charlotte Independence v FC Cincinnati

September 29, 2017 30	Charlotte Independence	0–1	FC Cincinnati	Charlotte, North Carolina
7:00 PM EST	Martínez  38'	CIN Report CHA Report Box Score	Schindler 75' Walker  89'	Stadium: Ramblewood Soccer Complex Attendance: 1,577 Referee: Bardhyl Pashaj

Ottawa Fury FC v FC Cincinnati

October 8, 2017 31	Ottawa Fury FC	4–0	FC Cincinnati	Ottawa, Ontario
2:00 PM EST	Obasi 4'  90+1' Haworth 13', 20' Reid  24' Dos Santos 47' Venter  69' Campbell  89'	CIN Report OTT Report Box Score	Fall  39' Greig  70'	Stadium: TD Place Stadium Attendance: 5,445 Referee: Yusri Rudolf

Toronto FC II v FC Cincinnati

October 14, 2017 32	Toronto FC II	3–4	FC Cincinnati	Vaughan, Ontario
7:30 PM EST	Endoh 10', 31' Spencer  27' Hundal 53' Onkony  90+2' Taintor  90+4'	CIN Report TOR Report	Delbridge  29' König 41' Walker 49' Fall 66' Hoyte 86'	Stadium: Ontario Soccer Centre Attendance: 1,119

Standings

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Louisville City FC (C)	32	18	8	6	58	31	+27	62	Conference Playoffs
2	Charleston Battery	32	15	9	8	53	33	+20	54
3	Tampa Bay Rowdies	32	14	11	7	50	35	+15	53
4	Rochester Rhinos	32	14	11	7	36	28	+8	53
5	Charlotte Independence	32	13	9	10	52	40	+12	48
6	FC Cincinnati	32	12	10	10	46	48	−2	46
7	New York Red Bulls II	32	13	5	14	57	60	−3	44
8	Bethlehem Steel FC	32	12	8	12	46	45	+1	44
9	Orlando City B	32	10	12	10	37	36	+1	42
10	Ottawa Fury	32	8	14	10	42	41	+1	38
11	Harrisburg City Islanders	32	10	7	15	28	47	−19	37
12	Saint Louis FC	32	9	9	14	35	48	−13	36
13	Pittsburgh Riverhounds	32	8	12	12	33	42	−9	36
14	Richmond Kickers	32	8	8	16	24	36	−12	32
15	Toronto FC II	32	6	7	19	27	54	−27	25

Source: 2017 USL standings
Rules for classification: 1) total wins; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 5) disciplinary points; 6) coin toss or drawing of lots
(C) Champions

Statistics

Appearances

No.	Pos.	Name	USL	USL Playoffs	U.S. Open Cup	Total
1	GK	Mitch Hildebrandt	20	-	3	23
2	DF	Matt Bahner	19	-	3	22
3	DF	Tyler Polak	16	-	2	18
4	DF	Harrison Delbridge	18	-	4	22
5	MF	Aodhan Quinn	14	-	3	17
6	MF	Kenney Walker	17	-	2	19
7	FW	Kadeem Dacres	16	-	3	19
8	MF	Paul Nicholson	9	-	2	11
9	FW	Baye Djiby Fall	15	-	3	18
10	MF	Eric Stevenson	1	-	3	4
11	MF	Danni König	13	-	3	16
13	FW	Cristian Martínez	1	-	-	1
14	MF	Omar Cummings	3	-	-	3
15	DF	Pat McMahon	2	-	1	3
16	MF	Daryl Fordyce	9	-	-	9
16	FW	Kyle Greig	7	-	-	7
19	DF	Corben Bone	18	-	3	21
20	MF	Jimmy McLaughlin	20	-	3	23
21	MF	Marco Dominguez	3	-	3	6
22	DF	Austin Berry	19	-	3	22
23	FW	Andrew Wiedeman	20	-	4	24
24	DF	Derek Luke	-	-	1	1
26	DF	Garrett Halfhill	2	-	1	3
30	GK	Dallas Jaye	1	-	1	2
32	DF	Justin Hoyte	11	-	3	14
70	DF	Mélé Temguia	1	-	-	1
74	FW	Kevin Schindler	1	-	-	1
80	FW	Victor Mansaray	10	-	1	11
99	FW	Andy Craven	3	-	-	3
99	DF	Josu	7	-	1	8

• Updated to matches played on August 1, 2017.^[17]

Goals

Baye Djiby Fall (left) led FC Cincinnati in goal scoring in 2017.

No.	Pos.	Name	USL	USL Playoffs	U.S. Open Cup	Total
4	DF	Harrison Delbridge	2	-	-	2
5	MF	Aodhan Quinn	2	-	-	2
9	FW	Baye Djiby Fall	11	-	4	15
11	MF	Danni König	8	-	-	8
16	FW	Kyle Greig	1	-	-	1
19	DF	Corben Bone	-	-	1	1
20	MF	Jimmy McLaughlin	3	-	-	3
22	DF	Austin Berry	-	-	1	1
23	FW	Andrew Wiedeman	1	-	-	1
32	DF	Justin Hoyte	1	-	-	1

• Updated to matches played on August 17, 2017.^[17]