Patrick Brennan

pbrennan@enquirer.com

LOUISVILLE — Futbol Club Cincinnati's grittiest performance to date came when it needed it most: on the road at United Soccer League-leading Louisville City FC.

It's hard to imagine a bigger occasion within the USL construct. Louisville City packed Slugger Field with a franchise-record crowd, and FC Cincinnati supporters traveled very well to join the party. The game was broadcast nationally on ESPN3. A win would have had a big impact for either team at the top of the league standings.

None of this fazed FC Cincinnati, as they left Louisville with a commendable 0-0 result.

Cincinnati's performance wasn't always pretty, but it still said a lot. They were up for a moment, and it was an undeniably big moment. It's reasonable to expect they'll respond well to the big moments still to come this season.

FC Cincy gaining on USL's best?

At present, there shouldn't be much debate that FC Cincinnati and Louisville City FC are part of USL's elite class of clubs. But how much separates the two sides from each other? It's an important question to keep tabs on as the teams still have one more regular season match and could conceivably meet again in the playoffs.

The prevailing thought ahead of Saturday's nil-nil draw was that Louisville was probably a step or two ahead of Cincinnati in terms of on-field matters. That rationale was rooted in the sight of LouCity's 3-2 win in the season-series opener in mid-April.

LouCity also now has eight shutouts, is a leading scorer in USL (30 goals) and is very deep off the bench (see goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh). LouCity isn't going anywhere, and will probably still be standing come "business end" of the USL playoffs.

The prevailing wisdom now, after FC Cincinnati ground out the scoreless tie? There's not much between FC Cincinnati and LouCity, and Cincinnati's made up significant ground since the teams' first game. It's dangerous to make sweeping judgments about FC Cincinnati considering it's only played 14 games, but you also can't understate the significance of taking points off Louisville City at their barn.

Make no mistake: Louisville is still the superior side. Their offense was swarming in the attacking third on Saturday and deserved at least one goal from the spell of pressure they unleashed in the opening half. And as good as their pressure was in the attacking third, Louisville's back line was even better. Sound defending throughout the 90 minutes.

But while Cincinnati lacked offensive firepower and tidy defending for long stretches, it made up for it with grit, toughness and team spirit. Louisville players became visibly frustrated as the multitude of chances they created in the first half didn't result in a goal. FC Cincinnati, by contrast, seemed to grow more determined with each close call and off-the-line clearance.

Harkes, speaking on his team's play Saturday, said, "It wasn't brilliant." He's right if he's speaking strictly in terms of offensive showmanship, but the team's determined effort is sold short if you limit your evaluation to the attacking third.

Rough night on the diamond

With the LouCity tie, FC Cincinnati improved to 0-0-2 this season in games played on fields shoehorned into minor league baseball stadiums. That's no small feat.

Harkes noted Saturday, as he did after the team's game on a baseball field against Harrisburg City Islanders, the playing surface was a big challenge. That's not a cop-out – it's reality.

In the first half, goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt's goal was situated in a penalty area that appeared to have three distinctly different playing surfaces – natural grass, and different turf cutouts covering the dirt infield area and the dirt pitcher's mound area. The seams between grass and turf created obstacles, and the differences in texture, thickness and cut made judging the flight and movement of the ball difficult for Cincinnati all night. FC Cincinnati did well to navigate the field and ensure it wasn't the deciding factor.

This isn't to suggest Cincinnati would have turned the game on its ear if the playing surface was consistent, but maybe the execution would have been a bit cleaner and faster. Soccer infrastructure in America is such that playing in baseball stadiums and on inconsistent surfaces will remain a problem across most professional leagues, including Major League Soccer, for the foreseeable future.

Where do they go from here?

The buildup to the LouCity match felt like it was weeks in the making. It's in the rearview now, and Cincinnati emerged with its unbeaten run in the league extended to 10 games. We'll all be interested to see how long the team can stretch its unbeaten run and continue to amass points. Capitalize on the current run of form now because it won't last forever. It can't. They will lose again – shock! – and it might even be ugly when it happens.

But when the loss comes, just know there's no need to slam on the panic button. If there was any doubt about FC Cincinnati's contender status before the LouCity draw, there shouldn't be now.

Like most successful professional sports teams, FC Cincinnati isn't looking too far into the future. They'll be focused on the here-and-now, and Bethlehem Steel FC, which comes to Nippert Stadium for a 6 p.m. kickoff Saturday. Bethlehem is a team Cincinnati should beat, but Harkes should also be wary of a possible letdown after a result on such a big occasion down in Louisville.

If Cincinnati guards against a letdown, the Bethlehem Steel game should result in three points.

Other notes:

• LouCity has the second-most goals in USL (30), and was shutout for the fourth time this season against FC Cincinnati.

• The shutout was FC Cincinnati's third of the season.

• With 13 goals allowed, FC Cincinnati is tied for second-fewest goals allowed in the Eastern Conference. New York Red Bulls II leads all of the USL with just eight goals against.

• FC Cincinnati needs a win in the July 23 game against LouCity to win the inaugural River Cities Cup. LouCity leads the series with a 1-0-1 record. They can clinch the rivalry series win with a tie.

Extra time

The Louisville Courier Journal's Tim Sullivan wrote the following of Saturday's big FC Cincinnati-Louisville City FC game: "Maybe this is as big as it gets. Maybe this is as big as it needs to be."

Sullivan suggests, as others have, that success for lower-league teams in America doesn't have to be defined by inclusion in Major League Soccer. His column was focused on the uncertainty of Louisville City's push for MLS but is applicable to most USL teams and fan bases.

FC Cincinnati and Louisville City FC, two USL teams that have quickly achieved a groundswell of support in their respective communities, are great case studies for Sullivan's suggestion. Executives in both organizations have openly discussed their MLS ambitions, and, yet, both teams draw exceptionally well by lower-league standards. The teams are also mutual beneficiaries of a regional rivalry that has seen crowds of more than 20,000 and more than 10,000 in the first two games.

Say nothing of the on-field product, which is elite in both cities at present.

With success like that, does either city truly need MLS? Would the LouCity rivalry mean less if FC Cincinnati found out it wouldn't be invited to MLS expansion? Does the distinction between FC Cincinnati supporters and supporters of Cincinnati gaining a third major league team matter? What are the consequences if one of those sects disappears if MLS hopes evaporate here?

These are interesting questions to explore if you're feeling contemplative. Just food for thought.