Preview: FC Cincinnati, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vie for U.S. Open Cup semifinal berth

FC Cincinnati is on the cusp of club history and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC of the second-tier USL Championship is what's separating FCC from its second-ever appearance in the semifinal round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

FC Cincinnati on Tuesday will reset its collective focus on the U.S. Open Cup when Pittsburgh visits TQL Stadium for a quarterfinal-round match (7 p.m.). The team that progresses from the contest will advance to an Aug. 23 semifinal.

The winner of Tuesday's game at TQL Stadium will face the winner of the corresponding quarterfinal match between Inter Miami CF and Birmingham Legion, another USL Championship club.

More:Pittsburgh Riverhounds up next for FC Cincinnati in U.S. Open Cup. What you need to know

More:Takeaways: FC Cincinnati wins again vs. Chicago Fire to go 9-0-0 at TQL Stadium

Here's a look at the major storylines, players and themes to watch for during Tuesday's quarterfinal:

FCC's busy stretch drags on

FC Cincinnati's ongoing run of 10 matches in 35 days is oft-discussed, and Tuesday's game is the ninth match during that period. But even beyond the taxing 35-day window, it's simply been a very busy season in general for FCC.

Tuesday represents FC Cincinnati's 20th competitive match of 2023. A year ago at this time, FC Cincinnati had only played 16 competitive games across all competitions. It wouldn't play its 17th match until June 18, 2022.

In 2021, FC Cincinnati had only played six matches through early June due to COVID-19-related scheduling considerations.

All that is to say FC Cincinnati is one of a handful of successful MLS clubs this year that's being pushing harder than ever before in the pre-Leagues Cup portion of the regular season.

FCC has admirably walked the tightrope of rotating players on and off the field in the name of rest and recovery while still getting positive results. That's evidenced in the club's 14-1-4 record across all competitions. But it's certainly fair to wonder if Cincinnati could run out of steam and able bodies before this week concludes.

Another match looms Saturday for Cincinnati in MLS play and it's to be played almost 2,500 miles away at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As much as FCC wants to take a step further in the Open Cup, it's just as concerned about maintaining its eight-point lead in the Supporters Shield standings.

FC Cincinnati won dramatically on Saturday against Chicago Fire FC, but it was dramatic mostly because FCC couldn't find a goal until the 83rd minute. Luciano Acosta's game-winning goal was the only on-target shot by both teams in a contest that seemed destined for a scoreless draw.

Regardless, Saturday was another example of a varied mix of FC Cincinnati first-team players finding a way to cobble together a win by any means necessary. A similarly strong effort Tuesday by FCC could mean advancing to the second Open Cup semifinal in club history.

Pittsburgh, giant killers

The Riverhounds had an odd start to what's become an unforgettable Open Cup journey. Their opener in the competition, a second-round match against Rochester New York FC (MLS Next Pro), was deemed a forfeit when Rochester ceased operations after the clubs were drawn to play one another.

Pittsburgh hasn't looked back on the strange beginnings of its run, though, and is 3-0-0 with three shutouts in the Cup matches that followed.

Pittsburgh on May 9 knocked New England Revolution out of the competition with a 1-0 win. Then, in a May 24 Round of 16 home match against Columbus Crew, Pittsburgh advanced with another 1-0 victory via Albert Dikwa's 22nd-minute score.

Four different players have scored Pittsburgh's four goals in Open Cup play. One of those goal-scorers, Edward Kizza, received a 95th-minute red card in the win against Columbus.

In league play, Dikwa leads the Riverhounds with nine goals over his 11 appearances. That likely makes him priority No. 1 defensively for FC Cincinnati, although Pittsburgh has 18 goals in USL Championship play − the eighth most in the league.

Partly because of the Riverhounds' attacking output, the club is rolling in the USL Championship where they sit second in the Eastern Conference on a 6-2-5 record.

The most recent of those victories was a 1-0 result against Phoenix Rising at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh.

The rest of the best

Of the eight clubs still alive in the Open Cup, there are no pushovers or accidental inclusions. Even the clubs struggling in league play found a refuge in the Cup and have earned the right to still be in contention.

FC Cincinnati-Pittsburgh and Miami-Birmingham make up half of the remaining bracket. On the other side, Chicago Fire hosts Houston Dynamo at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois, while Real Salt Lake is set to host Los Angeles Galaxy in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Cincinnati-Pittsburgh (7 p.m.) and Chicago-Houston (8:30 p.m.,CBS Sports Golazo Network) are the matches scheduled for Tuesday. Miami-Birmingham (8 p.m., CBS Sports Golazo Network) and Salt Lake-Galaxy (9:30 p.m., B/R Football YouTube) are set for Wednesday kickoffs.

The game

Kickoff: 7 p.m., Saturday | TQL Stadium, Cincinnati

Stream/radio: B/R Football YouTube/ESPN 1530

All-time series: FC Cincinnati holds an undefeated 6-0-4 record in the all-time against Pittsburgh across all competitions FCC is 2-0-0 against the Riverhounds in the U.S. Open Cup.

Cincinnati.com prediction: FC Cincinnati 2, Pittsburgh Riverhounds 0.

FC Cincinnati

Record: 14-1-4 overall; 2-0-1 in U.S. Open Cup

Open Cup goals for: Three

Open Cup goals against: One

Coach: Pat Noonan - second year at FC Cincinnati

Projected starting XI:

Alec Kann, goalkeeper

Santiago Arias, right back

Alvaro Barreal, left back

Nick Hagglund, center back

Matt Miazga, center back

Ian Murphy, center back

Junior Moreno, midfielder

Marco Angulo, midfielder

Luciano Acosta, midfielder

Brandon Vazquez, forward

Arquimides Ordonez, forward

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

Record: 10-2-5 overall; 4-0-0 in U.S. Open Cup

Open Cup goals for: Four

Open Cup goals against: Zero

Coach: Bob Lilley - Sixth season as Pittsburgh head coach

Projected starting XI:

Jahmali Waite, goalkeeper

Patrick Hogan, center back

Arturo Ordoñez, center back

Michael DeShields, center back

Burke Fahling, wing back/midfielder

Kenardo Forbes, midfielder

Marc Ybarra, midfielder

Danny Griffin, midfielder

Langston Blackstock, wing back/midfielder

Tola Showunmi, forward

Albert Dikwa, forward