October 26, 2018
By Sahr Morris Jnr
Michael Lahoud’s United Soccer League side, FC Cincinnati and New York Red Bulls II will battle it out in the 2018 Eastern Conference Semi-finals at Nippert Stadium on Saturday.
Lahoud, 32, who joined Cincinnati on April 18, 2018, has been a pivotal figure in the team playing over 23 games this season.
They advanced past the conference quarterfinals for the first time in their history with a 6-5 victory in a penalty shootout last Saturday against Nashville SC after a 1-1 full-time scoreline.
The result extended FCC’s undefeated streak to 24 games in league play, a run that began with a 2-1 victory against the Red Bulls II on June 2 when Cincinnati rallied to win at Red Bull Arena.
The Red Bulls II, also looking to advance to the conference final for a third consecutive season as it squares off with the 2018 USL Regular Season champion.
The tie is expected to kick-off 4 pm ET and can be watched live on ESPN+ in the United States and YouTube internationally and followed live via the USL Match Centre.
FCC also recorded a 2-1 victory against New York at Nippert Stadium on July 21, although the Red Bulls II’s Tom Barlow almost found a stoppage-time equalizer for the visitors in that contest as he hit the crossbar with a late chance.