Arturo Alvarez has been around long enough to understand the challenge awaiting the Chicago Fire Wednesday night (7 p.m. CT, ESPN2) at FC Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium.
“First thing I can tell you is that it’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be tough like the Saint Louis game was tough,” Alvarez said. “We're going to have to expect that [FC Cincinnati] is playing with more confidence, and we have to match their intensity and make sure that we work hard.”
FC Cincinnati set a U.S. Open Cup record for a non-final match by drawing 30,160 fans to Nippert Stadium for their fourth-round victory against Columbus Crew SC on June 14, and another large crowd is expected for a nationally televised clash with MLS' second-place team.