Bengals Burfict & Jones Named Honorary Captains For FC Cincy/Riverhounds Match

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - There will be some familiar foes in attendance as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds make their first trip to expansion FC Cincinnati this Saturday.

Vontaze Burfict, Adam Jones and other Bengals players have been named honorary captains for FC Cincy.

The pair are infamous for the events in the ending stages of the Steelers' Wild Card win in Cincy last January. Burfict will miss the first meeting of the two teams, serving a suspension for his hit on wide receiver Antonio Brown.

FC Cincinnati is having success in their first season on and off the field and are gaining some attention around the soccer world.

The Bengals as captains is the latest in a marketing push to get 25,000 to Nippert Stadium to set a USL attendance record.

A few friends who know a thing or two about a rivalry with Pittsburgh will be at Saturday's #OrangeOut. Will you? pic.twitter.com/AizdKChapW

— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) May 10, 2016

The team plays their games there and it's the home of the University of Cincinnati football team. On the field, they have more than held their own and currently sit fourth in the USL Eastern Conference with a 4-2-3 record.

The combination of good on field play and high attendance has built a buzz around the city. One of the other honorary Bengals captains knows this game is important to beat Pittsburgh in the "other" form of football.

"Whenever we play Pittsburgh, everyone wants us to beat them. That's how I feel when it comes to soccer. Hopefully, we can get this big win." defensive tackle Domata Peko said in a news release about the game.

The Riverhounds look to move on from a poor start and the ugliness that was last Saturday at Highmark Stadium.

Romeo Parkes has since been suspended for the remainder of the 2016 USL Season for the nasty incident which has gained national notoriety. The season extends to September, though Parkes is currently without a team after his contract was terminated by Pittsburgh.

The Hounds are still winless and may see crashing Cincinnati's big party as the perfect opportunity to move on from the disappointments that the 2016 season have brought so far.

The two teams kickoff at 4 p.m. this Saturday.

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