If FC Cincinnati retains its hold on the Supporters’ Shield, they will have earned it. Beginning with Saturday’s face-off at Inter Miami to restart MLS play, the Garys (48 points, second in the Eastern Conference) have nine matches until the playoffs commence. Six are against teams in current playoff position, two are against squads first or second in their respective conferences (Miami and LAFC), and one is against Columbus, FCC’s forever rival and the defending MLS champs. Let’s break down the remaining schedule.
August 24 at Inter Miami (first in East, 53 points)
Miami was knocked out of the Leagues Cup on the same night as Cincinnati. Lionel Messi hasn’t suited up for the club since June 1. Still, the Herons are deep and dangerous in attack; Miami’s 56 goals are tops in league play. The 6-1 pasting the Orange and Blue inflicted upon them in early July likely won’t have been forgotten, either. FCC’s league-best road record (9 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw) will be put to the test.
August 31 vs. Montreal (11th in East, 27 points)
On paper, this is the easiest match remaining for the local lads … until you remember that back in April Montreal was the team that handed FC Cincinnati its first losing streak in almost two years. Still, with this match coming prior to a bye weekend, FCC should bag this one.
September 14 vs. Columbus (third in East, 43 points)
This is FCC’s most important match remaining, not just because of the rivalry aspect—an Orange and Blue win would mean a first-ever season sweep of the Crew—but for playoff seeding. Columbus is five points behind FC Cincinnati but has two matches in hand. A victory would provide Pat Noonan and the boys with a nice buffer and go a long way to ensuring a playoff rematch would take place at TQL Stadium. Whether FC Cincinnati fans could stomach a sequel is another story, though.
September 18 at Minnesota (ninth in West, 33 points)
The first midweek contest of the post-Leagues Cup schedule is a tough ask for FCC, which will be coming off Hell Is Real. Three days after its time in the Twin Cities, the club heads to Nashville. The last time these two sides played was May 7, 2022, when Brandon Vazquez claimed a 93rd-minute winner for the visitors.
September 21 at Nashville (12th in East, 26 points)
Nashville hasn’t won in eight matches, scoring just four times over that span, which is some pre-2022 FC Cincinnati stuff right there. But much like Montreal, an edge in the standings and talent is couched by an earlier result—Nashville downed FCC 2-0 on May 29, halting the local lads’ seven-game winning streak.
September 28 vs. LAFC (second in West, 47 points)
FCC will have the slight edge in rest: This will be their fourth match of September but the fifth for the Black and Gold. Depending on your point of view, LAFC are either the first- or second-best-run club next to Columbus when factoring in recent regular season and postseason play, trophies, and front office acumen. Like Columbus, the 2022 MLS champs remain alive for three trophies (Leagues Cup, Supporters’ Shield, MLS Cup), and they just added Olivier Giroud, the French national team’s all-time leading scorer. FC Cincinnati’s new-look back line will be put to the test against a side with just two setbacks over its last in 21 matches.
October 2 at New York City FC (fifth in East, 38 points)
Four subs with four different hair colors pumped in four goals across 11 minutes to deliver FCC the mother of all second-half comeback vs. NYCFC a few weeks ago in the Leagues Cup group stage. New York got the last laugh, though, advancing further than the Orange and Blue in the knockout stage, falling in penalties at Columbus in the quarterfinal round.
October 5 vs. Orlando (seventh in East, 34 points)
Orlando has underperformed relative to its talent the last few years, and 2024 has been no different. In the two sides initial meeting on May 4, Lucho Acosta scored the match’s lone goal just 17 seconds in.
October 19 at Philadelphia (10th in East, 27 points)
Think this one will mean something? Fresh off a bye weekend, FCC faces its Leagues Cup bouncers with retribution and playoff positioning on its mind. Meanwhile, Philly will likely be either scratching and clawing for its playoff life or seeking out a first-round home game. Either way, these teams don’t like each other, despite the familiarity. Sounds like a great postseason warm-up match for FC Cincinnati, who enjoyed a bit too soft of a playoff run-in a year ago.
Deadline day notes
FC Cincinnati made one final acquisition prior to the close of MLS’s Secondary Transfer Window, recruiting forward Nicholas Gioacchini from Como 1907, a newly promoted side in Italy’s top division, to join as a Designated Player on loan through the end of the season.
Gioacchini’s 10 goals in 32 appearances helped spur expansion side St. Louis to the No. 1 seed in the West in 2023. What he’ll lose in beautiful views will be gained in playing time, something the forward was short of in Italy. “Niko” can play across the forward line and offer pace and hold-up play, with Noonan surely hoping his MLS experience can add more consistency to an up-and-down offense. Gioacchini’s speed should be an asset in the Orange and Blue’s off-ball press, too.
He appears to have been General Manager Chris Albright’s third or fourth option as an addition during the transfer window. FCC reportedly came up short in pursuit of two U.S. Men’s National Team regulars, midfielder Weston McKennie and striker Josh Sargent. In a display of ambition, FC Cincinnati apparently bid $20 million for the 24-year-old Sargent, who has scored 31 goals in 93 appearances for English second-division side Norwich City. After missing out on McKennie and Sargent, Albright triggered the $15 million release clause for Monterrey forward German Berterame, who reportedly backed out of the deal because of “family reasons.”
Failed moves are little solace to supporters expecting the front office to close the perceived FCC’s talent gap to Columbus, LAFC, and/or Miami. But they are, at minimum, statements of intent and re-illustrate the front office’s intent to consistently improve the team, which it should absolutely be doing with Acosta squarely in his prime and with an ownership group sporting deep pockets.
Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at @GrantFreking.
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