Photograph courtesy FC Cincinnati
Right wingback was not a “problem position” for FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan. Once Luca Orellano settled in at left wingback in the early season, a rotation of Alvas Powell and Yuya Kubo at right wingback—with Bret Halsey capable of playing on the left or right in a pinch—would be adequate enough to win most MLS matches and wouldn’t have been detrimental to the team’s playoff chances.
The flaw in that strategy was that if defensive midfielder Obinna Nwobodo was injured or otherwise unavailable and Kubo was needed on the wing, FCC would be put in a precarious position. The Japanese international is Nwobodo’s lone true backup.
With the acquisition of Inter Miami’s DeAndre Yedlin, right wingback went from a position of adequate standing to one of strength for FC Cincinnati. Yedlin, one of MLS’s top fullbacks and a former Premier League regular, will fit like a glove as Noonan’s right wingback. Kubo can now return to his Swiss Army Midfield reserve role, and Cincinnati can use Powell and Halsey at right wingback or left wingback to spell Orellano.
Bringing in Yedlin does not qualify as an “all-in” move by General Manager Chris Albright, but it’s certainly a “win-now” flex. Albright could have waited longer for other options after the European transfer window reopened in the summer or utilized the usual prudence he’s displayed in buying and selling the roster’s bigger pieces over the past two and a half years. Instead, Albright and his staff acted with haste, reportedly squeezing Yedlin’s wages in under the salary cap.
My a-roster-move-could-be-imminent antenna was raised last Thursday when FC Cincinnati shipped a 2024 international roster spot to Toronto in exchange for $175,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM). Albright then basically flipped those funds to Miami for the 30-year-old with almost 100 Premier League appearances to his name and 81 caps with the U.S. men’s national team.
Yedlin’s counting stats are not impressive, but he’s been in a pair of World Cups, featured in three World Cup qualifying cycles, and played in more than 120 MLS matches. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more experienced and flexible option for right wingback, someone who has played in a hell of a lot of important matches and should not require much of a ramp-up period.
Yedlin also has experience training and playing on the USMNT with center back Matt Miazga and Miles Robinson, who will be on the same side of the pitch as Yedlin. And he’s signed through at least 2025.
With yet another new face entering the fold, FC Cincinnati may look fragmented at times in the season’s opening months, as I noted in my season preview column. But once this team builds cohesion, there are only a few MLS sides that will be able to match the Orange and Blue’s combination of talent, experience, and coaching.
Winning on the road was a breeze in the Windy City
FC Cincinnati possessed a pep in its step for its first road league match over the weekend against the Chicago Fire, countering the fired-up hosts with a composed, mature 2-1 win. The triumph was befitting of a Cincinnati side that recognizes its own quality but failed to overlook a talented/flawed Fire side still figuring itself out.
A period of the second half transpired when I thought Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady might be having one of those nights where a keeper can single-handedly win a match. Brady had mustered three impressive saves—two on Pavel Bucha and one on Corey Baird—that kept the score even at 1-1. But Miles Robinson’s deft touch on a corner kick in the 68th minute ditched that line of thinking.
Robinson’s first goal for Cincinnati was a just reward for a dominant defensive showing, particularly by centerbacks Robinson, Miazga, and Ian Murphy. The trio smothered a talented Chicago attack—the Fire tallied just one shot on target—with Miazga frustrating Chicago’s record signee Hugo Cuypers.
Up next
FC Cincinnati’s fifth match in what will be eight contests during the season’s opening 25 days is a daunting one: a visit from Brandon Vazquez and CF Monterrey for a Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 tilt on March 7. The five-time Liga MX and Concacaf Champions League winners are atop the Liga MX table on goal differential, unbeaten through the season’s first 10 matches.
Concacaf’s top-ranked club team will be one of the stiffest tests FCC has faced in franchise history. Vazquez got off to a scorching start with Monterrey, too, scoring five goals in five starts. After playing Monterrey and welcoming D.C. United on Sunday, the Orange and Blue will travel to Mexico for the return leg at Monterrey on March 14.
Cincinnati Magazine’s FCC coverage will take a vacation break next week, but I’ll be back the week of March 18 to weigh in on Cincinnati’s busy start to 2024.
Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at @GrantFreking.
Facebook Comments