FC Cincinnati’s Stumbles Continue

The Orange and Blue have one more regular season match to get themselves right for the playoffs.
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Too many early and/or first goals conceded. Too many flat or tepid first half performances. Too many injuries at center back. Too many absences at forward. Too many instances of individuals trying to make things happen on their own, instead of playing within the team structure. Too many swings and misses in the summer transfer window. Too many lost points at home.

Following its 3-1 loss to Orlando in the regular season home finale Saturday evening at TQL Stadium, FC Cincinnati are locked into the third slot in the East playoffs. The Orange and Blue will be the betting favorite in their round one best-of-three series vs. Charlotte, New York City FC, or the New York Red Bulls later this month—but in my mind the upset would be if FCC cobbled together 180 minutes that were good enough to advance to the East semifinals.

Following last week’s midweek loss at NYCFC, head coach Pat Noonan highlighted the importance of playing better as a team and starting matches stronger. On Saturday, the third-year skipper’s reward was watching his side yield a score in the 10th minute and then gift the visitors a pair of soft second-half goals through mistakes by Roman Celentano and Luca Orellano. Post-match, Noonan said he was encouraged by the overall display, which was clouded by the two massive second-half errors. I’m in no position to flatly disagree with him, but the deck has felt stacked against the Orange and Blue for some time.

FC Cincinnati entered its ninth month of league play when the calendar flipped to October. Think about all the club has had to overcome in that time. The season began with a focus on integrating five new starters, which doesn’t include the early-season acquisition of right back DeAndre Yedlin. The merry-go-round of full-time forwards (Aaron Boupendza, Corey Baird, Kevin Kelsy, Nico Gioacchini, et. al.) failed to provide reliable support for Orellano’s wizardry, an inspired season from Yuya Kubo, and another MVP-esque campaign by Lucho Acosta.

The season-ending injury to defensive general and team hype man Matt Miazga left a gaping hole on the field and in the dressing room that could not be filled. He went down in the Garys’ 4-2 victory at San Jose on June 15. After that win, FCC had 36 points in 17 MLS tilts (2.1 points per match). In the 16 matches since, the Orange and Blue have 20 points (1.3 points per match).

Furthermore, Miles Robinson missed chunks of time on international duty. The lack of midfield depth behind Pavel Bucha and Obinna Nwobodo—aside from the occasions Kubo was available to play midfield and not needed elsewhere—led to too many minutes for them. Acosta missed extended time tending to injury.

It’s all proven too much to overcome, and that’s reasonable! The points acquired when FC Cincinnati was tearing the league apart in the spring with seven successive wins count all the same, which is why FCC still had a realistic shot at retaining the Supporters’ Shield into September. But after a third straight loss and just two wins in their last 10 MLS contests, it’s time to be realistic about what the Orange and Blue can achieve in the playoffs.

Mingling with fans post-match Saturday in the bowels of TQL Stadium, the mood was that of resignation. Reasonable supporters know that FC Cincinnati is hamstrung. They know that, on paper, the team will be stronger and more cohesive in 2025 with a healthy Miazga, a full preseason to properly integrate the in-season additions—notably center back Chidozie Awaziem, who missed Saturday with injury—and (presumably) a proven striker.

FCC’s final regular season match is October 19 at Philadelphia. The Union need to win to even have a puncher’s chance at qualifying for the playoffs. We’ll see if the Cincinnati can find some momentum prior to the playoffs.

Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at @GrantFreking.

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