For better or worse, I’m ill-informed when it comes to popular television series. All day on Monday, I listened to coworkers chat about—check that, eviscerate—the series finale of Game of Thrones. I couldn’t relate; I’ve never seen a full episode. I watched a few episodes of Breaking Bad and House of Cards back when I had roommates during my time in Indianapolis. Stranger Things? Never seen it. And you know what? I don’t really harbor much FOMO, either. I’m typically content watching sports and movie re-runs or simply flipping around from channel to channel.
Now, I’m not a total loser. I’ve seen around 15 episodes of The Office and about the same for Parks and Recreation. If you want to chat about Cheers, I’m your guy. I’ve seen almost every episode, so I’m well-acquainted with Sam, Diane, Norm, Coach, Woody, et. al. (I’ve actually watched a ton of Becker, too, so maybe Ted Danson simply piques my interest.)
My amateur TV critic take is that shows worsen with age, as the actors and actresses gain fame and focus on other projects; the strength of the material and plot waxes and wanes; and the simple fact that it’s extremely difficult to maintain a high degree of satisfaction with the same audience for an extended period of time. But, as the years go by, memories of a show’s ignominious final few episodes or seasons tend to be overshadowed by positive memories.
FC Cincinnati is likely hoping that its fans possess similar thoughts by the end of the season (or, more likely, the end of next season.) Following a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Orlando FC last weekend, the Orange and Blue dropped to dead last in the Eastern Conference. Not only did FCC get blown out, but they surrendered nine shots on target and displayed little of the composure and skill they exhibited in interim coach Yoann Damet’s first game.
To be fair, FCC was shorthanded. Midfielder Leonardo Bertone, a starter in 11 of the club’s first 12 games, injured himself during the week and was unavailable. Allan Cruz and Roland Lamah, two more typical starters, also didn’t play. Greg Garza, whose importance to the squad I sung last week, was forced out just six minutes into the match. Maybe FC Cincinnati should’ve asked Rose Lavelle to stop by training last week; Damet might have been able to convince the Cincinnati native and midfielder for the U.S. women’s national team join the club temporarily before the Americans kick off World Cup group play on June 11. (In actuality, FCC recalled rookie forward Rashawn Dally from USL side Memphis 901 FC earlier this week.)
At least FC Cincinnati is showing progress off the field, as it’s reportedly close to hiring Dutch league executive Gerard Nijkamp as its new general manager, per The Athletic. Jeff Berding has already withdrawn from his general manager duties and will instead focus on his other job as team president. The report also stated that FC Cincinnati was closing in on hiring a director for its new youth academy, a badly needed move to add stability to a resource that can allow the club to create a cost-controlled talent pipeline in the coming years.
Up next is a Saturday evening home foray vs. New York Bulls, which has won four of its last five games, the latest victory coming against red-hot Atlanta United. The Red Bulls prevailed despite playing with 10 men after defender Tim Parker was red-carded in the 35th minute, ending Atlanta’s five-game winning and shutout streak.
So good luck, FC Cincinnati. You’re gonna need it.
Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. Off the pitch, he is the associate editor for Signs of the Times magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at @GrantFreking.
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