Highlights from this week’s show.

This week Coach Gough welcomes Mike Lahoud back to the show to hang out with him and Justin Hoyte. The guys reminisce about that fantastic 2018 squad while drawing comparisons to this year’s team. Who does Lahoud think is a young player that can take the next step and be a contributor? What do Justin and Mike think the key to FC Cincinnati’s midfield will be?

The guys also talk about their experiences getting called up to international duty, and get into a bit of banter.

Follow Coach and Justin

Coach is @FCCincyTacTalk and Justin is @JustinHoyte32

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The post Mike Lahoud and Justin Hoyte Spill the FC Cincinnati Tea. appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

FC Cincinnati has parted ways with Coach Jaap Stam! Coach Gough and Justin look at the situation from an insider’s perspective. When did it become evident that Stam needed to go? Was he set up for failure from the start?

Justin talks about his personal experiences with changing coaches during a season. What are the players experiencing? What is their mindset like?

Then, as always, they get to your questions in the mailbag!

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The post An Insider’s Look at FC Cincinnati’s Sacking of Jaap Stam appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

During its two-hour run time, “Nonstop Flight” takes the viewer through each year of FCC’s history; from a small startup working in coffee shops to an MLS expansion bid. “Nonstop Flight” details the meteoric rise of the club and highlights the big moments fans know and love.

If you wanted to take a trip down memory lane and enjoy a nostalgic look back at all the amazing moments that have defined FCC, I could not recommend “Nonstop Flight” highly enough. If you wanted a documentary that looks past those successes, sheds new light and asks questions about the people and circumstances that made FCC, then you might want to avoid this documentary.

There are plenty of great highlight videos, also produced by 4th Floor Creative, that can help you remember the joys of that first USL game, the shocking win against Chicago Fire in penalty kicks in the U.S. Open Cup or the triumph of winning the 2018 USL regular season. But “Nonstop Flight” rarely digs deeper, and in the process, struggles to justify its own existence.

That isn’t to say “Nonstop Flight” is bad. On the contrary, the documentary is incredibly produced, includes amazing interviews and is very entertaining. Particularly fascinating are the insights from director of soccer operations (employee No. 1) Dan McNally and initial brand ambassador Gary Dejesus. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of Cincinnati soccer culture. But the filmmakers rarely dig deeper than the club narrative. Only three fans are featured in the documentary, all from the same supporter group (The Pride).

The first hour and twenty minutes cover 2015-2017 – where the show details the founding of the club, its first season, the friendly against Crystal Palace and the run to the USOC semifinal — and every moment is just fantastic. Even the suspicious firing of inaugural head coach John Harkes is glossed over for more moments of triumph. It’s a story the club has told before.

Going into the back half of the film, I was concerned whether they would actually cover some adversity beyond a quick title card. Luckily, the 2018 season was rife with intrigue and drama. While the documentary quickly ignored the struggle and controversy surrounding the West End stadium deal, the filmmakers did not overlook the boiling tension in the locker room. While FCC won expansion into MLS, few of the players on that USL squad were guaranteed a spot on that roster. 

Cards on the table, this period in the club’s history was the documentary I wanted. I could’ve spent more than two hours on the transition to MLS; the player dynamics within the locker room after that expansion announcement; the competition for starting spots in training; coach Alan Koch trying to win games week to week in USL and preparing for MLS.

One of the best bits from “Nonstop Flight” was the brief emphasis on Corben Bone. As he was fighting for a spot on the 2019 MLS roster, then general manager and president Jeff Berding told Bone he needed to score in double digits for the club to consider signing him. And then Bone did it! It’s an incredible few minutes and proves what this documentary could have been. In the end, it’s too little too late.

As you could expect, the documentary rushes through many of the roster-building decisions that have continued to keep FCC struggling in 2020. But the filmmakers were more than happy to spend a few minutes on the incredible MLS home opener against Portland Timbers. It’s indicative of where the filmmaker’s priorities lie: the club and documentarians want to celebrate their nonstop flight to success. They want viewers to remember the good times and the larger than life moments that brought us to MLS. 

I don’t blame the viewers who enjoy this celebration (there are very few things to feel good about in 2020), but as a documentary, I can’t help but miss the conflict, the struggle and the adversity. Documentaries should expose truths and perspectives we haven’t heard before. As it is, “Nonstop Flight” will leave many FCC fans waiting to know the real untold story.

The post Nonstop Flight: You’ve heard this FC Cincinnati story before appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

Clay, Jeff, and former FC Cincinnati midfielder Michael Lahoud give their Best and Worst from Saturday night’s Hell is Real Part Deux against the Columbus Crew.

We are pleased to be joined this week by friend of CST, FC Cincinnati TV/Radio Play-by-Play voice Tom Gelehrter. Tom is the owner and creator of 4th Floor Creative who has undertaken a massive documentary project that will debut coming up on September 9th. The documentary film is called “Nonstop Flight: The Untold Story of FC Cincinnati”. If you haven’t seen the trailer for it, here’s the link. We’re really looking forward to watching this film and we can’t thank Tommy G enough for stopping by to chat with us.

We wrapped up this week’s show by trying to figure out how to fix FC Cincinnati’s offensive woes.

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The post Catching Up with Tom Gelehrter, Play-by-Play Voice of FC Cincinnati appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

On this week’s show, Bryan, Brad and Jeff catch up with former FC Cincinnati legend, Justin Hoyte. Justin made the move to Miami Beach CF in the 2020 offseason after three seasons with the Orange and Blue. It was great to catch up with Justin to hear how life is treating him in South Florida and the fond memories he has of the Queen City.

FC Cincinnati has yet to play a home match in 2020 but the ticketing process for 2021 and the West End Stadium starts tomorrow.

We wrapped the show by talking about the things we would give up if it meant being able to watch live soccer again at Nippert Stadium this season.

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The post He’s Still Open, Former FC Cincinnati Defender Justin Hoyte Visits CST appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

On this week’s show, Coach pulls out the old tape from the 2017 US Open Cup match between FC Cincinnati and the Chicago Fire in The Film Room.

It wouldn’t be a Talking Tactics episode with your emails as we wrapped up with The Mailbag.

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The post The Film Room Look Back – FC Cincinnati’s Open Cup Win vs Chicago appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Here are links to some in previous years’ collections:

2018 from Behind the Photographers’ Lenses

2017 from Behind the Photographers Lens

2016 Dirty River Derby in Photos

The post FC Cincinnati’s 2019 season from behind the lens appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

This year’s Moment of the Year was a near-unanimous selection. After last year’s moment, the MLS announcement, FC Cincinnati fans could hardly wait for the first MLS home game at Nippert Stadium.

Rob Peirce: Inaugural home match

On a chilly St. Patrick’s Day afternoon in March, the day finally arrived. The usual pregame spots on and around Short Vine were bubbling with anticipation. It was time to declare “MLS, welcome to Cincinnati.” The march to Nippert seemed endless, with footage captured by CST’s Ken Hoetker shot around the world and back on Twitter. BBC media came across the pond to capture the event.

It was truly a soccer holiday here in Cincinnati that extended to the pitch with a 3-0 FC Cincinnati victory over the Portland Timbers. Kendall Waston headed home service on a free kick in the 15th minute. In the 61st minute, Allan Cruz scored on a brilliant backheel that was a Goal of the Year candidate. Nippert was still ringing when Mathieu Deplagne tapped one in just two minutes later to cap the festivities.

There were plenty of matches this season that FC Cincinnati fans would like to forget. But this one will stick around in our memories for a long time. It was the perfect day for the city. With the national spotlight beaming in, club and fans reveled in the occasion. The entire day, from the march to the final whistle, is our Moment of the Year.

The post 2019 FC Cincinnati Moment of the Year appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

This episode is sponsored by First Financial Bank. Get your FCC Visa Debit Card today by heading over to BankatFirst.com/FCCincinnati.

No episode captain this week. If you’d like to wear the armband for an episode of Cincinnati Soccer Talk log onto CincinnatiSoccerTalk.com/support.

Highlights from this week’s show.

On this week’s show, Trisha, Bill, Brad, and I discuss the match against the Chicago Fire and Atlanta United FC.

The FC Cincinnati Foundation hosted the 1st ever “The Baileys” on Sunday evening. The event was a fundraiser as well as a chance to celebrate the clubs achievements both on and off the field.

We wrapped up the show discussing former FC Cincinnati Head Coach Alan Koch getting the new gig as the Head Coach of Switchbacks FC in USL Championship.

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CST records LIVE each and every MONDAY night now at 9 PM ET. Join us for a live interactive program covering all things FC Cincinnati with a chat room, social media, hosts with video!

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The post An MLS First for FC Cincinnati appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Here’s the email in question:

Hi CST crew,

The season is winding down and it couldn’t be clearer: mistakes were made. Some of our blunders I can understand, but there are a few moves FC Cincinnati made this year that just baffle me to no end. I’d love to read a round-table article where the CST staff answers this question:

What’s the one unforgivable mistake that FC Cincinnati made this season?

Thanks as always – you make my Tuesday drive time much more bearable.

Doc

Boston Brazzell

Thanks for the email Doc, If you listen each week you know that we have been optimistic at times and yelled and pointed fingers at other moments. I think the time for most of that has passed as coaches and players have changed. To answer your question, I believe the Kekuta Manneh deal was the biggest blunder of the season. FC Cincinnati gave their rivals the Columbus Crew $300,000 in roster money (GAM & TAM) for a player they didn’t even own. The Crew still had old rights to him because he left the league. That move looks like such a bust now and I know you can point to other poor decisions but giving the Crew all that money never sat well with me. FCC thought they were getting a pacey player but I just have not seen the talent and speed that we thought we were getting. I hope that is a deal they can shed despite his young age (24). On the positive side, FC Cincinnati would actually owe Columbus more if he achieved performance goals this season. I think it is safe to say those bonus thresholds will not be met.

Ken Hoetker

Pretty simple answer for me. The biggest blunder when looking back was not having an actual soccer GM in place before the expansion draft. By not having this in place, soccer decisions had no “one” person making final decisions. Jeff Berding may have signed off on them but even he admitted he was not a soccer guy so he had to trust people below. When acquiring players there needs to be a “definitive” leader and we learned at the time of the Alan Koch firing that it was not the case. This led to poor player selection in the expansion draft and expensive player acquisition.

If you want the one specific mistake I felt was big, the entire expansion draft was a mess, but, drafting Hassan Ndam was the biggest mistake. Ndam has potential and may pan out but you don’t draft potential in an expansion draft. The expansion draft is the moment a team can draft experience or gain additional assets(xAM) for picking players for other teams. Expansion picks may not be full-time starters but any player selected should be able to get 500+ minutes during the season. FCC selected two players that reached that threshold and both were highly expensive. Personally I would have liked inexpensive picks that had enough experience to contribute and use the money saved to acquire better talent at the top. In the end, it is spilled milk and Gerard Nijkamp, Ron Jans, and Luke Sassano must try and navigate the club back in a positive direction.

Jay Jones

I think my answer for this is similar to Ken’s but I’ll go a step further. Prior to this season even beginning, our biggest blunder was not having a GM and coach in place, specifically for the start of MLS. Jeff Berding to his credit after Alan Koch was let go stated he was not a soccer guy but handled the business side of the club pretty well given what the club has accomplished in the 4 years as an organization. While it was an idea at the time that Koch would lead the squad into this season, I believe the search for a proven coach at the highest level should have started the day of our announcement. At the time, FC Cincinnati generated a lot of positive notoriety and was an attractive commodity to coaches looking to really stand out. On top of that (even though our timeline would have been the same), that coach would have looked to instill a system during the offseason which could have translated on the pitch. I believe the offseason acquisitions would have been significantly different especially from an expansion draft perspective in bolstering the attack and maybe bringing up less of the USL guys. If we look at the expansion draft in hindsight and production on the field, it has not been productive. Ndam hasn’t played a single match for the club. Alexander is not on the team via trade mid-season. Kamara was traded for an international spot. Roland Lamah and Darren Mattocks have not lived up to expectations. I am more hopeful as Ron, Gerard and Luke work together for 2020 and 2021 when the team plays in the beautiful West End Stadium but had we had this front office management at the end of the USL season last year, things might be a bit different.

Nick Seuberling

The one unforgivable mistake this club made wasn’t this season. It actually occurred in May 2018 when they foolishly gave Alan Koch the keys to the MLS car. The warning signs were there back in 2017 when his side was absolutely awful in USL play but no one seemed to care because of the deep U.S. Open Cup run. Then once again in 2018 the warning signs were ignored when Koch had the best roster money could buy in USL and still couldn’t manage to win a playoff game. The moment that decision occurred was the moment 2019 became a failure.

Chris Asbrock

I’m along the same lines as everyone so far…not having a staff in place that knew how to navigate the MLS waters…having JB and Koch make soccer decisions derailed this club this season and possibly next season due to the amount of money spent. Having a GM in place before the end of last season would have given FCC a better position in terms of acquiring players via the expansion draft, trades, etc. From the get-go, dating back to last season this build-up was a complete and undeniable disaster.

Bill Wolf

For me, the biggest blunder that FCC made this season was that it didn’t manage the relationship it had with its fans. Early on, the club was talking about the financials of the stadium and how the club would be handicapped in its first two seasons without the stadium finances to support the roster build. However, when the day of the announcement came and Cincinnati joined MLS, the tone changed to “we’re going for it.” This set unrealistic expectations with the fans. It’s not as exciting but making the team and fans understand that we were focused on a slow sustainable build based on the academy and homegrown players with a gradual build-up of designated players would have been a better message. With the results on the pitch being poor, the club needed to turn things around and focus on making the fans feel more connected to the team. MLS creates barriers that challenge that but without a personal connection to the players, the only thing drawing fans into the stands is performance. Attendance numbers are holding for now, but the club didn’t sell out Columbus and by the 80th minute of most games, the stands are vacant. Season tickets are not renewing as expected. The club is in a win or die scenario because the fans aren’t connected to this team. FCC has held some fan events but huge numbers of people and tables with lines of people getting autographs aren’t forming a connection. At away games, there are fans who travel. How often does the team come over and acknowledge them? In St. Louis, the opposing team spent more time with our fans and the fans were at field level. Columbus gathers by their supporters every game and thanks them for being there. Cincinnati players scatter around Nippert, do a circle and give a golf clap to fans. Understandably they’ve lost the game and are dealing with that, but it’s about the level of connection being made. The supporter groups are there. Give them more than an individual passing clap on the way to the locker room. There are of course exceptions. I’ve seen Emmanuel Ledesma walk straight to the “wall” after a game and start interacting with fans one on one. Fans love Ledesma and feel connected to him. I know this isn’t easy to accomplish with the MLS CBA in place, but it’s time for the club to spend some money getting players out in front of fans on a more personal level. TV, radio, podcast interviews. Small venues like fundraisers. Let some players give away their jersey after a game. Get them out to the “wall” ASAP. Anything that can be done to create one on one interactions with fans.

The post Roundtable: The one unforgivable FC Cincinnati mistake this season appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.