Highlights from this week’s show.

The post Episode 402 – A New #10 appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

“As Lucho departs, we want to express our gratitude,” said Chris Albright, FC Cincinnati General Manager in a statement. “Lucho has been a tremendous player for this club. From helping secure the first playoff appearance in team history, to an MVP season leading to the Supporters’ Shield, he has played a huge role in the story and success of FC Cincinnati. We wish him the best of luck in his next chapter.”

It was a saga that lasted the entire offseason. Boca Juniors, Corinthians, San Jose, and even Chicago were suitors; Estudiantes weren’t able to agree on personal terms. A deal would finally materialize with the Texan club, made possible by MLS’ new “cash for players” trade market, which allows a club to sign two in-league players per season for a flat fee.

Dallas are in the midst of a rebuild under Eric Quill, their newly-hired manager from New Mexico United. Most of their starters have been dealt. They traded for Lalas Abubakar, Anderson Julio, Shaq Moore, and Léo Chú. From abroad, they added Ramiro from Cruzeiro and Osaze Urhoghide from Amiens to significantly bolster their defense. Lucho is their biggest acquisition; he could form a partnership with club-record signing Petar Musa.

Lucho is the greatest player in the history of FC Cincinnati. He spent four seasons here—all as the captain—accumulating 54 goals and 53 assists in 151 appearances. He is the all-time leader in scoring and assisting in club history. He won the 2023 Landon Donovan MLS MVP, leading the club to the Supporters’ Shield; that season, he’d score 21 goals and 14 assists in 44 matches.

His first season was in 2021, during the Nijkamp era with Jaap Stam was his head coach.  Some of his teammates included Geoff Cameron, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Haris Medunjanin, and Brenner.  He ended that season with 7 goals and 8 assists in 31 appearances.

He was the star in the club’s quick turnaround under the leadership of Albright and Noonan. In the 2022 season, he had 11 goals and 13 assists in 34 matches. He would lead the club to its first MLS playoff berth.

In 2023, he led FC Cincinnati to its best-ever season. They would win their first Supporters’ Shield, a trophy awarded to the club that finishes in first place during the regular season. He would also lead them to the Eastern Conference Final. He finished that season with 35 G/A in 44 matches and the Landon Donovan MVP award.

In 2024, he maintained this form with 34 G/A in 41 matches. He would lead FC Cincinnati to a third place finish in the Eastern Conference despite being hampered by injuries in the backline. But it would end up being a disappointing season.

After the Round One Best-of-Three loss to NYCFC that ended FCC’s 2024 season, he had this to say immediately after the match: “We played a game today that I may remember as my last at the club. I played with my absolute 100% and more. I hope that’s how I’m remembered. This is a club I gave my life for, I gave everything for.”

Lucho revealing that it was his last year in Orange and Blue had fans completely shocked. His statements came just months removed from pledging his loyalty to the city in his MVP speech, the front page ad he took out in the Enquirer, and his celebration after the game-winner in the 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Union.

He expressed frustration with the front office’s inability to retain Álvaro Barreal, Junior Moreno, and Santi Arias—all among his closest teammates. This was repeated in a statement sent to Laurel Pfahler that publicly exposed a rift with GM Chris Albright. But it would’ve been difficult for those players to all be maintained.

That is not to mention on-field hindrances. He battled an ankle injury over the course of the season that sidelined him in the summer; the extent of this injury isn’t known. He dealt with a revolving door of strikers and wasn’t really able to play with a DP in that position.

All of that combined with rumored personal issues that would’ve made a return to Argentina necessary. These issues have not been confirmed, but they could add context to why he departed so suddenly—and why he would blame Albright for issues that couldn’t have been entirely his fault.

Lucho’s departure allows a new era to begin for FC Cincinnati; they reach roster compliance and are set to sign Evander as his replacement. Despite obvious feelings of betrayal from the fanbase, his time at the club will be remembered fondly.

The post FC Cincinnati trades Lucho Acosta to FC Dallas appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

The post Episode 401 – FC Cincinnati rolls Philly in a preseason victory without Lucho appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Preseason in every sport is notorious for sending fans into over-reaction mode. Whether our teams are winning or losing, we want real data from preseason performances that just doesn’t exist. FC Cincinnati handled the Union pretty easily in the end, winning  4-1 after 120 minutes of play. However, I would preach caution when reading anything into the results of the match. Instead, here are some tactical observations  that just might turn out to be true as we head into the season…maybe.

*Note: I’m writing this assuming that Lucho Acosta will not be on the roster for the 2025 season.

Kévin Denkey will get off to a slow start in 2025.

There is a truckload of caveats that needs to be dumped all over this take:

• Denkey hasn’t had much of a chance to play with important players like Yuya Kubo or Luca Orellano  due to their late arrival to camp.
• Denkey is a super-star designated player, and it wouldn’t be odd if he was just trying to get his fitness up while not getting hurt during the preseason.

Denkey’s strength and tenacity will probably allow him to get better as games progress and defenses wear down, yet we only saw him for around 30 minutes on Friday.

All of that said, I fully expect  Kévin Denkey to get off to a slow start this season, and not just because he is a young guy trying to get settled on a new team in a new country. FC Cincinnati seemed to have a very difficult time progressing the ball through the center of the pitch in this preseason match, and I think that will continue as the team tries to figure out life post-Lucho Acosta.

Acosta led the team in both progressive pass receptions (237) and progressive passes (250). That means if he wasn’t the one passing the ball forward and starting the attack, he was typically the one receiving the pass. On Friday, that presence was sorely missed. The team relied heavily on playing short passes to the wing backs and asking them to find an entry pass into the midfield or the forward line. When that wasn’t available, the team seemed to dump a ball in Kévin Denkey’s direction and ask him to battle a center back to hold the ball up while the team transitioned forward. All of this meant that Denkey spent a lot of time checking back into midfield to get onto 50/50 balls or to be an option for an under-pressure wingback. It is going to be tough for him to take on that much of the ball progression load and still find opportunities to put the ball into the back of the net.

Even if Evander or another Acosta replacement comes in soon, it will take some time for FC Cincinnati to sort out how they are going to get the ball to Kévin Denkey in dangerous forward positions. I expect him to start slow but build into the season as they do just that.

FC Cincinnati’s press will look the same, but be better, in 2025

I was really interested to see how FC Cincinnati would set up to press the opposition without Lucho Acosta on the pitch this season. Under Pat Noonan, the Orange and Blue has mostly pressed out of a 3-4-2-1 formation with Acosta both triggering and leading the press. That means that he was both indicating when the team should press and when it should drop off, often the furthest player forward when the opposition’s back line had the ball. Consequently, whoever was playing center forward spent a lot of time dropping in as an attacking midfielder in defense.

Without Lucho Acosta on the pitch on Friday, FCC still pressed out of the 3-4-2-1 formation. However, with the starters on the pitch, Kévin Denkey led the press with Luca Orellano and Pavel Bucha dropping in as midfielders. Denkey is not only much more energetic as the spearhead of the press than Acosta, but he will also be more adept at pulling defenders out of position or creating space in the box in transition when the press wins the ball back. Furthermore, new left wingback Lukas Engel is going to be far better defensively than Yamil Asad, Orellano, or any of the cast of characters that filled in at that spot last season.

FC Cincinnati’s first goal came directly off the press, and I expect that to be a feature for the team in 2025.

Yesterday's goals, a thread :

Pavel taking it himself. pic.twitter.com/T4yrtbtVgL

— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) February 8, 2025

FC Cincinnati will defend more and look to score in transition in 2025

Last season we would often see FC Cincinnati build patiently from back to front before looking to get Lucho Acosta on the ball in the final third of the field. The team relied on set possession and pinning teams back to generate chances. On Friday, FCC certainly possessed the ball at times,but mostly with their defenders. Once the team made the decision to go forward, they looked to get there quickly.

I don’t think that FCC is going  to dump and chase or turn into the kind of direct team that we’ve seen out of the Red Bulls, St. Louis, or even the Philadelphia Union. However, it sure looked to me like the tactical emphasis in possession during this preseason match was to pass the ball side to side in the back and midfield only as a means to move the ball forward as quickly as possible. Often, the team would lose the ball or find a shot prior to both wingbacks even being able to join the attack.

That sort of frenetic pace will mean the team might spend more time defending, but when they win the ball, they will be more decisive in turning defense into attack.

So, that’s what I saw on Friday. I think these tactics just might give us a glimpse at how FCC will play throughout the coming season…maybe.

The post What I Think We Can Learn from a Preseason Match…Maybe appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

As the team heads to Clearwater, Florida to continue preseason training and test out the team chemistry in four friendlies, there are still a few empty seats on the plane. While Luca Orellano arrived on Friday, a few key players are still holding out.

How much will those absences impact how this team prepares for their match this Friday against C.F. Montreal? More importantly, how will those absences impact FCC’s overall style of play and who will be serving the ball into the sixteen-million-dollar man, Kevin Denkey.

Join us at Grainworks Brewing Company in West Chester on Saturday February 1st for their 4th Annual Scarf Release Party. This Family-Friendly event will feature appearances by Gary the Winged Lion, a former FC Cincinnati player, the FCC Street team, Live Music from BOFUS, a Silent Auction, raffle and more! Food from Mama Bears Mac and Root Beer on tap!

The event starts at 4pm with the CST Live Show beginning at 5:30pm. One of our favorite events of the year. Make sure to be there on February 1st!

The post CST Episode 398: FC Cincinnati Flies to Florida for Pre-Season Friendlies appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Luciano Acosta and Luca Orellano were no-shows during attendance in the previous week, and neither were present for morning activities on Friday. Acosta was expected to attend at the start of preseason, but his state with the team has been in limbo since the close of the 2024 season. At the time of reporting, his direction and availability are still unknown, with various media sources reporting possible suitors for a transfer.

While Orellano transferred to FC Cincinnati permanently in the offseason, reports indicated that there were some disputes with his contract. However, as of Friday afternoon,  Orellano was scheduled to return that day to Mercy Health Training Center to undergo his medicals.

Surprisingly, a third member of the team also failed to report, as Yuya Kubo was also missing from Friday practices. Kubo opted to re-sign with the team in the 2024 offseason and is under contract through the 2025 season with a team option in 2026. His status with the team and reasons for missing Friday’s sessions are unclear.

Head coach Pat Noonan addressed the absences in the media scrum afterwards. “Luca, Lucho, and Yuya—they didn’t report and they’re meant to be here. It’s disappointing, certainly for us for what we expected to get us started and starting off on the right foot. There’s been discussions, but we’ll handle those more internally and move forward. But it’s disappointing that they’re not here.”

Noonan also addressed how this could produce a setback to the MLS season and CONCACAF Champions Cup play. “It’s a setback because of how we have to start our season for the combination of league play and the Champions Cup. We’ve experienced what that looks like last year, and every day that you’re out on the field training, every day in our meeting spaces going through video, which has been pretty heavy this week—they’re missing out in those meetings. They’ve been here, so some of it might be repetitive, but there’s new ideas, new thoughts. Every day they’re not here is a lost day.”

In addition, defender Miles Robinson was not in attendance, as he has been training with the USMNT for Saturday’s match against Venezuela. Defenders Matt Miazga and Nick Hagglund are still in rehabilitation, but an inflatable pool was being prepared on the MHTC grounds for Hagglund’s participation in a polar plunge.

Goalkeeper Alec Kann is expected to rejoin the team practices in Florida.

Noonan did clarify that midfielder Yamil Asad would not return to FC Cincinnati at the start of 2025, stating, “At this point, Yamil won’t be coming back.”

Newcomers Kevin Denkey and Brian Anunga both joined their new teammates in practice, with Noonan speaking confidently about their addition.

“You know, with [Denkey], just his presence in front of goal, how clean he is with his touches, he’s very purposeful to finish plays off and is consistently hitting the goal. That’s what’s made him a very strong goal scorer. But then you just see some of the other aspects of his game, how engaged he is.

The post FC Cincinnati begin 2025 preseason activities with notable absences appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

Coach Gough and Justin Hoyte recap FC Cincinnati’s 2024 season. Was it a roaring success or a terrible disappointment?

The guys also give out their season awards, talk about broader trends on the team, and much more!

Follow Coach

On Twitter @FCCincyTacTalk

On Threads @FCCincyTacTalk

On Instagram @FCCincyTacTalk

Support Talking Tactics and CST!

Want to help the Talking Tactics Podcast grow? Leave a rating and a review! Want to help support Cincinnati Soccer Talk? Become a supporter today!

Subscribe to Cincinnati Soccer Talk

Don’t forget you can now download and subscribe to Cincinnati Soccer Talk on iTunes today! The podcast can also be found on Stitcher Smart Radio now. We’re also available in the Google Play Store and NOW ON SPOTIFY!

As always we’d love your feedback about our podcast! You can email the show at feedback@cincinnatisoccertalk.com. We’d love for you to join us on our Facebook page as well! Like us at Facebook.com/CincinnatiSoccerTalk.

The show’s RSS feed is https://fcctactalk.libsyn.com/rss

The post Recapping 2024: Player Awards, Season Superlatives, and More appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

The match opened with FCC on the front foot. A handful of chances from Yamil Asad and DeAndre Yedlin didn’t materialize into goals for the home faithful. It became apparent after the third or fourth goal kick that goalkeeper Matt Freese and NYCFC were perfectly content will draining the clock and absorbing pressure.

Luca Orellano was keen on providing that pressure. In the 27th minute, Chidozie Awaziem was able to hold possession in the attacking third. Awaziem successfully pushed the ball to Luciano Acosta and Acosta found Orellano in space. Orellano uncorked a left-footed shot at the top near corner but just missed. Moments later Orellano found himself alone in the 18-yard box. A deflected Acosta pass squeaked its way to Orellano, and he ripped a shot at the frame, but a miraculous Freese diving save prevented the goal. Orellano wasn’t done, however. In the dying moments of the first half, Orellano picked up a pass at midfield and was off to the races. Dipping and spinning around three NYCFC defenders in a remarkable run, Orellano released a shot, but Thiago Martins was able to narrowly block it.

Compared to the first half, the second half was much tamer in the goal-scoring opportunities. But there was a considerable increase in the physicality of the match. A pair of bone-crunching tackles by NYCFC muddied up the affair. The stagnation perpetuated the nil-nil scoreline.

The first round of MLS playoffs requires matches to bypass extra time and head straight into penalties. FCC went first and the net the keepers would be defending was in front of the Bailey. After three rounds of PKs, FCC would be the first to blink. Pavel Bucha’s attempt was low and to his right but Freese was able to read the shot all the way. Fast forward to the fifth round and Roman Celentano came up big with a diving save on Martins’ attempt. In sudden death, both clubs failed to convert on several attempts, but NYCFC had the breakthrough. Mitja Ilenic struck the ball to his right and Celentano guessed wrong.

With the 0-0 (6-5 pk) victory, NYCFC moves on to the second round of the MLS Playoffs. FCC is eliminated and their 2024 campaign ends. Pat Noonan offered his thoughts on the season in the post-match press conference.

“A strong group, some good characters,” Noonan continued. “I told them they were fun to work with. Sometimes, really good teams and good people don’t always get rewarded with what you think you might deserve, and we came up short. But with how this season played out and the amount that was thrown at them at different times, everybody just kind of put their head down and worked, and that’s what I appreciate from them. It was a really strong group, and you could feel it because of the silence and knowing that this is probably the last moment we’ll all be together again. So, they were a really professional group the entire year, despite the ups and the downs in the form and injuries and things off the field. That could have looked a lot different than us being in the position we were in today, based on what was thrown at them. They were fantastic.”

SHOOTOUT SUMMARY (KICK TAKEN)

CIN: Luciano Acosta (1) – Scored

Yamil Asad (3) – Scored
Sergio Santos (5) – Scored
Pavel Bucha (7) – Saved
Kevin Kelsy (9) – Scored
Miles Robinson (11) – Scored
Gerardo Valenzuela (13) – Saved
Chidozie Awaziem (15) – Missed
Teenage Hadebe (17) – Saved

NYC: Santiago Rodríguez (2) – Scored
Monsef Bakrar (4) – Scored
Keaton Parks (6) – Scored
James Sands (8) – Scored
Thiago Martins (10) – Saved
Justin Haak (12) – Scored
Kevin O’Toole (14) – Saved
Andrés Perea (16) – Missed

Mitja Ilenic (18) – Scored

LINEUPS

CIN: Roman Celentano, Yamil Asad, Teenage Hadebe, Miles Robinson, Chidozie Awaziem, DeAndre Yedlin (Alvas Powell 84’), Pavel Bucha, Obinna Nwobodo (Gerardo Valenzuela 90’), Luciano Acosta (C), Luca Orellano (Kevin Kelsy 84’), Yuya Kubo (Sergio Santos 71’)

Substitutes not used: Evan Louro, Niko Gioacchini, Corey Baird, Bret Halsey, Sergio Santos, Ian Murphy

NYC: Matt Freese, Thiago Martins (C), Kevin O’Toole, Mitja Ilenic, Justin Haak, James Sands, Maxi Moralez, Keaton Parks, Santiago Rodríguez, Alonso Martínez (Monsef Bakrar 85’), Hannes Wolf (Andrés Perea 75’)

Substitutes not used: Luis Barraza, Birk Risa, Jovan Mijatović,, Julián Fernández, Strahinja Tanasijević, Christian McFarlane, Agustin Ojeda

The post FCC disappoints as NYCFC knocks club out of 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

Coach Gough and Justin Hoyte break down FC Cincinnati’s 3-1 loss to New York City Football Club in the 2nd game of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. What changed between games 1 and 2 to make the match seem so much more depressing? How much did playing on a baseball field affect the team?

The guys also talk about veteran leadership, how this team should go into the final game of the series, and much more!

Follow Coach

On Twitter @FCCincyTacTalk

On Threads @FCCincyTacTalk

On Instagram @FCCincyTacTalk

Support Talking Tactics and CST!

Want to help the Talking Tactics Podcast grow? Leave a rating and a review! Want to help support Cincinnati Soccer Talk? Become a supporter today!

Subscribe to Cincinnati Soccer Talk

Don’t forget you can now download and subscribe to Cincinnati Soccer Talk on iTunes today! The podcast can also be found on Stitcher Smart Radio now. We’re also available in the Google Play Store and NOW ON SPOTIFY!

As always we’d love your feedback about our podcast! You can email the show at feedback@cincinnatisoccertalk.com. We’d love for you to join us on our Facebook page as well! Like us at Facebook.com/CincinnatiSoccerTalk.

The show’s RSS feed is https://fcctactalk.libsyn.com/rss

The post FC Cincinnati Strike Out in New York appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Highlights from this week’s show.

Coach Gough and Justin Hoyte break down FC Cincinnati’s 1-0 win over New York City Football Club. Was it a good thing that FCC generated 22 shots? Or a bad thing that so many of them were not on target? Was their defense stellar on the night or was NYC just impotent?

The guys also talk about Teenage Hadebe’s performance, whether Obinna Nwobodo has found his 2023 form, and much more!

Follow Coach

On Twitter @FCCincyTacTalk

On Threads @FCCincyTacTalk

On Instagram @FCCincyTacTalk

Support Talking Tactics and CST!

Want to help the Talking Tactics Podcast grow? Leave a rating and a review! Want to help support Cincinnati Soccer Talk? Become a supporter today!

Subscribe to Cincinnati Soccer Talk

Don’t forget you can now download and subscribe to Cincinnati Soccer Talk on iTunes today! The podcast can also be found on Stitcher Smart Radio now. We’re also available in the Google Play Store and NOW ON SPOTIFY!

As always we’d love your feedback about our podcast! You can email the show at feedback@cincinnatisoccertalk.com. We’d love for you to join us on our Facebook page as well! Like us at Facebook.com/CincinnatiSoccerTalk.

The show’s RSS feed is https://fcctactalk.libsyn.com/rss

The post FC Cincinnati Unleash 22 Shots in Win Over NYCFC appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.