It is expected that pro-rel would not begin until the inaugural season of USL D1. The system will only include its three professional leagues, and not the semi-professional USL League Two that only runs in the summer.

It remains to be seen what exactly the format would be. The Pro League Standards (PLS) that leagues are required to follow will be hard to balance with a system that includes so many clubs moving back and forth in just one offseason. It is likely that USL implements a slightly altered pro-rel system, such as giving franchises the ability to choose if they want to be promoted, etc.

Regardless, this is a huge change on the battlefront of what fans call “the soccer warz.” This tongue-in-cheek term is used to describe the competition between the many leagues in American soccer. There hasn’t been a D1 competitor for MLS since NASL launched in 2011; it folded in 2017, but not without a lawsuit that reached a verdict just a month ago. As for pro-rel, this is the first time that an American professional league has ever actually implemented it. NISA tried, and failed, early this decade.

What does this mean for the local soccer scene?

Pros

USL has millions of fans that attend its matches each season, and the number will only continue to grow. A decent swath of this is concentrated in the tri-state area, with professional clubs like Louisville City, Indy Eleven, Lexington SC, and the newly added USL1 club Fort Wayne FC.

Serious money is being invested into these clubs; all of them have or plan to contruct soccer-specific stadiums to, built competitive rosters, and brought in decent attendance numbers. In theory, pro-rel will give teams more of an incentive to keep spending competitively. If they don’t, it will be reflected in the table.

Aside from the authentic feeling that lower-league soccer has, there was very little that differentiated USL from MLS. From a sporting standpoint, pro-rel makes it a worthy competitor. If local fans become aware of how this format works, it may make USL more entertaining for them.

This could turn USL from little more than a feeder league for MLS with a niche following, to a competitor that draws in larger numbers—which could make the local soccer scene even more bustling.

Cons

There is also a flipside to USL becoming a worthy competitor—it could lose credibility for owners. The league relies on team owners to survive, and these stakeholders might now have to choose between joining MLS or folding if they aren’t rich enough. But why?

In terms of business, promotion and relegation does not suit how American sports work. Owners expect their investment to be returned with a profit. If pro-rel is implemented, they run the risk of losing money if they are relegated; meanwhile, a club that hopes to be promoted doesn’t feel worth the risk of high investment. MLS is a closed league because its owners want to protect their interests.

If USL becomes a worthy competitor, it could still be a con. It would be entirely possible that MLS begins to poach already-existing USL markets, possibly going after two key franchises that happen to be local: Louisville and Indy. There is already speculation that Indy could join as an expansion side, which would surely kill Indy Eleven. There was slight chatter that Louisville could be “promoted” to MLS, but it died down.

MLS choosing to directly combat the USL would be much worse for the latter. The former has already proven itself an attractive business model. It is a league with ever-growing infrastructure, many more fans, and glitz and glamour. For these reasons, USL clubs wouldn’t lose anything by moving to MLS.

In the words of Geoff Tebbetts, the soccer warz have gone nuclear.

The post USL implements pro-rel, but what does this mean locally? appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

The Case for Worry

If you want to be worried about this edition of the Orange and Blue, there are signs that you should be. Even accounting for new players needing time to gel and a congested fixture list, there are a few things that Pat Noonan and the coaching staff might not be able to fix without the addition of some new players.

First, there is no replacement for Pavel Bucha on this roster. Bucha has been a revelation so far this year, stepping up his game by contributing more on the score sheet and in ball progression. He brings stability to the midfield both in and out of possession. In the lone match of the season to date where he didn’t start—the hefty defeat in Philadelphia—the team looked bereft of ideas on how to progress the ball or retain possession. Then, they seemed to collapse after Pat Noonan subbed him off in the second leg against Tigres, turning a 1-0 lead into a 3-1 deficit within 14 minutes of his departure.

In the Union match, Noonan elected to replace Bucha in the lineup with Tah Brian Anunga. In this case, Anunga struggled mightily to add anything in ball progression or retention, putting the team under more pressure defensively and proving that starting him and Obinna Nwobodo together will make ball progression more difficult. Against Tigres, Yuya Kubo subbed on for Bucha to add mobility and energy to a tiring midfield. However, Kubo’s lack of discipline defensively broke what had been a very structured defensive unit, showing that a lineup that includes him and Nwobodo as the defensive midfield block will make defending more difficult.

Second, the wide defender depth on this team is nonexistent. There are only three actual wide defenders on this roster: Lukas Engel, DeAndre Yedlin, and Alvas Powell. Outside of those players Noonan has relied on offensive pieces like Corey Baird, Luca Orellano, or Kubo to deputize. While none of these players is injured (yet), some of them have had their struggles.

Engel has had flashes of looking like the two-way wingback FCC has been missing. However, he was really poor in both matches that FCC lost. Against the Union, Engel completed just 67% of his passes and gave away possession on 33% of his touches. Against Tigres he looked tired, getting beaten time and again up the wing by Juan Brunetta and Javier Aquino. Yedlin and Powell have both had their struggles as well. However, with no depth in the wide areas of defense, Noonan can’t rotate players out of matches when necessary.

Why I’m Not Worried

The two cases for worry above are legitimate. I don’t think anyone wondering if these issues will hinder FC Cincinnati’s chances at earning silverware is overreacting. I could argue that both played a significant role in FCC having one less trophy to compete for by being eliminated from the CCC. However, by the end of the season, I don’t think either will be a major cause for concern.

I outlined how neither Anunga nor Kubo looked like a capable replacement for Bucha. This is not because neither are capable of starting in the midfield. Rather, the structure around them will have to change for them to be successful playing alongside Nwobodo. As the season progresses and the team is given more time to gel, I think that each of these players can replace Bucha in the lineup for certain kinds of matches. If Anunga starts next to Nwobodo, FCC will have to be willing to skip the midfield in ball progression and play directly into the front line. Denkey can hold the ball up as the team transitions, and in Kubo, Orellano, and Baird the team has enough speed to play into the channels and let them chase the game a bit. If Kubo starts next to Nwobodo, then the midfield won’t be able to sit in a structured block and defend for long periods of time. In this case, FCC has to be willing to get on the front foot, press aggressively, and defend more in transition. These kinds of tactical tweaks take time to develop. By the end of the season, FCC will be able to deploy either if Bucha is unable to start or play 90 minutes.

Finally, without adding a wide defender to the roster the depth in that position won’t get better. However, I think when Matt Miazga returns to the lineup this might be a moot point. With Miazga anchoring the back line, Pat Noonan will have the flexibility to play Miles Robinson on the left or right. Robinson is a fantastic 1v1 defender and an accomplished passer. Hiding the defensive flaws of an emergency wingback deputy like Kubo is much easier with a guy like Robinson playing behind him. Asking Engel or Yedlin to take a step back in possession when they seem to be struggling is much easier with a guy like Robinson helping to keep the ball moving along the back line. Add that to the fact that Miazga might be the best defender and the best ball-playing center back on the roster, and his reintroduction to the lineup could work wonders for easing our fears that FCC’s wide defenders can’t get the job done.

Take a Breath, It’s a Long Season

It feels like we have a lot of data on the 2025 version of FC Cincinnati because they’ve played seven competitive matches. However, one of those matches was played after Evander had only been on the roster for a couple of days, four of them were played without a key piece in Luca Orellano, and all of them were played over just 21 days—with the team not having much time to train between recovery sessions and match days.

Matt Miazga coming back into the fold and the team having more time to play meaningful minutes in different scenarios are two major things that will make FC Cincinnati better this season. Let’s not forget that they can still add up to three U-22 players, either in the primary transfer window (ending April 23rd) or in the secondary window (beginning July 24th).

I, for one, am not worried about this FC Cincinnati team … or maybe I am … just a little.

The post Why I am (and definitely am not) worried about this FC Cincinnati team appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Last season, the MLS Awards’ ballot felt like a refreshingly vibrant take on the season. The MVP vote felt clear as day, and a lot of the other pieces fell in place. There were no real controversies, and all of the winners felt pretty justified. As far off as I was with a few picks, I was a novice at it—the judgment delivered from the many experts out there still made sense.

However, we still saw that Miami-sized meteor landing in the distance. The ripples from that seismic signing and all of those to follow would be felt in the upcoming months. Now the readings from the Richter scale are all over the place.

Let’s face it—everyone and their second aunt, once removed, will be voting for Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and anyone wearing salmon pink from Tata Martino’s Inter Miami CF squad. If you vote for anyone else, you’ll be labeled a hater.

I’ll keep my own explanation short—when you have a team that deep and overloaded with that much talent, there are no MVPs, even with a Ballon d’Or winner in its roster. Honestly, Miami would have won the Shield missing either Messi or Suarez. Even if both were unavailable for much of the season, Miami still would have coasted to a home playoff spot.

Therefore, my ballot should be considered a list of runner-up candidates. There’s a good chance each of these picks will be a swinging strikeout, which is why we’ve picked who would likely win, who won’t win, and who deserved to be on the ballot.

(Disclaimer: some of these have already been announced, and so far they haven’t been wrong. Power to the people!)

Referee of the Year: Drew Fischer

Assistant Referee of the Year: Kyle Atkins

Both of these picks have been announced already, and both of my picks pretty much went the same way. Fischer was my pick even before the finalists were announced. Atkins…well, it was because you came first alphabetically.

A side note—something really does need to be said about Guido Gonzalez Jr. being named a finalist. I’m not going to toss his name in the mud—it’s been seven years since FC Cincinnati fans first knew of GG Jr’s name. It should be water under the bridge by now. Let’s hope it means he’s gotten better and that it’s not an anomaly.

MVP: Juan Hernandez, Columbus Crew

I already feel this is a failed pick after the fact. The Red Bulls proved that this (and future picks) could be dubious.

People are going to point out that Cucho shouldn’t get consideration for this award when the combined offensive statistics are presented. The Colombian striker had less goals than three of the other four finalists (Messi, Suarez, Christian Benteke) and less assists than the other (Evander). His combined statistics are on par or less than three players who were not even considered for the final round (Lucho Acosta, Gabriel Pec, Denis Bouanga). Of the real finalists, the Crew’s striker felt great in all statistics, while the other finalists had one unnaturally solid stat.

So why pick Cucho if his stats are merely parallel to others deserving of the award? Personally, it comes to the makeup of the team when your star is left off the roster. I honestly believe that Columbus would not be where it is today had it not been for Cucho’s numbers. Some could argue that Diego Rossi, Christian Ramirez, and Jacen Russell-Rowe could cover the load in Cucho’s absence, but I have a hard time believing that on paper.

Had one of the other four candidates missed a significant part of the season, it would not have affected their team’s finish. It’s that value to the team that made me pull the lever for Hernandez.

(Additionally, I take umbrage to voters leaving out Luciano Acosta from this list of finalists when Benteke didn’t even make the playoffs. As faint as his chances were to repeat, Lucho’s 33 combined goals and assists should count for something.)

Fashionable Pick: Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF
Honorable Mention: Luis Suarez, Inter Miami CF
Dishonorable Omission: Luciano Acosta, FC Cincinnati

Goalkeeper of the Year: Kristjian Kahlina, Charlotte FC

Frankly, it felt like there was a severe lack of goalkeeping depth this season. 

No, it didn’t feel like it—it actually was one of the highest-scoring seasons in MLS history. Teams scored a total of 1,552 goals over the 2024 regular season. That 3.15 goals-per-game average is fourth highest over the 29 MLS seasons. Only 2018 saw a higher average in the past 20 years.

Amid all of this unprecedented scoring, Kahlina was the only keeper who I felt changed the game by just being on the starting lineup. Not only were his 12 clean sheets second to only Seattle’s Stefan Frei, but he had the highest save percentage (76 percent) amongst all 29 “starting” goalkeepers. His 121 saves were third to only Austin FC’s Brad Stuver and the Galaxy’s John McCarthy. 

Kahlina’s value skyrockets when you see how many goals he prevented this season. According to FOTMOB, Kahlina prevented 12.7 goals this season. Stuver was a distant second with 7.5 goals. (In comparison, Djordje Petrovic prevented 13.3 in his 2022 award-winning season.)

More importantly, Kahlina appeared in every minute of the Charlotte FC regular season. He put up all these numbers while staying fit and reliable. Hard to argue against someone pulling their weight that way.

Fashionable Pick: Patrick Schulte, Columbus Crew
Honorable Mention: Hugo Lloris, LAFC
Dishonorable Omission: Matt Freese, NYCFC

Defender of the Year: Jackson Ragen, Seattle Sounders

Again, this award should go to a member of the team that gives up the least number of goals, right? That makes the most amount of sense if you want to praise a defender for their defense. 

Seattle may not have had the most potent offense, but their defenders kept them within strike every match and at least an outside contender. The Sounders were undefeated over their final seven matches, and five of them were clean sheets.

The question then becomes a bit harder to answer—if you love all of your children, which of your children do you love the most?

His fellow center back Yeimar gets a lot of the press, but Regan has been involved in 600 more passes than his crewmate and has improved his long game immensely. While Yeimar might be the rock of the backline, Regan’s solid improvement in passing and attacking could give him a chance with the national team. Seriously.

(Another side note: does Alba count as a ‘defender’? Sure, he has great numbers as an attacking left back, but if his association with Miami gets him first-place votes over pure defenders such as Adilson Malanda from Charlotte, I’ll start to question the selection process.)

Fashionable Pick: Jordi Alba, Inter Miami CF
Honorable Mention: Steven Moreira, Columbus Crew
Dishonorable Omission: Adilson Malanda, Charlotte FC

Comeback Player of the Year: Robin Lod, Minnesota United FC

It doesn’t feel like there were many stories this season where someone who lost a season’s worth of work returned to the level they left at. For many recovering from a debilitating season-ending injury, merely returning to the pitch is a victory in itself. 

Lod has definitely been the exception for Minnesota, returning to form after a meniscus tear which shelved him ten matches into the 2023 season. He has logged almost 2,400 minutes this season over 32 matches, close to his season-high back in 2022.

The Loons could have certainly capitulated after the departures of head coach Adrien Heath and playmaker Emanuel Reynoso. They could have also surrendered after a midseason six-match losing streak. However, Lod’s seven goals and 15 assists, a personal best in the latter category, have been key in Minnesota’s return to the playoffs. Minnesota has an 8-3-2 record whenever Lod has contributed to scoring.

Fashionable Pick: Lewis Morgan, New York Red Bulls
Honorable Mention: Maxi Morales, NYCFC
Dishonorable Omission: Ian Fray, Inter Miami CF

Young Player of the Year: Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake

When Luna did not make it on the U.S. Men’s Olympic Team this year, many felt it was a wasted opportunity. The 21-year-old Californian midfielder has shown in his three seasons with Real Salt Lake that he can control the pitch.

Luna has already doubled his pitch time over the past season, playing 2,221 minutes over 31 matches. His eight goals and 12 assists make him the most productive MLS player under 22 this season. His first All-Star Game appearance could be one of many more if he doesn’t make a quick exit overseas.

Those numbers and accolades made my decision for me, but I still wonder why he wasn’t atop MLSsoccer.com’s “22 Under 22” list this season. Of course, underestimation should breed new challenges. 

Fashionable pick: Diego Gomez, Inter Miami CF
Honorable Mention: Cristian Olivera, LAFC
Dishonorable Omission: Quinn Sullivan, Philadelphia Union

Newcomer of the Year: Gabriel Pec, Los Angeles Galaxy

Pec already won this award, but was this pick controversial?

Elder statesmen and pundits will point to the numbers produced by the 37-year-old Luis Suarez and claim that his 20 goals and nine assists at his age and with his wear should justify the award. Remember those claims of his bad knees and rumors of his impending retirement? Once again, I still point at the uber-squad that the Miami front office created and feel that Suarez wouldn’t put up his numbers elsewhere. 

Pec, on the other hand, is younger at 23 and full of deeper potential. His 30 contributions (16 goals, 14 assists) have him tied for sixth in the MLS, and his performances during Riqui Puig’s absences in June drove the Galaxy to second in the Western Conference. Pec also took the most shots on target (57), ranked third in total shots (122), and finished eighth in overall xG (14.4).

Yes, these numbers are similar to Suarez’s, but without Pec, I don’t see the Galaxy getting back into the conversation as the West’s best.

Fashionable pick: Luis Suarez, Inter Miami CF
Honorable Mention: Luca Orellano, FC Cincinnati
Dishonorable Omission: Hugo Lloris, LAFC

Coach of the Year: Wilfred Nancy, Columbus Crew

Again, I have no issues with giving the award to Tata Martino if the collective will of the punditry and fandom demand it. After all, the team still consistently won without Messi and Suarez at times, so something should be clicking between the talent and the coaching staff.

However, I still feel that Nancy did more with his squad than Tata. Over the past 12 months, Nancy has led the Crew to an MLS Cup, a Leagues Cup, and a CCC finals appearance. Despite all of these tournaments, the Crew still managed to finish second overall in the Supporters’ Shield race.

Yes, this is a regular-season award, but at the end of the year, Nancy is the one with rumors about coaching vacancies abroad. That is the mark of success that other teams strive for.

Fashionable pick: Tata Martino, Inter Miami CF
Honorable Mention: Chris Armas, Colorado Rapids
Dishonorable Omission: Greg Vanney, Los Angeles Galaxy

Best XI (3-3-4):

Goalkeeper:
Kristjian Kahlina (CLT)

Defenders:
Jackson Ragen (SEA)
Adilson Malanda (CLT)
Steven Moreira (CLB)

Midfielders:
Lucho Acosta (CIN)
Evander (POR)
Riqui Puig (LAG)

Forwards:
Lionel Messi (MIA)
Christian Benteke (DCU)
Juan Hernandez (CLB)
Denis Bouanga (LAFC)

The only controversial choice here would be the formation.

Okay, so this team will probably be difficult to play with all of the egos to massage, but that’s what all-star exhibition matches are for. I just pick the teams for their collective talent, not for their ability to actually compete for silverware.

The back line is pretty easy to decipher, as discussed in the previous award presentations. Charlotte, Seattle, and Columbus had three of the four stingiest defenses in the league. (Sorry, Houston—although Micael was on the short list!)

The midfield has no real defensive presence, but that’s some solid production from last season’s MVP, a candidate for this season’s award, and arguably the biggest soccer star in L.A.’s crowded guest list. It’s hard to justify other names in this sparse list, but Djordje Mihailovic from Colorado or Albert Rusnak from Seattle could slot in somewhere.

If it were possible to field a formation with 10 forwards, I’d even try to do that—that’s how deep the talent pool went this season. Messi, Cucho, and Bouanga were easy picks, but when it came to the final slot, I went with the Golden Boot winner, even though I still can’t justify Benteke on the MVP short list. My guess is Luis Suarez or Chicho Arango won’t lose sleep over my ballot selections.

By no means is this a comprehensive or realistic Starting XI. If so, you’d possibly see Luca Orellano playing a wing-back position or João Paulo at defensive midfield, but no one pays me to play fantasy football coach.

Do you agree with the picks? Did any FC Cincinnati players deserve recognition? How many Miami fans will claim I was bribed in Garberbucks? Let us know!

The post Wrong Answers Only: My 2024 MLS Awards Ballot appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

The newly announced rules will now allow for each team to decide between two paths. One in which a team can select to have thee Designated Players and gain unrestricted access to three U22 Roster spots. Then, one where you can elect to have two Designated Players, four U22 Roster spots and up to $2 Million in additional General Allocation Money.

What do these terms mean?

MLS has several different classifications of players that all fit under one Roster Cap. The two that we are concerned with are Designated Players and U22 Initiative Players.

A Designated Player is a player whose combined cost of the annualized Transfer Cost and Annual Salary exceeds the Max Budget Charge.

To put it in simpler terms, whenever a player’s rights are bought by another team, the two teams will engage in a Transfer Fee. These can range from minuscule single-dollar deals to hundreds of millions of dollars. For most of the world, there aren’t many restrictions, but in MLS that transfer fee counts towards a budget charge for the length of their initial contract.

So, let’s imagine FCC buys a new player, let’s call them Weston for argument’s sake, for $3 Million dollars from another team and signs that player to a three-year deal. Instead of having that whole $3 million dollar charge come crashing down in year one, FCC would break it up and pay $1 million dollars every year for three years. ($3 million fee divided by number of years of the initial deal [3 years]).

They then take that annual cost, in Weston’s case $1 Million, and add the annual salary of the player to that annual cost. Let’s say Weston’s annual salary is $1 Million, meaning Weston’s Annual Budget Charge is $2 million. If this Annual Budget Charge is greater than the Max Budget Charge, which in 2024 is $1,683,750, then they are considered a Designated Player.

A U22 Initiative Player is a player who is 22 years old or younger and has an annual salary of less than $683,750.

This is surprisingly straightforward to understand. The one oddity is that unlike a Designated Player, a U22 Player’s Transfer Fee does not count toward their annual cost. So if we imagined that our player Weston was 20 years old when FCC signed him, that $3 million transfer fee wouldn’t count towards his Annual Budget Charge and they would only count his salary towards the salary cap.

Where does FCC’s roster stand now?

Under the current roster rules, FC Cincinnati has access to three Designated Players and 1 U22 Player, and they are all currently being occupied by players.

Cincy’s three DPs are Luciano Acosta, Obinna Nwobodo, and Aaron Boupendza. They also have one U22 Player on their roster, Kevin Kelsy, and one U22 player on loan, Marco Angulo, who does not count towards their count.

What do the new rules mean for the roster?

Chris Albright will be sitting in an interesting position with these new rules. It could be assumed that because FCC has all three DP spots occupied, they are automatically stuck on a path for three DPs and three U22s. However, while the rules require teams to declare which path they are going down, it does not come into effect until August 14.

So it means that the well-known thought that Boupendza would be moved this summer, would not impact FCC’s roster flexibility.

Regardless of whether FCC removes Boupendza from the roster, however, they will gain access to 2 U22 roster spots. This automatically gives the front office immediate relief and will allow them to search for two players to add to the roster with a relatively low amount of friction. It is likely that they would not recall Marco Angulo back from his loan, which could mean we see two new players join this window.

If we were to speculate I think the three DP, three U22 path is the most likely path forward for FCC. 

The front office has indicated that they want to be splashy this summer, and with how clear the stories are about Boupendza departing, it seems quite likely that they would like to replace a DP for a DP. There haven’t been any clear links to FCC since Weston McKennie was linked to the club, but those have cooled recently, and it seems like the team is moving in a different direction.

The other thing indicating this being their most likely path forward is that MLS raised the ceiling for the amount of money you can transform into General Allocation Money from an outgoing transfer fee. Previously MLS teams could only transform $1.1 million to GAM. But the new rules raised the amount to $3 million.

With Alvaro Barreal still on the roster as a loanee, and conversations seeming to trend towards a sale to Cruzeiro in the summer, FCC could out-gain the additional GAM proposed by MLS for choosing the two DP, four U22 model.

Inevitably we will find out the direction of the club soon as the new transfer window is open for all MLS clubs

The post How do new MLS Roster Rules impact FCC? appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Since then, alleged details have emerged. such as FCC possibly making a $15 million bid to Juventus, to McKennie leaving the US Men’s National Camp and traveling to Cincinnati prior to its game against Bolivia.

This has led to a flurry of excitement from FCC fans and a deluge of negative sentiment from USMNT “commentators.”

While it is smart to ignore anonymous accounts that gain clout through regurgitation of information or being the most extreme voice of a situation, there can be moments of truth that will shape the larger narrative. And while the criticisms seem true if you are unfamiliar with the track record of FCC, they don’t hold up when you dig into who this team has become.

Weston McKennie would be giving up on his career by coming to MLS.

FC Cincinnati has been the best developmental club in MLS under Pat Noonan while simultaneously scoring the most points in that time period.

You may not have noticed FCC’s ability to develop talent over the last two years, but that is because they’ve been able to maximize the talents of pros who are rising outside of the traditional pipelines. In the last two seasons they have:

• Elevated Lucho Acosta from a promising #10 with flashes of brilliance to MVP.
• Reignited Brandon Vazquez’ form to push for inclusion in the 2022 World Cup squad before being called up for the USMNT in 2023.
• Brought Matt Miazga home and turned him from struggling European CB to MLS Defender of the Year.
• Brought in Yerson Mosquera on loan from Wolves and transformed him into a starting La Liga center back.
• Rehabbed Santiago Arias from a catastrophic leg injury, and helped him to a return to the Colombian National Team.
• Took Junior Moreno from MLS journeyman to Venezuelan National Team player.
• Roman Celentano and Ian Murphy developed from MLS Draft Picks to USMNT call-ups in two seasons.

Not only have they been great developers of talent on the roster, which is arguably not important for McKennie who is entering his prime, but FCC will also put him in a pivotal role he would never get in Europe.

The USMNT doesn’t need more role players, they need players who know how to win games. Ones who know how to demand the ball and declare they will be victorious before they have scored.

By joining FCC, he would immediately be elevated to a place where he becomes a difference-maker and game-winner every time he is on the field. He wouldn’t bear the burden of being the main creator for the team as Acosta would never give up the creative reins, but he would be required to be the second fiddle talent the same way he is with the national team. 

It would also be these invaluable reps in using his talents to break the game model and cashing in on opportunities that would be available to no other player on the team. And if you want the USMNT to win a World Cup, this is a role he would never be trusted with on any team in Europe.

By coming to MLS he would be making the USMNT worse because MLS isn’t a talented enough league.

This argument I most disagree with. Both because I don’t think people understand how talented MLS is and because this would force McKennie into a role he would never get in Europe.

Is MLS as good as the Champions League or Premier League teams? No.

Are they as good as the bottom of the top five leagues? Yes and arguably might be better than those teams.

In Serie A, the league McKennie is most likely to depart, two of the teams who just got promoted are Venezia FC and Como FC. Both of those teams have players who transferred from MLS playing for them. And if they returned today, none of them would be elite difference-makers in MLS.

Daryl Dike, who was a very good striker in MLS, joined Barnsley in 2020/21 and won back-to-back Players of the Month awards for the club and pushed them into a playoff position.

In La Liga, Yerson Mosquera walked into a starting position for a Europa League squad after spending a single season in MLS.

MLS continues to raise its talent level year after year. It is often not the flashy names that people would recognize coming into the league, but there has not been an offseason where their incoming names did not elevate the league.

MLS isn’t a serious league because it doesn’t have Promotion and Relegation.

Ask any FC Cincinnati or Columbus Crew if their semifinal game last year had any additional significance.

Ask New York Red Bull fans if they weren’t crushed after their PK loss in the first round last year.

Tell the Montreal squad who had to watch their playoff hopes crumble on the field after their season finale that they shouldn’t have felt bad because it didn’t mean they got relegated.

There are valid reasons to espouse the difficulty of playing with great intensity week in and week out, and no other team in MLS has shown that ability better than FCC. They have the most wins over the last two seasons. 

There may be teams who give up on games, but it is not this team, and it would go a long way to infuse the USMNT with more of that ethos.

The post McKennie to Cincinnati would be good for USMNT appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

It’s hard to put into words just how good Acosta has been this season. This, obviously, comes after his 2023 MLS MVP campaign, where he scored 17 goals and 14 assists in league play, leading all of MLS in combined goal contributions. That is not to mention 2022 when he had 10 goals and a career-high 19 assists in a turnaround season for FCC.

Wednesday night was no different. After a brace and an assist against Philadelphia, Acosta is up to nine goals and 14 assists in 2024 with just 18 games played. Right now, he is on pace to break his career high in goals (17) and assists (19) which would be a better season than his MVP run last year.

While many fans and pundits will talk about Acosta’s brilliance that can sometimes singlehandedly give FCC three points, the captain will always credit the team’s collective mentality and identity that has helped the Orange and Blue achieve success in recent years.

“I think that at this moment we have to move forward and continue fighting until the last minute, as we always do, as we did in the previous games. To score the goal and it was up to us to win,” Acosta said after Wednesday’s match.

To think it was impossible, Acosta has seemingly hit another level this year. Last season and at times earlier this season, we saw FCC grind out a lot of results. Lots of 1-0, 2-1 wins this year, and when the attack was struggling to start the season, the team could rely on the backline to at least post a shutout.

With Miles Robinson gone for most of the summer with the USMNT and Matt Miazga’s injury status being unknown, the team has relied on Acosta even more than they did in 2023. But don’t think that pressure is gonna weigh on Acosta.

“I think I’m like wine. The older I get, the better it is,” he said.

The post Lucho Acosta meets the moment again, and no one should be surprised appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. At least, so the old saying goes. Recently some smoke has been billowing up from the Mercy Health Training Center as it appears that FC Cincinnati brass is part of a bid to bring a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team to the Queen City.

First reported by Alex Silverman in the Sports Business Journal and later confirmed by FCC CEO, Jeff Berding, the FC Cincy group is one of three organizations that submitted their bid for an NWSL expansion team reportedly for the 2026 season. The Orange and Blue were joined by bids from Minnesota and Cleveland.

While it’s tempting to dive into the minutia of the potential bid, I’d rather take this time to do two things; make a bold prediction that Cincy will be home to an NWSL team, and give my thoughts on the team’s branding, colors, etc. So away we go!

Will there be an NWSL team playing in TQL Stadium in 2026? I certainly think there’s a good chance. Unlike the two other bids, the Cincinnati bid checks two important boxes: facilities and money. TQL Stadium and MHTC are both owned by the club and are considered by many to be among the best facilities in North America, if not the world. MTHC itself has plenty of room for expansion and locker rooms are already in place for a women’s team at TQL Stadium.

Both the Minnesota and Cleveland bids don’t have a stadium fully locked down. The Cleveland bid is relying on public money for a purpose-built stadium and the Minnesota bid is speculated to play at Minnesota United’s Allianz Field, though that isn’t 100 percent official.

Money should also be on FCC’s side with Berding and a cadre of local investors, many businesswomen among them. More details are sure to come out, but if the investment portfolio for FCC is any indication, the ownership group for a Cincy NWSL team should be loaded.

What about the branding? Well, this is one area where an NWSL team could really shine. While I love FCC and the color scheme, the team’s branding has been lackluster from the beginning. A new NWSL team could have a logo/crest that features the outline of Cincinnati’s iconic Union Terminal and the Tyler Davidson Fountain. I’d imagine blue will be the main color for the club but what about rose red for the secondary color? I know we have graphic designers among the FCC fanbase so let’s see those designs!

What about the name? NWSL clubs have done a great job of steering clear of the City FC/SC naming scheme which has plagued MLS in recent years. Kansas City features the Current, Portland has the Thorns and Louisville hosts Racing. A few favorites for a Cincinnati NWSL team spring to mind:

• Queen City FC
• Cincinnati Sirens
• Cincinnati Crowns
• Queen City Rangers (Sorry I had to get silly with that one)

One thing is for sure, if fans don’t peg the nickname “Queens” or “Fionas” on the team, we really need to do some soul-searching.

Will Cincinnati get an NWSL team? I sure think so. Women’s soccer is huge in the area and Rose Lavelle’s contract with her current team ends in 2026. What do you think? Let us know in the comments or at feedback@cincinnatisoccertalk.com

The post NWSL to Cincy confirmed? What that could all mean? appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Finding a star like Lucho Acosta was only a piece of the puzzle. A club must master supplemental and senior roster spots, Generation Addias players, international spots, allocation money, designated players, U22 spots, discovery lists and more. The easiest way to think about this is like the tax code. A salary cap exists, but then a whole bunch of “exemptions” or legal ways to get around it were created.

Each season, we do our best to track the chaos and estimate the moves FCC and its team can make via our Salary Budget Tracker. We have seen years where making summer signings is difficult to maneuver. This year is not one of those years, so let’s dive into some of the neat things FC Cincy can do to improve and help boost the roster.

The Obvious:

In early May, Tom Bogert reported that “Sources say even before the broken jaw, Cincinnati was ready to move on from the designated player this summer and look for a transfer.”

We believe it is also likely FCC will be shopping Boupenza, so what does that do for them financially? First, ignore the cost that ownership spent on him and his salary. Since Boup is a DP, his annual roster hit is $683,780. FCC will get half of that back to spend in the event he is moved out of the club. Cincinnati will also be able to sign another DP once a trade is final.

The club would only need to come up with the additional $342k from its remaining 2024 cap budget. We estimate that FCC has between $800k and $1.4 million remaining after updating our data. Boupenza also frees up an international spot that can be used or sold. FCC already has one open.

The New:

It is rumored and likely that MLS will free up the three U22 spots this summer window. This means that FCC could add a player under the age of 22 who will avoid the salary cap. At most, a U22 player will only hit the salary cap by $200k. FCC used this trick recently to add Kevin Kelsy, who only has a salary budget charge of around $150k despite getting paid vastly more than that. This particular exemption is at ownership’s discretion, as FCC and its owners must foot the bill between the salary cap and the true salary + transfer fee. Cincinnati has yet to balk at a chance to spend on improvement.

The Buffer:

Due to some good cap management, FCC has room to add players that don’t fit the DP or U22 description. One important thing to remember is that a player added during the summer will only carry a half salary. So a million-dollar player is now a $500k player.

We believe FCC can add at least one and possibly two players in the $500 – $800k range. Current players in this range are DeAndre Yedlin and Yuya Kubo. Even Miles Robinson’s ($1.4 million divided by 2) salary is within reach. We are unsure of Luca Orellano’s loan fee and that is holding us back from pinpointing a cleaner number.

The only flaw with looking at half-salary numbers is that you want to build in a way that doesn’t handicap your next year. FC Cincy has a decent buffer in this area as well. In the event the team adds multi-year contracts, FCC can free up over a million dollars (Cap and allocation money) with the release of Sergio Santos and Alec Kann moving on.

-Retired, CST’s Ken Hoetker momentarily unretired to help with this article

The post FC Cincinnati Has Options Heading into the Summer Transfer Window appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Photo via FC Cincinnati

Now, I think I’ve made my opinion known that I am not that big a fan of white kits in most cases. I feel they are overly bland and could be much more if they used different colors or allowed for more creativity.

Unfortunately, this kit fits precisely in that specific feeling. When we got the pre-release pictures, it looked like the kit might have a more cream color and a painterly aesthetic. That is completely nonexistent and makes me question why the photo was even shown.

In photos far from the kit, it looks like a completely white kit without any ribbing or texturing. Looking more closely, it does look like there is a type of texture on the kit, but if it can’t be seen in the stands looking at the players, in my opinion, it doesn’t exist.

Concerning some of the other aspects, I like the blue striping at the top of the kit, but it’s just blue striping. It doesn’t really make the kit better.

The most noticeable part of the kit is the orange and blue pattern on the sleeves and piping (sides). I actually love the way the pattern is on the sleeves and wish the pattern could be reused on a primary kit in the future. However, I vehemently dislike the way the pattern is used on the piping. I do not like how it connects to the back of the kit (see the featured image). It just looks ugly.

Overall, this is the worst FC Cincinnati kit since the BOLD Kit of 2020 and I will be disappointed to look at it every match we see it thinking the team is wearing this instead of the orange one it replaced.

The post Does Canvas Kit make or miss the mark? appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

As I was standing in the concourse last Saturday prior to kickoff, my son and I were watching the dying moments of Columbus and Orlando. The Crew were up a man and beginning to turn the tide against City. Around us, fans walking to their seats kept peeking at the screen, giving comments like, “Hope we play the Crew”.

I was actually surprised how many people wanted the path to MLS Cup glory go through our rival.

Our neighbors to the North put in two extra time goals and with a Yerson Mosquera winner at the death, the second truly meaningful Hell is Real was imminent. Cincinnati would once again be the battleground for a HIR elimination match.

FCC fans have always been able to claim the original HIR victory (thank you, Djiby) and have annoyed our Black and Gold (let’s be real, it’s yellow) counterparts. But this matchup offers significantly more than trophy implications and the in-state bragging rights.

Hell is Real is not your traditional rivalry. The bitterness of foe and the hatred of circumstances past aren’t there (yet). There will hopefully be no fights between fan bases. Tons of banter between friends, family in some cases and on social media. But it mostly stays in check.

It’s almost an internal family rivalry. Like say brothers who went to XU and UC.

I don’t know about you, but I have cousins in Columbus and surrounding areas. Whoever comes out victorious on Saturday will likely be reminding the other at Christmas on who the greater team is, quite often.

Heck, several of us were even Crew fans of some kind before the lord and savior Gary was introduced into our lives. My college roommates are huge Crew fans, one of my brother’s best friends is a Crew season ticket holder, and my neighbor is a Crew fan (from Columbus). I don’t hate them, but I want to be able to hold this victory over them for the next decade like we have with the original game in Nippert.

Sure, Columbus has creative material about wooden spoons, and Cincinnati claims that Crew are one Ohio law away from not having a team. Yes, Cincinnati had tremendous support with crappy results. Yes, Columbus struggled at the gate in spite of two MLS Cups, three Supporters’ Shields, and one U.S. Open Cup. At the end of the day, there has been an air of superiority (probably deserved) from Crew fans.

I want FCC to “join the elite”. The pathway to being elite is now enhancing this rivalry.

I want the rivalry to escalate to one of the best on-field rivalries in the league. This rivalry was almost snuffed out and now has the chance to join the pantheon of legendary matchups in the league. Sorry El Traffico, this is the BEST RIVALRY in MLS.

I want to tattoo the sting of losing to FCC in the Eastern Conference final to Crew fans (even my extended family). Every time I see them, I want them to have a tinge of pain from Saturday. Not a fierce pain, but just that reminder that FC Cincinnati bested them at the highest level possible.

While we love our Crew-loving friends and family, there is not one reality where I will not be heartbroken if things do not go our way Saturday. I expect them to rub that pain into us as well!

At the end of the day or a decade from now, few will remember/care that Miazga was egregiously suspended or that Crew SC had a revolving door of defenders throughout the season. This result will just stick.

This is THE GAME. I want all 25,313 (200 Crew tickets) Orange & Blue loving crazies to make as much noise as possible for 90 minutes. I hope this will be like the intensity of the NYRB USOC Cup match from 2017, where not one person sat down for 120 minutes.

Up the Garys, Up the Foosers, Cincy til the End. VAMOS. Onto the Cup. Be Loud. Beat Columbus. MOST IMPORTANTLY, Go FC Cincinnati!

The post This Hell is Real Means More appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.