FC Cincinnati 2024 preview: 'Can we replicate real success, which last year was'
Maybe Chris Albright is publicly slow-rolling his outlook for FC Cincinnati's 2024 season. He's done that before.
When the FC Cincinnati general manager said success in 2023 would basically be making the playoffs for a second consecutive year, it didn't necessarily imbue FCC fans with hopes of winning the club's first major trophy. But that's what happened −FCC far-exceeded Albright's public forecast and hope for 2023, and brought in the Supporters' Shield.
This year, Albright told The Enquirer he wants FC Cincinnati to generally be relevant to the conversation involving the championship contenders. He quantified that somewhat, saying "I'd like to push to be in the top half of the playoff group." A top-four seed in the playoffs, in other words.
That's what would constitute regular-season success in Albright's third season at the club. Will FCC reach that threshold, or surpass his projections like it did in 2023?
"Are we gonna win a Supporters' Shield? I hope so," Albright said during a Feb. 12 interview. "I think staying in the upper echelon of the league, I don't know what that nets out to be in terms of points, but I think that's our goal. Can we replicate real success, which last year was. Making the playoffs (in 2022), that was success for where we were. Now, can we stay relevant? Can we stay among one of the teams people are talking about? It's fun that people care and are picking us to win this, that and the other things. If you're in that conversation, you're doing something right. So, just trying to stay in that conversation."
After claiming the Supporters' Shield and falling just short of reaching MLS Cup, FC Cincinnati had very little offseason to use for revamping its project ahead of 2024. The decision-marks had significant work to accomplish, too, mostly in the personnel realm. Positioning themselves for relevance in 2024 became a near-daily task over a short period for Albright and others around the club.
It's still a daily task with just days to go before the season officially kicks off.
Gone are five of FC Cincinnati's regular or preferred starters from 2023. That includes Alvaro Barreal, who is headed out on loan, per Tuesday reporting. Albright and Co. replenished most of what was lost, although Barreal's late departure will require further personnel work.
The season kicks off in CONCACAF Champions Cup play with the roster still in flux. Ready or not, now is the time for all the offseason planning to bear fruit.
MLS Most Valuable Player Luciano Acosta, Defender of the Year Matt Miazga, Goalkeeper of the Year runner-up Roman Celentano and other stars from 2023 will also be counted on to replicate or better their performances of last year. They'll attempt to do that on less rest.
From the date FC Cincinnati was eliminated from the MLS Cup playoffs in 2022 to opening the 2023 season, a stable FC Cincinnati roster with plenty of personnel carryover from year to year had 129 days between competitive matches. The returning core will have had just 80 days between competitive matches.
Add in all the new fresh faces and the task of FCC might not seem so enviable. But the club is still considered a frontrunner in 2024, as Albright's hopes indicate.
Albright conceded burnout among veterans was a concern, adding that he hoped some of the roster turnover could mitigate that factor.
Regardless of the legitimate factors that could hold FC Cincinnati back this year, the club is embracing the reality that it's still in a championship window.
"How do Pat (Noonan) and the coaches motivate the group to want to kind of do it again? I do think adding new pieces helps in that because there may be new competitions that arise," Albright said. "New attitude. There's guys who want to prove themselves who have never proven themselves to us. I think that safeguards against some of that complacency, but it's hard to do what we did last year − win a Supporters' Shield, which means you have to be so consistent for so long."
"We won a Supporters' Shield. That's really hard to do and we're gonna have a target on our back. I think some of the changes that happened will hopefully allow us to evolve. That's the kind of what we're talking about. To think that we're gonna replicate last year and do it the same way? That is impossible. So, we bring in some new faces and freshen it up, bring in some guys that do some things differently. I think we're going to have a different look."
The outlook for 2024
The Enquirer's thinking ahead of preseason was that FC Cincinnati would remain a work in progress well into the regular season. After spending some time on the ground at preseason camp in Clearwater, Florida, we still feel that way. The spine of the team is strong. There is elite talent in the group. But there has been significant turnover. The players will need more time to mesh, especially those being added on-the-fly after camp started such as Pavel Pucha and Luca Orellano, whose acquisition has been reported but not publicly confirmed by FCC.
FC Cincinnati's 2022 team would be a good comparison to what we're looking at in 2024: A side with some roster turnover, significant roster work still to be undertaken and/or finalized in-season, and a lot of potential. Obviously, this year's squad has more talent than the 2022 team, plus it's a proven winner. Some of the other aspects of this "comp" work, though.
Like the 2022 team, after a summer of roster- and chemistry-building, FCC should get hot come playoff time. Last year, FCC was off its stride by the time the playoffs arrived.
All told, I think FC Cincinnati takes a step back in terms of regular-season results, but not for lack of talent or goals. It will simply take time for all these new pieces to find their way with FC Cincy's established veterans, and especially the MVP. Ultimately, this club remains a viable MLS Cup contender that should finish second in the Eastern Conference behind Columbus Crew during the regular season. FCC will grow in strength down the stretch and should reach at least the Eastern Conference final again.
As for the cup competitions:
CONCACAF Champions Cup: FC Cincinnati will survive Cavalier FC to set up a mouth-watering series with Monterrey FC, which has already advanced to the next round and is awaiting the winner of FCC-Cavalier. Cincinnati will likely be bested by the Mexican giants. Perhaps the nostalgia of having Brandon Vazquez on the opposing team will soften the blow a bit. That certainly won't be the case for all fans. Either way, FC Cincinnati will benefit from an early test against one of the biggest clubs in CONCACAF. That can inform the club's personnel needs for 2025, or even later in 2024. Playing Monterrey in a meaningful, non-Leagues Cup match will be a great moment in TQL Stadium history, too.
Leagues Cup: This month-long pause during the regular season could really help or really hurt the momentum FCC will be trying to build in the MLS regular season. FC Cincinnati was never the same after Leagues Cup last year, and the numbers and performances support that fact. FCC should get out of its three-team group at the very least. They'll face NYCFC and Club Querétaro of Mexico, and TQL Stadium will be the host venue for the games. Then Cincinnati will look to go further than it did in last year's competition. Losing to Nashville in the first knockout round match left FCC with weeks and weeks of training on its own in Milford. Perhaps not surprisingly, the regular-season post-Leagues Cup period was a major slog. Here's another carrot for FCC to chase in Leagues Cup, too: There are three tickets to the 2025 CONCACAF Champions League to be punched in the competition. That might be FCC's best path back to international play next year. As for winning this trophy, the Mexican clubs will probably come back stronger after their highest finisher last year, Monterrey, took fourth place. I don't think this is a trophy Cincy pulls, and I don't think it should be a primary focus for the club either. MLS and its trophies are what's most important.
U.S. Open Cup: If they can play in it, they'll certainly compete for it with everything they can muster. That's been the approach of Noonan and Albright - try to win everything the club is eligible for. But as of Wednesday, it remained to be seen what form the U.S. Open Cup would take in 2024, and if FCC would have a spot in the competition. The future of the tournament has been debated hotly for months.
Cincinnati.com's projected/best starting XI
Roman Celentano (GK), Luca Orellano (LWB), Miles Robinson (CB), Matt Miazga (CB), Ian Murphy (CB), Yuya Kubo (RWB), Obinna Nwobodo (M), Pavel Bucha (M), Luciano Acosta (M), Aaron Boupendza (F), Corey Baird (F).
FC Cincinnati’s first-team roster (unofficial as of Feb. 21)
Goalkeepers (4): Roman Celentano, Alec Kann, Evan Louro, Paul Walters.
Defenders (9): London Aghedo, Isaiah Foster, Nick Hagglund, Kipp Keller, Matt Miazga,, Ian Murphy, Alvas Powell, Miles Robinson, Bret Halsey,
Midfielders (8): Luciano Acosta, Marco Angulo, Yuya Kubo, Stiven Jimenez, Pavel Bucha, Obinna Nwobodo, Malik Pinto, Luca Orellano*.
Forwards (4): Aaron Boupendza, Corey Baird, Arquimides Ordoñez, Sergio Santos.
Players loaned out (2): Joey Akpunonu, Alvaro Barreal.
* = Club is yet to formally announce and introduce this player.
Preseason recap
Record: 3-1-0.
Goals for: 12.
Goals against: Seven.
Goal scorers: Aaron Boupendza (6), Luciano Acosta (3), Corey Baird (1), Pavel Bucha (1), trialist (1).
2-1 loss vs. Austin FC on Jan. 26. Recap.
2-0 win vs. New England Revolution on Feb. 2.
4-3 win vs. Philadelphia Union on Feb. 9. Recap.
5-2 win vs. New England Revolution on Feb. 15. Recap.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati's trying to replicate 'real success' in 2024. Here's how
