FC Cincinnati is pursuing center backs. It acquired Kipp Keller and is pushing for more
For a day, FC Cincinnati made it explicitly clear it was addressing the center back position. That resulted in one acquisition and a recruiting pitch seen across the city.
The acquisition was for Kipp Keller, formerly of Austin FC. The 23-year-old center back was previously a highly-rated college prospect who landed in Austin as the No. 5 overall selection in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. FC Cincinnati confirmed Thursday it acquired Keller's MLS rights from Austin in exchange for a third-round 2024 SuperDraft selection and then signed the player to a first-team contract for the upcoming season.
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Keller's contract is for the 2024 season with option years in 2025 and 2026.
“I’d like to welcome Kipp to Cincinnati,” FC Cincinnati General Manager Chris Albright said in a team news release. “We initially identified him before the 2022 draft as a talented young player with great potential. Now, we’re excited to have him join the group, and we look forward to his continued development with FC Cincinnati.”
While FC Cincinnati identified Keller as a talent, the club ultimately used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 SuperDraft on Indiana University goalkeeper Roman Celentano. Suffice it to say FCC doesn't have any regrets about picking Celentano, who has since started 60 regular-season matches, six MLS Cup playoff matches, received his first senior U.S. men's national team call-up, and finished runner-up in the 2023 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year voting.
Celentano's stay at the club was lengthened via a contract extension this year.
Cincinnati still liked Keller, too. The club kept tabs on the St. Louis University product, including during an in-person encounter Feb. 26, 2022, at Austin's Q2 Stadium. Keller made his MLS debut in Austin's 5-0 season-opening win over FC Cincinnati.
This past season, Keller made seven first-team appearances for Austin prior to having a contract option declined by his now-former club. Keller also appeared 16 times for Austin's MLS Next Pro side in 2023.
The news of Keller's signing broke midday Wednesday. By the evening, the club was back to making waves when it was confirmed to be making an in-person recruiting pitch to 26-year-old U.S. men's national team center back, Miles Robinson.
Locals and reporters were alerted to the possibility of the recruitment efforts by the "Miles for Cincy" message that scrolled across TQL Stadium's lighted exterior fins. The message was witnessed from surrounding neighborhoods and as far away as Mt. Adams.
Robinson is about a year removed from missing the 2022 FIFA men's World Cup in Qatar due to injury and a few weeks removed from one his Atlanta United contract expiring. The Athletic's Tom Bogert reported Robinson had would-be European suitors but is still contemplating a future in MLS, too.
Why FC Cincinnati is addressing the center back position
FC Cincinnati is expected to have a variety of personnel needs this offseason but the center back position was likely front of mind coming out of the 46-match 2023 campaign.
FC Cincinnati's defense improved significantly year-over-year from 2022 to 2023, conceding 17 fewer goals after Albright suggested during a preseason Enquirer interview the club needed to achieve 10 fewer goals in 2023. The progress can be attributed to several factors and was a team-wide accomplishment considering how FCC likes to play, but center back play was definitely a strength.
Depth at center back wasn't a strength, though. Some suspected as much throughout 2023 and that became clear after the club's MLS Cup playoff run when Nick Hagglund and Matt Miazga were lost to season-ending surgery and suspension, respectively.
The confluence of Hagglund's injury and Miazga's suspension, which resulted from a set of unprecedented circumstances, would have been difficult for any club to manage. The drop-off in their absence was still clear and likely contributed to the club's stunning ouster in the Eastern Conference final against arch-rival Columbus Crew.
Fast forward from the playoff loss to the ongoing preparations for 2024. Hagglund isn't expected to be ready for the start of the 2024 season and is targeting a March return, he told reporters Dec. 5. Miazga will be available for CONCACAF Champions Cup play but is scheduled to be suspended for up to two matches in MLS regular-season play, although it's possible the suspension is reduced.
Additionally, 22-year-old center back Yerson Mosquera's loan from England's Wolverhampton Wanderers FC ended. FC Cincinnati announced it intended to attempt to re-acquire Mosquera but that's a complicated proposition.
FC Cincinnati has preferred a three-center back formation under 2023 MLS Coach of the Year Pat Noonan. The 23-year-old Ian Murphy is a playoff-tested commodity who has withstood the workload and other challenges of the last two seasons, which were the club's strongest and most labor-intensive. The versatile and experienced Alvas Powell started two of FCC's four playoff matches at center back, and his versatility might become doubly valuable if Ray Gaddis isn't retained.
Clearly, FC Cincinnati needed to make a center-back splash. It's work at the position isn't finished.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati acquires former Austin FC center back Kipp Keller
