FC Cincinnati isn't 'overly-concerned' about its losing streak. Here's why

MONTREAL - FC Cincinnati could have made excuses over its 2-1 loss to CF Montreal. There were even some legitimate ones available to them, including significant travel difficulties.

The club's traveling party was stuck on the tarmac at Lunken Airport for about four hours on Friday night before ultimately pulling the plug on the usual day-before arrival for road matches. FCC instead opted to arrive in Montreal Saturday morning. That's a noteworthy departure from their usual routine.

Not a single coach, player or staffer made mention of the travel issues. There weren't any excuses at all, in fact. Cincinnati's post-match locker room almost seemed determined to not write-off its second straight loss.

"Another performance where we weren't great," FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said after the loss.

Goalkeeper Alec Kann said FCC started too slow and quickly gave up the momentum it briefly held in the second half.

"Got a goal back and then conceded right away, which was a killer," Kann lamented at his locker room stall after the cold, rain-soaked defeat.

Losing streaks haven't been uncommon under Noonan. The current one is the first in regular-season play since May 2022.

Defensive lapses haven't been common this season, but they do happen. One instance was on Montreal's eventual game-winning goal in the 62nd minute. It was three minutes after FC Cincinnati tied the match at 1-1 through Yuya Kubo.

Given FC Cincinnati's attacking struggles - it's eight regular-season goals are in the bottom-third of all of Major League Soccer - there's little margin for defensive error, too.

Concerned? Sure, FC Cincinnati's concerned about its losing skid, but it isn't panicking.

Noonan: 'Of course it's correctable'

There was a time not long ago when you expected FC Cincinnati to lose every single game. The club's progress from those dark days is reflected partly by the fact that its supporters could barely stomach two consecutive draws to start the regular season.

Now, as FC Cincinnati looks to course-correct from two straight losses, they're doing so amidst some of the loudest groans from the fan base since Noonan was hired by General Manager Chris Albright in December 2021.

"We haven't seen a stretch like this in a while and that's why it's gonna be dissected a little bit more. It's part of it," Noonan said. "We're gonna struggle. Teams go through these phases. I'm interested to see how we battle through it. We know we're far off from where we want to be but it's two losses and I think this group will be OK, but we'll continue to talk through and work through some of these issues that we're facing."

What would lead Noonan, the reigning MLS Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year, to think his roster can rebound?

For starters, he said he thinks fixes are within reach.

"Of course it's correctable. I wouldn't say I'm overly concerned about where we're at but to say there's no concern would be false," Noonan said. "It's trying to find our best group with our (starting) 11. It's trying to find the relationships. It's trying to put guys in a position to succeed and that starts with me, so that isn't happening consistently enough. It's stuff that isn't just on the players. I'm trying to find solutions. We as a staff are, and I know the players are."

For all of the much-discussed roster turnover FC Cincinnati's experienced, it still has players in the locker room who know what real MLS suffering looks like. Sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and three points out of first place is far from rising to the level of what some of these guys have seen.

Not only are there still players around like Kann, who arrived for a 2022 season that saw FCC go through growing pains, others like captain Luciano Acosta and Nick Hagglund have been at the club dating back to some of its darkest days.

The wisdom gained from past experiences is being deployed now.

"I think the most important thing is everyone has to stick together. Can't start pointing the finger at the guy next to you," Kann said. "As soon as that happens, things can go south quickly. It's not going to get any easier next week at Atlanta, a team that does really well at home. So, that's a big challenge but I know this group is up for it. We're tough. We've been through tough stretches before and always found a way to get the job done. I think this will be no different."

A loss at any time of the year is at least bothersome. Two in a row in the context of the current, up-and-down start to 2024 isn't being overlooked.

But it's still April, and even though results now count the same as they do later in the season, the ideal time for an MLS club to peak is months away. FCC has plenty of time to work things out.

"I think we've just got to continue to work and continue to put our heads down and performances will come," center back Miles Robinson said. "Obviously, (Saturday) wasn't good enough to get the result... I think games come down to moments. The last few games, we just haven't been clinical in the moments we needed to be. We've got to try to get those moments right but, personally, I'm not overly-concerned and I don't think anyone should be."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why FC Cincinnati isn't 'over-concerned' about its losing streak yet