MLS preseason takeaways: Here's what FC Cincinnati is aiming for in 2023

The next time FC Cincinnati kicks a ball in a game, there will be three points on the line.

FC Cincinnati's preseason ended Friday with a come-from-behind, 3-3 draw against Nashville SC. Next up is the real deal: The season opener Feb. 25 against Houston Dynamo FC at TQL Stadium.

What should you expect from FCC against Houston and throughout 2023? The Enquirer spent a week with the club in Clearwater, Florida looking to gain insights in order to answer that question.

What we learned was that the club might have a more modest, albeit sensible, aim for itself than some might anticipate after last year's run to the Eastern Conference semifinals. The team also seemed to not skip a beat in the absence of Brenner Souza da Silva, which could undermine Brenner's push to transfer abroad in the long term.

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Here are The Enquirer's big-picture takeaways from FC Cincinnati's 2023 preseason:

FC Cincinnati is stable, progressing, and the on-field future is promising

That statement − "FC Cincinnati is stable, progressing, and the on-field future is promising" − might not read like a sexy headline or takeaway, but isn't it the most important thing? We're quick to forget it now but FC Cincinnati was still a punchline this time last year. It knew only last-place finishes in MLS.

Now? The club knows what it means to qualify for the playoffs and get results there, and the expectations of the fan base are that FC Cincinnati should legitimately compete for MLS Cup in 2023. FCC could very well do that this year.

The health of the technical side of FC Cincinnati in 2023 is revealed in a variety of ways. The most obvious way we saw in Florida was is in the depth of the first team relative to a year ago. We knew FC Cincinnati had starters and impact substitutes capable of reaching the playoffs but there wasn't much beneath that surface layer.

This preseason saw teenagers (19-year-old Arquimides Ordonez and 15-year-old Stiven Jiminez) account for almost half of FCC's scoring through four preseason matches. The second-line players, including newly-acquired defenders Isaiah Foster and Joey Akpunonu, held their own in a scrimmage against New England Revolution that Cincinnati ended up dominating.

Yes, the club still has personnel concerns. You can point to center back as an area that could do with some reinforcements but in a general sense, FC Cincinnati has a healthy supporting cast to lean on. "The project" that is so often referred to is growing and unfurling according to plan.

The health of the club is also revealed in its broader ambition for 2023, which extends beyond the first team and into the academy and MLS NEXT Pro side.

"Year One was us explaining to everyone 'this is how we want to do things,' GM Chris Albright told The Enquirer in an exclusive interview in Clearwater. "This year, we're focusing on putting more of the processes in place and a little bit more structure... Right now, we've stopped the bleeding with the first team and we can have more of a global focus on the organization, and how we go about our business.

"MLS NEXT Pro and the academy are at the top of the list in terms of what we want to continue to professionalize to the standard that we did with the first team."

The difference between 'should compete for MLS Cup' and 'will compete for MLS Cup'

FC Cincinnati has a lot of the pieces it would need to compete for MLS Cup. And fans shouldn't expect anything less than another entertaining, professional product in 2023. But MLS is still MLS, which is to say that it's a parity-driven league that's about to change its playoff format again. Truly, anything could happen to FCC this year.

I asked Albright to verbally fill in a blank: "FC Cincinnati will win MLS Cup in 2023 if..." He took his response in a number of directions but this was where he ended up: "I guess the real answer is: 'if we get back to the playoffs,' because if you get in, you have a chance," Albright said.

"Every fan wants the narrative of 'you won a playoff game, now you're supposed to win two playoff games," Albright continued. "Credit to Philly (Union). They've been the model and they've actually done that, but that's difficult to do and our league is set up to sort of counter that in a lot of ways. Our goal as an organization this year is to get back to the playoffs."

The margins are fine in MLS, as FCC learned last year in finishing fifth in the east, which necessitated a playoff run devoid of home matches. The team doesn't even officially know what the playoffs will look like as the seven-team, single-elimination format used in both conferences in recent years appears set to be scrapped for a nine-team bracket with best-of-three series deciding who advances.

As head coach Pat Noonan correctly stated during a news conference, Cincinnati definitely can't clinch a playoff berth Feb. 25 against Houston. When the playoff format arrives, the club will discuss it with the players.

When the players have the team in position for a playoff berth later this season, that too will be addressed at the appropriate time.

Living in a world without Brenner at FC Cincinnati

Partly because I had a lawn chair situated 10 yards from the sideline and partly because FC Cincinnati was so effective, I was engrossed in the 4-0 win against New England. In fact, I was so immersed that I forgot about Brenner Souza da Silva, the club's star, designated-player striker currently away from the team due to a personal matter.

For 120 minutes of game action, I at no point thought about how Brenner could have tipped the balance of the game further for FCC, how much the team missed him, what would happen if he leaves later this year, etc. Sergio Santos took Brenner's spot in the lineup and looked very much up for the task - a fact that was underscored Friday when Santos scored twice against Nashville.

Without Brenner, FC Cincinnati was still finding ways to create attacking pressure through its press and its buildup play. There was nothing frantic or urgent or chaotic about his absence from the team. In fact, there was hardly a hiccup.

There's no question Brenner is a remarkable raw talent, and no one faults him for being away for the personal matter. But the harsh reality of Brenner is he's streaky, and he has actively tried to leave FC Cincinnati for at least a full calendar year. When the transfer requests and pursuits don't materialize into what he wants, he gets upset. That gives credence to concerns about his temperament and professionalism.

Picturing this team without Brenner on Tuesday was therefore a healthy exercise, and I came away from the experience encouraged for FC Cincinnati. They functioned well without him, and it wasn't the first instance of that.

Last year, with Brenner largely a non-factor through 14 matches due to the lack of a preseason and injuries, FCC amassed a 6-7-1 record. That was good enough for seventh place at that point in the season. Playoff contention, in other words. That's all Albright has really ever wanted for this team.

I did not get the sense FC Cincinnati - its GM, its head coach and its players - feel beholden to Brenner to achieve their ambitions this year. With or without him in top form, or without him altogether, FC Cincinnati will be fine.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Preseason takeaways: Here's what FC Cincinnati is aiming for in 2023