With MLS season looming, FC Cincinnati is still making personnel moves
It's not often you'd describe the pace of business at FC Cincinnati as slow. The club typically operates in "busy" and "less busy" modes, but rarely is the club lacking for some kind of activity.
Tuesday was a fine example of this. An otherwise nondescript day of preseason turned active around 8 p.m. when much-anticipated developments surrounding 23-year-old Luca Orellano broke loose.
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Sources confirmed to The Enquirer that FC Cincinnati was finalizing the acquisition of Orellano, of Argentina, who is a versatile, left-footed player for Brazilian first-division side, Vasco de Gama. The move had been widely reported by Brazilian news outlets last week.
Like FC Cincinnati's Alvaro Barreal, Orellano is a product of Argentine side Velez Sarsfield. The two players were teammates at Sarsfield in 2019. Orellano notched 12 goals and 14 assists over 119 appearances at the club.
Long term, Orellano would act as a replacement for Barreal on the left wing. In the meantime, he could be considered for right wing-back duties (he has experience as a right winger). Barreal's desired move to a European club failed to materialize this winter, and he is increasingly likely to remain at FCC until at least the summer transfer window. So, with Barreal, an MLS All-Star in 2023, still occupying the left wing-back position, FCC could also use Orellano as a medium-term fix for its vacancy at right wing-back.
Albright: FC Cincinnati considering Marco Angulo loan
Orellano is far from the only piece of roster movement ongoing at the moment for FCC.
During a Monday sit-down interview with The Enquirer, FC Cincinnati General Manager Chris Albright revealed that a loan was possible for Marco Angulo, the 21-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder.
Angulo, who occupies a valuable Under-22 Initiative roster spot, is looking to improve on a 2023 season that saw him play 784 minutes over 24 appearances (nine starts). Complicating Angulo's push for more minutes is FC Cincinnati's recent acquisition of Pavel Bucha, who plays the same position and is already turning heads just days into his FCC tenure.
Albright said a loan for Angulo is one of the options on the table to continue the player's development, which is key because Cincinnati has Angulo under contract through at least 2025, plus an option year in 2026.
While Angulo might have disappointed in 2023, he'd hardly be the first international player to struggle upon arriving to MLS. Albright illuminated some of Angulo's off-field challenges.
"Look, Marco is a really talented player. He was widely regarded as one of the most talented players at his position coming out of South America. The talent is clear," Albright told The Enquirer. "His family wasn't able to get into the country last year because of immigration and he's a really young player. There were a lot of things behind the scenes that were difficult like adjusting to a new country, a new culture. That being said, we're still trying to maximize his talent. Early on, Pavel (Bucha) has been a real bright spot and they kind of play the same position so, whether it's continuing to get Marco minutes with us or looking for opportunities to continue his development, perhaps on loan, those are all discussions we're having.
"He's going to have a long career as a really talented player. Sometimes it just takes those guys a few years . . . You saw it with Alvaro with us. He didn't sort of reach his peak until two or three years in. So, we're gonna continue to help Marco develop whether that's immediately with us this year with more minutes or something else to continue that."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: With MLS season looming, FC Cincinnati is still making personnel moves
