Corben Bone’s objective at FC Cincinnati was simple:
“I wanted to find myself in soccer again.”
When FCC built their inaugural 2016 roster, Bone was one of the first players introduced. His transfer fee from the Wilmington Hammerheads was $5,000, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. It was then the club record for FC Cincinnati.
The former No. 13 pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft was looking for a career revival. In five MLS seasons, he made 20 appearances. His last game — May 14, 2014 for the Philadelphia Union — lasted one minute. Between 2012-14, he played 42 regular-season minutes.
“I expected to come in and hopefully just play soccer,” Bone said about joining FCC ahead of 2016. “I was excited to play and it was a new start for me.”
On Saturday night, Bone started in the Orange and Blue’s inaugural MLS match. He became the first player from the original 2016 USL roster to register MLS minutes.
It was his first MLS start since Oct. 1, 2011.
“I was excited and grateful to be in the starting lineup,” he said. “At that point, you have to stay grounded and be ready to play.”
For FC Cincinnati fans, Bone’s name is almost synonymous with the club itself. The midfielder started the first USL game back in 2016 and made 102 competitive appearances during the team’s first three seasons.
During that span, his role fluctuated between central midfield roles — attacking, box-to-box and holding — but his quality was consistent.
Between 2016-18, Bone made 94 starts, scored 16 goals and provided eight assists. His start in the 4-1 loss at Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday night was his 103 club appearance, which is tied with Jimmy McLaughlin for the most in the club’s all-time history.
“He deserved it,” FCC Head Coach Alan Koch said of Bone’s start. “He’s been fantastic for our club. As this club is growing, he was very good in preseason. I think he went out and played the way Corben is capable of doing.
“He’s very calm and composed and that is an avenue for us to possess the ball. I think he was part of that group that was good at possession the ball at times.”
Against Seattle, Bone played as the No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1 formation. His job was linking play between the midfield and forwards, while also creating chances.
The 30-year-old completed a team-high 96 percent of his passes and had 100 percent accuracy inside Sounders FC territory.
“It was fun,” Bone said of his opportunity. “You find pockets to get on the ball. You combine — so all the things I love about the game and hopefully moving forward I can find those spaces and do a little bit more to create more chances.”
Bone played 73 minutes before being replaced by Kekuta Manneh. Those 73 minutes were identical to his last start in 2011.
“It was a thing I’ve been looking forward to, for sure,” Bone said of his MLS return. “Obviously the result didn’t go our way, but it’s the first game. We still have a lot more and we can learn from it and move forward.”
If Bone remains the “10” at Atlanta United FC on Sunday night, it’s crucial he can connect play in the final third. Against Seattle, he only had one completed pass with Adi. Most passes were either to outside midfielders or the deeper-lying mids, Victor Ulloa and Leo Bertone.
There’s time for improvements, though, which is good for FC Cincinnati and good for Bone. What mattered for both was getting to this point.
From its start, Cincinnati dreamed of MLS. Bone’s beginning with the club meant falling in love with the with the game again. That both have progressed in tandem shows how much has happened so quickly.
“I’m proud of it for sure,” Bone said of his first-division return. “A milestone in my career and hopefully there are many more.”
