CLEARWATER, FLA - Pat Noonan opened his press conference by describing the 90-minute preseason match against Houston Dynamo FC as "a good fitness exercise." It's not exactly what you want to hear after one of four preseason games leading into the season, but it did help provide context to where FC Cincinnati was after 10 days in Clearwater, Florida.
FC Cincinnati earned a 1-1 draw against Houston. Noonan was able to extend out some of his more notable first-teamers – sending most 60 to 65 minutes before substituting whereas in the first game, they capped everyone to 45 – but ultimately, it was another smorgasbord of players across the first and second teams (along with some unsigned players) to see out the game.
The lack of cohesion in the squad from pure availabilities sake has left Noonan feeling behind in terms of progress for the season.
Injuries have undeniably been part of that. Noonan confirmed the injury status of a handful of players this week, with eight first-teamers out from this game due to injury or fitness concerns of some kind. He also highlighted that Kévin Denkey was limited by an illness that he was recovering from, which kept him out of training earlier in the week.
That left just a handful of players to play with from the first team, and unsigned or second-team players were needed to fill in the gaps. It was a nice organizational bit of synergy as the lower levels are doing their best to support the top team, but it did not leave the Head Coach over-enthused about the performance in the grander context.
"We need to get our strongest group working together to build relationships, whatever group we think that is. We don't have a whole lot of time before we head to Honduras," Noonan said Thursday on a Zoom call after the match. "So this is about finding a strong group and building those minutes and those relationships to start the Champions Cup and the season in a good way.
"We're getting answers as to a lot of the new faces, signed players. You know, where and how is it going to look at the beginning of the year with all these games, to be able to trust guys. Trialists, if we want to move forward or not, FCC 2 players, how they've progressed for some or kind of look like they're in the same place, from how the season ended for them last year, with some of those bodies that are with us. So the games just give you answers. And the more training you get, you understand who's going to be able to step up early or make the jump as we move forward.
"So I'm not sure from the Montréal game to the Houston game that we made a great deal of progress. We just get more answers from guys we think we can trust. And, as things get harder, and as the minutes build and the opposition improves, who can make plays."
The continued elephant in the room is that not everyone in the squad has reported. While Luca Orellano and Luciano Acosta, late reporters who eventually arrived, did not play in Thursday's match for separate reasons, Yuya Kubo continues to be absent from the club. The Japanese striker is now going on three weeks of preseason action without reporting to the club. Noonan communicated on the Zoom call just how detrimental that is to the team as a whole when put into a specific and more generalized perspective.
"At this point, no," Noonan said, asking whether there had been any assurances that Kubo would report to camp at some point. "There's been plenty of conversation, but he's expected to be here, and he's not. So, none of that's changed. He's under contract, and those conversations (can) continue to happen face-to-face. But, we're not going to change our approach. Hopefully, he's back with us soon."
"In the long term, no. But certainly short term. Yes, (I'm concerned) you know, we're behind. We have in our three, top performing and producing players from last season in terms of goals and assists, not on the field. So with the late arrivals or no arrival, those are relationships for two weeks that aren't happening with Kévin (Denkey)."
Denkey has arrived in the United States and has given his best to preseason training. Jumping from training in the Cincinnati cold to turf in Clearwater because of the weather, he (like all of his teammates in training) was there to put the work in. But part of the reason Denkey, an internationally acclaimed striker, came to FC Cincinnati was the vision of the team he saw play in the MLS Cup Playoffs last season. Ensuring that a highly touted Designated Player transfer is getting off to a good start with the club in a multitude of ways is not a horribly unreasonable thing to want, especially for a Head Coach.
"We're behind, and it's trying to work with what we have, but making sure Kevin understands we're going to continue to look to put him in positions to score goals, which is something that you know we lacked consistency with last year. So big picture I'm not concerned," Noonan said, explaining that in the long term, the club as a whole will work these things out. "But as we head into the Champions Cup and into the season, you know, the guys that we expected to be behind him in preseason haven't been there, so we'll continue to work with what we have and not kind of change everything we're doing just because these pieces aren't here."
In Acosta and Orellano's credit, Noonan did highlight that their playing in Thursday's match was part of the club's plan. Orellano was expected to play and was in the lineup as late as last Wednesday night, Noonan said. Still, with a nagging hip knock, Noonan said the staff decided to scratch him with the knowledge that the club had a three-day break coming up, and he would hopefully be able to recover fully for next week. Acosta, who arrived earlier this week, worked off to the side as he continued to build fitness.
In terms of the game played on the field on Thursday, Pavel Bucha and Miles Robinson did most of the standing out. Robinson returned to FCC action after a full winter camp with the USMNT and played two matches with them before returning to his club.
"He's further ahead because of when he reported for the National Team, and obviously played a 90 and a 60 minute game. So we knew we could push his minutes a little bit more than the rest. We didn't want to go a full 90, just because we had a heavy week, (but) I think he could have finished the game out," Noonan said. "So, strong performance. In control with the ball, without the ball, decision making and where the ball needs to move when we're looking to play through pressure and when we're stepping up. He did an excellent job of dealing with things underneath and when they played a little bit more direct, you know, he was excellent in those moments of being able to end the play."
Bucha slid into the unfamiliar territory of attacking midfielder, with defensive midfielder Brian Anunga and Obinna Nwobodo under him. While the Czech midfielder claimed after the match he felt he was still "getting used to the position," his Head Coach had a positive review of the performance given the circumstances.
"We had him in a little bit of a higher position, just to see what (Anunga) and (Nwobodo) look like next to each other and just with some of the personnel that are not available. So Pavel played as a more advanced midfield option, and had some good moments," Noonan said. "From the defensive side of the ball makes things pretty clear. With the ball, there was some uncertainty at times of movement and how to get time and space on the ball. But when he was able to, I think he helped us move the goal in a good way."
Bucha earned the lone goal for FC Cincinnati, pressing a Center Back at the edge of the box and stripping it from the defender for a clean look on goal that he did not miss.
It was, though, unfortunately, a miss in the second half that put a damper on his day after a similar play where Bucha, this time, pressed even farther forward and intercepted a pass from the Houston Goalkeeper before the pass could make it to the Center Back. Instead of taking the shot on target himself, which he may have had the time and space for, he tried to make the pass across the box to a wide-open Stefan Chirila, who would have had a wide-open net that only would have needed a light tap to finish the goal.
Unfortunately, the pass was just too far ahead of a lunging Chirila, and the moment was lost.
"I still have some mixed emotions in myself, because in the second half, I had a second great chance, and if I had scored this one, maybe that match would be over for us and we would have won. I made a silly mistake," Bucha said, more critical of himself than his teammates or coaches were.
"Some phases of the match were better," the midfielder continued, comparing the match to the first preseason fixture against CF Montréal. "We played with a really mixed starting XI with some new guys and new faces. So we have to get to know each other first. But it was, again, a good test, and it's always great to have a real match."
FC Cincinnati now takes a three-day weekend before kicking into the stretch drive of preseason training on Monday. They also return to the Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex on February 7 to take on Philadelphia Union for their next preseason match, so while we know the location and opponent of the next friendly and that training will continue, all these up in the air, things may define what that next match looks like.
But until then, we are left with a "good fitness exercise," and some more answers learned.