There was cause for happiness on Saturday night at TQL Stadium. The fans were certainly pleased. The national media was impressed by the effort put forth against a strong Columbus Crew side despite a hampered lineup due to suspension and injury. And a combined four points between the two legs against FCC’s in-state rival in Hell is Real is a successful season series.
But no one in the FC Cincinnati locker room was reading their own press. There was hardly a party or even a hint of satisfaction. There was only the acknowledgement that there is work to be done.
“You know, we haven't achieved anything yet,” FCC captain Luciano Acosta said from the locker room after the nil-nil draw. “We've qualified for the playoffs, but we haven't achieved anything yet, and we're gonna keep going in with that mentality.”
By all outside accounts, the result earned Saturday night was worth at least a little bit of celebration. Taking on one of the best MLS teams to the wire in a draw with a mishmash of a lineup due to injury and suspension, and coming away with not only a draw but a shutout is a tidy bit of business. Media from around the MLS universe will (and have already) praised FCC for taking the game to Columbus Crew and not cowering despite the circumstances.
The likes of Yuya Kubo, Alvas Powell, DeAndre Yedlin, Luca Orellano, and Chidozie Awaziem have had roses thrown their way for a courageous, tough as hell (is real) effort against one of the most offensively versatile teams in the league. Pat Noonan praised his captain Luciano Acosta for his defensive effort. It was by Noonan’s own admission, a full team effort and success.
And yet, there was hardly a celebration. In fact, the locker room attitude evoked the feeling that more aligned with that of a loss rather than a win of any fashion.
“I don't like celebrating draws. We don't like celebrating draws,” Acosta added. “We're going to celebrate that we qualified for the playoffs, because that was a goal. But, you know, we'll feel like we lost points tonight, and they probably will as well, and we feel like we could have won the game.”
There were performances worth celebrating even if the result left FCC players wanting more. Noonan individually highlighted those defenders mentioned above for their stand out efforts. The Head Coach also highlighted the intensity and defensive pressure was exemplary. That despite plenty of fouls and some physical play that, at times, may have hurt them in the moment, the mindset was exactly what he was looking for.
“I think for me, in general, it’s how the coach wanted us to play,” midfielder Obinna Nwobodo said postgame in regards to how intensity was the biggest key to success for FCC on the night. “He had a specific way he wanted us to play in this particular game. We had a little bit of time to learn and prepare so everyone was ready, everyone was involved.
“That was what we planned. Sometimes it wasn't what we wanted, but majority of the time, yeah, that's how we wanted to play. That's how the coach wanted us to play.”
“I know there were a lot of fouls out there on our end, but I liked the intensity of how we tried to get pressure on the ball to make them uncomfortable,” Noonan explained in his press conference. “You have to be very certain in those moments so you don't get exposed and find yourself running to your own goal. But I think in a lot of ways, we got the moments right. I give a lot of credit to the backline. That was a big ask for those guys having not played together and playing out in position.”
Columbus is already a challenging team as it is, but hampered by suspensions leaving the back line exposed, FC Cincinnati answered the call Saturday night in terms of mindset and intensity. That’s a definitive positive to take away from the night.
But after those quick platitudes, the focus quickly shifted.
Attention to what comes next defined the night. FC Cincinnati clinched a playoff spot Saturday night with the draw. Another thing to celebrate; they would have clinched if they had lost given results around the league, but that didn’t happen so that’s a moot point. Regardless, clinching a playoff spot was a goal for the season, and Noonan himself highlighted that as cause for a short celebration. For all the success the club has seen under the third year Head Coach, there were times in this clubs history where clinching a playoff spot would have been more than they could hope for, so appreciation is warranted.
“It's hard to do, and we strive for consistency, and consistency for our group and our expectations is to be a playoff team and then be a top seed and be playing games at home in the playoffs,” Pat Noonan said of clinching a playoff spot. So while he wants to acknowledge the achievement, a slight zoom back shows even in that context Noonan is thinking about what is next after clinching. After clinching a playoff spot, you have to clinch home field advantage, and less than seven after saying “our expectation is to be a playoff team,” the goal moves to the next level.
It is, in many ways, this exact mindset that exemplifies how FC Cincinnati have achieved what they have over the past three years. Some versions of the words “we’re focusing on one game at a time,” are so routinely used by not only Noonan but his players and other staff members as well that it is sort of a catch phrase. There is only the next game, that is all you can control. But if you control each game individually, you eventually put together a full season of rewards.
So what does ‘come next?’ FC Cincinnati now quickly turns around to play two matches next week, both on the road, to make for a very stressful three-games in eight days. The six points on the line matter greatly as there is still playoff seeding and Concacaf Champions Cup spots to clinch. But the more important thing to work forward to is FC Cincinnati getting healthy, getting available, and building towards the playoff push.
“It's been hard for us to consistently put the same team out there and it feels like we're always moving things around to try to get our best group out there, and that's tough for a group to consistently look the same and execute,” Noonan explained “Like I said, (the players) work. They have the right approach to it. And now can we get guys healthy, avoiding suspension, and in a position where we can get some consistency with our starting 11 to close out the year.
“I wouldn't say we've found our identity. You see tonight, there are just moments where plays break down because of lack of probably consistency and relationships. That's been the whole year for a variety of reasons - injuries, international breaks, suspensions.”As solid as the FC Cincinnati defensive effort was Saturday, the offense was just a bit off. This likely fueled the frustration of players like Acosta who saw the opportunities, but they were just inches (or shorter) off each time. On multiple occasions FC Cincinnati had done all the work needed to earn a chance on goal Saturday night, but when the final moment came, one player would go left and the other would send the ball right (or some variation of that idea) because the two just weren’t connected on the same idea.
Acosta and, for example, newcomer Niko Gioacchini showed real promise as an offensive partnership on the night, but on multiple occasions failed to connect in the final moments. Despite the lack of output, Gioacchini (playing in his first start with Acosta) played his finest game in Orange and Blue. But the lack of relationship made for a missed connection.
“If we want to be winning games, we have to get more of those moments right in transition and how we attack the goal,” Noonan continued. “ Columbus defended in a good way tonight and there were probably a handful of moments where maybe the shot wasn't there, but the movements and the pass is where we were off because there was opportunity, but we didn't take those moments well. It's part of what we need to improve on as we move forward because tonight, you could see it was not our best attacking performance.”
In 2024, consistency in lineups has been nearly impossible for FCC. Between suspension, injury, international duty and any other hindrance, lineups have been put together based on what best suits the group currently available. Meaning it's been a challenge to create those relationships in game. Even institutional mainstays like Acosta have been out for extended stretches that have hampered the ability to build connective tissue throughout the season. Now with key players, attackers and defenders, needing to be woven in, there is still plenty of work to do.
“The goal is just to continue to improve. You know, we have a lot of players in this locker room who've just recently joined us,” Acosta explained. “I don't want to miss any more games this season. We need to continue to improve, we're continuing to work on that. You've got Niko (Gioacchini) who arrived very recently, he's still getting accustomed, but we'll continue to improve."
A testament to just how turbulent this season has been, and the bumps FCC has survived while reaching this point; FC Cincinnati has not yet started the same lineup twice this season, and only five times has a combination of defenders been repeated.
But a reprieve is on the way. And with that reprieve is targeted work to be done.
“I think we go into this next game as healthy and with as many options as we have had,” Noonan explained the reason for optimism. “The goal for us needs to be to maintain that over this final stretch so that we can have consistency with our selection and with our starting 11, and that's just something that, for a variety of reasons, hasn't happened. But I think if we want to have a strong end to the season and have a strong playoff run, it needs to be with players available in depth and competition in our squad. Certainly that'll be important.”
All that being equal. While FC Cincinnati had praises lauded on them by pleased fans and an impressed national media sphere, The Orange and Blue said ‘there’s more work to be done.’
That work starts now, and there are six more regular season games to put that work in and in the best position they've been in all year.
