CLEARWATER – After the last friendly, FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan expressed some concern over the clubs short term development and prospects given where he felt the team was at and where they should be with three weeks to go before the start of MLS play.
“We’re behind,” Noonan said bluntly, pointing towards a lack of continuity and progression in specific phases of the match.
But this week, in a 4-1 result with four unanswered goals after conceding early, Noonan said this match was the best performance of preseason and that contributions from across the board led to an encouraging path forward.
“I was really pleased after, I would say, a slow first 20 minutes where we struggled to deal with a good Philly press, but, a lot of progress with the ball. I think we had our best moments of preseason,” Noonan said in a Zoom call from Clearwater, Florida. “That was some strong play…really pleased with the progress.”
FCC conceded a goal in the eighth minute of the match on a corner kick served in from Kai Wagner that Jakob Glesnes was able to glance off his head and in for a goal. But from there it was all FC Cincinnati, scoring three times before the initial 90 minutes was up and again for a fourth and final goal in the additional 30 minute period FCC and Philadelphia and agreed to play regardless of the score.
Defensively Pat Noonan had been pleased with the defensive effort and performance FCC has had in each of the previous matches, and that persisted for this match. It was how FCC was able to progress with the ball, move through pressure and ultimately attack on goal that pleased Noonan most this time around.
“With the ball is where technically we needed to improve. Spacing, movement, we saw some really nice improvement there and and I think the contributions were kind of across the board, with the goals we scored and with how everybody was involved,” Noonan explained. “So that's where I probably am more optimistic and more pleased, because that's where we needed to improve the most.”
Pavel Bucha scored the first goal of the match for FCC in the 61st minute when the midfielder made a brilliant open field tackle to strip the Union defender of a pass meant for him delivered by keeper Andre Blake. Bucha pushed forward with a teammate on his flank to draw the attention of the rest of Philly’s defense before putting a strike on to the far post, beating the keeper for his second goal of the preseason.
With absences still making an impact on selection opportunities (with illness and fitness playing a factor in Friday’s process) Bucha was asked to play further up the field again in more of an attacking role rather than his typical defensive positioning. Bucha has been effective in the roll, at the very least scoring twice in two matches now, but that's not the preferred role Noonan would like to deploy him in moving forward.
But it is nice to have that skill in the back pocket. With the Concacaf Champions Cup looming and the aforementioned uncertainty still around, Bucha has played the role elsewhere and as Noonan prepares for the tournament and start of the season, having the ability to use him there may prove useful.
“That's not where we see him moving forward. But you know, in the past, he's played there in a more attacking role. So I wouldn't say it's completely new to him, but for us, it is,” Noonan explained. “So for me, it's getting the guys that you know we need to improve with fitness, and you know who we think are going to contribute when we start Champions Cup, when we start the beginning of the season.”
“So that was the decision to move him up and have Brian Anunga move next to Obinna Nwobodo – who I thought, Brian's been excellent for us through three games, his trainings, all of it – so it was allowed us to push him a little bit more and see him next to Obi for another game. But ideally, Pavel will be deeper, and those guys will be competing for minutes.”
It was Nwobodo who had the second goal shortly after the first. Just five minutes later a cross into the area allowed Nwobodo to pick up a loose ball at the top of the box and the defensive midfielder was able to swing a left footed shot off the post and in.
Before the end of the 90 minutes the third goal came when MLS SuperDraft selection Ben Augee lofted a floating cross over the defenders and onto a charging Bret Halsey, who took a one-touch shot and buried it to make it 3-1.
The fourth goal finally put the match on ice in the added 30 minute period when FC Cincinnati 2 defender Andrei Chirila played a direct pass through the defensive lines and onto Kenji Mboma Dem. The FCC 2 forward then popped a shot over the rushing keeper that rolled gently into the back of the net.
“The contributions were kind of across the board, with the goals we scored,” Noonan explained. “The passing sequence leading up to Obi’s goal was excellent. I think it's 15, 20 passes before we got into the box…with Brett's goal it was another very good build sequence, good runs in the box, and a very good cross from Ben with Brett finishing the play off.”
The lone worrying moment came just before the first 45 minute period finished. Kévin Denkey leaped for an aerial duel against Glesnes and the two clanged heads against each other. Denkey, FC Cincinnati’s new reported record signing, seemed to get the worse of it. Significant swelling immediately affected the area around his eye and he was removed from the match with assistance from the medical staff.
Noonan confirmed though that the injury sustained was day-to-day, Denkey had not sustained a concussion of any kind and was working with a local doctor to drop the swelling.
Given what could have been, it was a fortunate update. But the biggest missed opportunity was that Denkey was removed after only 40 minutes with Luca Orellano and no time with Yuya Kubo, both of who played their first preseason minutes with the club in this match.
“They are two key players for us, so getting them working together consistently is important heading into a busy start to the season,” Noonan said of the partnership specifically between Orellano and Denkey as the two did play together. With Orellano reporting late to preseason camp and then being delayed in game action due to a hip injury, it had become a point of concern from the Head Coach after the last match that the key players on the squad did not have enough time to gel before the start of the season.
“We saw in the week, two weeks, I guess, leading up to this game, when they were working together in training, some really good combinations. Good recognition of how we attack goal,” Noonan continued. “We saw some good moments. Unfortunately, we are at a point where having them on the field for a longer period of time isn't, or wasn't a possibility. So we'll look to continue to build on the 45 that they had, or close to 45 minutes, that they had together. But I see that relationship will only improve.”
With only one friendly match left in preseason before the club heads to Honduras for the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup time is slowly dropping out of the hour glass and opportunities for relatively risk free experimentation and familiarization are, effectively, gone. But with this result, with this performance, Noonan is at a place where whoever is selected for the upcoming matches, the team will be ready to compete.
“I'm confident that whoever we put out there is going to be prepared,” Noonan said in the Zoom call. “I think day by day, piece by piece, it's getting better. But, you know, we certainly have a long way to go.”
Up next for The Orange and Blue, FC Cincinnati will take on Atlanta United on Wednesday, February 12 at IMG Academy for the fourth and final preseason match of the season.