The talk of FC Cincinnati became, as the season wore on, a real spectacle of the obstacles Pat Noonan and his coaching staff had to manage in order to put the best team on the field possible each and every night. As the regular season came to a close, it became clearer that FCC had yet to repeat a starting lineup in regular season play. Some investigating revealed that FCC had not only not repeated the same lineup across any game this season regardless of competition but also had yet to even use the same 11 players to start in any two matches.
It was not a conscious choice to continue rotating the lineup for the sake of rotating the lineup or to reach some milestone for most lineups. FCC has been plagued with unlucky injury fortunes this season, along with international call-ins that have interrupted the vast majority of the season. Noonan has continued to preach a desire for stability but has also prioritized putting the best possible lineup on the field each and every night as the Orange and Blue continue to push for trophies and seeding in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Noonan also, at times, expressed regret for not baking in more continuity in lineups or positions to build some more chemistry and consistency. Pointing towards some players, like Yuya Kubo, who have been excellent at any role they've been asked to play in but have been moved around their fair share. The Head Coach has suggested that giving them a singular role may have been more ideal or desired, but these are the cards that have been dealt.
So, as the MLS Cup Playoffs kicked off, the question remained: 'will this streak of new lineups continue?' And, to the surprise of many, the answer was no, the streak was halted and the same lineup as the one chosen for a successful Decision Day victory was selected again for Round One Game 1 of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
"I think tonight was the second game that we could put out the same lineup," Yamil Asad reminded the FC Cincinnati press corps Monday night. "I think it's something that we need to keep in mind, because there is no team in the world that could play well without being consistent."
Its a funny sentiment from the player as he is not wrong in that consistency is preferred, Noonan along with everyone else in the FCC leadership space has similarly identified that, but FC Cincinnati has found some degree of success even with the constant change. Finishing third in the Eastern Conference wasn't the stated goal of the team in preseason sure, but it's a far cry from awful. A note that Asad would later acknowledge with a smile of realization and a laugh.
"I say it's tough," Asad continued. "You know, you want to know your teammates. Know the movement, know the team. But yeah, here we are, second game, second win. We are going in the right way."
A two-game streak in stability is hardly a streak at this point. A third game would perhaps lend itself to that name, but the results are hard to contest. Moreover, consistency in other places around the lineup works as examples in their own small ways.
Since his injury, Luciano Acosta has returned to the lineup, and his return to form has thus followed that same level of game-in and game-out composer. The defensive back line of Miles Robinson, Chidozie Awaziem and Teenage Hadebe is similarly growing and meshing together. Obinnna Nwobodo and Pavel Bucha have been mainstays in the midfield, but with stability around them, their performances have equally risen to the occasion.
"For me, I base football on confidence. I think everything revolves around confidence, and consistency is part of that," FCC captain Luciano Acosta said Monday. "Confidence is contagious, and so when you're winning, and the team is confident, that spreads for everybody. You have the same mentality.
"I think it's really hard to have consistency over the course of an entire season. For us, I think after that Leagues Cup break, there were obviously some injuries. I was injured, but it was really hard to have consistency. Look at where we were in the playoffs last year, and we made it to the conference final. I believe that we can go for even more this year. So it's about having that confidence and the consistency that comes from winning."
A repeat lineup could be possible again, but injury could impact that dream again. DeAndre Yedlin was removed from the game at halftime in Game 1 due to back pain, but Noonan assured the defender is now just Day-to-Day and trained with the team on Thursday. Alvas Powell, who subbed in at half, has been a reliable substitute on the right wing and could certainly return to that role with little change otherwise to the lineup's production.
More so, for Head Coach Pat Noonan, replicating the details of the performance is the most important key for Game 2 of the series.
"I hope it looks similar to this performance," Noonan said heading into Game 2. "We know it's going to be very difficult to go there and be able to maintain this level. We won't have that (the fans) behind us. The fans were outstanding tonight. It felt different. And so, that part we're going to have to overcome and then be confident to go on the road and try to beat a really good team."
The Game 2 matchup, set to be played at Citi Field in Queens, New York, is a near deja vu set up to the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One. Last year, FC Cincinnati went to New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Arena looking for a victory and secured the advancement in a shootout. This year, FCC will again need to take on a tough opponent in New York needing to advance.
Now, in the second year of this format, there may be lessons learned for the 2024 season.
"They started in a similar fashion, as far as taking advantage of our home field and going into Game 2 with a lead. I think that's important. Sure, at the end of the game, if something were to happen and you have to go straight into a penalty shootout, what are our options and being prepared for that? I don't want to be thinking so much about that, you lose confidence in the group to finish the game. But yes, you know if we were to concede a goal, who's taking a PK," Noonan explained. "I had a thought at one point, but I also had a lot more confidence that our guys were going to finish the game, than the need to win in a shootout."
