When FC Cincinnati begins its 2019 preseason Monday, the day also marks a week since the club made its last pick in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft. Then, FCC selected forward Rashawn Dally with the first pick of the third round (No. 49 overall).
With the draft in the past, Head Coach Alan Koch reflected on the expansion side’s picks and said it was a good draft. MLSsoccer.com rated the team’s picks as an A+.
Here’s what Koch said of the six players selected:
Position: center-attacking midfielder
“We have a really young, talented project player in Frankie. I think it’s huge for us to bring in a guy like him for a club that doesn’t have an academy. It’s something that’s very, very exciting to get to work with him.”
Position: right back
“In terms of bringing in Logan, I think he’s a great, young, talented fullback. You can see we have some talented fullbacks in our group. I’m excited to see how he does, but I know we have role models at the club that he can learn from at the same time.”
Position: defensive midfielder
“I think Tommy’s just a simple player who does all the things rights. Players like that aren’t the flashiest players, you don’t really see them that much when you’re watching a game, but it you’re actually coaching a game and watching a player individually, you can see a lot of the quality things he does. I’m excited to see how he performs in preseason.”
Jimmy Hague, No. 30 overall
Ben Lundt, No. 37 overall
Position: goalkeeper
“Obviously getting Ben and Jimmy is fantastic because we need to bring in some young keepers — guys that can come in and fight for a job. I’m excited to see how both of them do with Spencer [Richey] and [Przemysław Tytoń] in preseason.”
Rashawn Dally, No. 49 overall
Position: forward
Going and getting Rashawn is something different. We don’t really have too many out-and-out attacking, dynamic speedsters in our squad right now. We needed that sort of profile and we’re excited to see how he does, too.
Getting younger
While the SuperDraft was an opportunity to find talent that could play a part in FCC’s present and future plans, it was also a chance to get younger. Koch said that could be crucial for the squad.
“You want to have a good spread across the team, he said. “You don’t want to be too young or too old. But as we build this, it’s so unique because we don’t have the academy yet, so we’re just trying to bring in the right players who will help us be successful right out of the gates.
“Age is just a number. It really doesn’t have any bearing on playing time whatsoever. I’m excited to bring in Frankie and Hassan as young players, but at the same time, I’m excited to bring in some of the older players, too. We’re on the cusp of preseason now. It’s going to be exciting to pull all the pieces together.”
