FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan had one more surprise up his sleeve for the final match of the regular season. The pledge of the surprise was setting up this match for all of its importance; winning the match was vital to not only turning the momentum around for FCC but also clinching a Concacaf Champions Cup spot. The turn was playing 41 different starting lineups in 41 matches across all competitions this season (for many reasons, mostly outside of his control) leading into that game and keeping viewers and opposing teams alike guessing.
The prestige of this surprise was starting Luca Orellano at striker, something we had not seen even an inkling of this season and providing a 42nd unique lineup in the 42nd game of the season.
"We thought his speed could be a threat tonight in some of the things that we worked on," Noonan explained postgame. "Just to create some isolation for him."
References to excellent Christopher Nolan movies aside, the start of Orellano as a striker caught many by surprise. The 24-year-old Argentine winger has played as a wingback and attacking midfielder this season but has yet to be a true number 9. He's also been a winger (further up the field) in his time in South America before coming to Cincinnati, but rarely (he says) as a striker since turning pro.
Noonan has, in the past, referred to the need for tactical and positional versatility. Being good at many styles of play or systems is a way to be one of the best teams in the league. Being unpredictable is an important way to avoid falling into an opponent's traps. Most recently, he referenced LAFC as an example of this, and their ability to play in multiple ways is why it's so hard to prepare for them. LAFC, unbeknownst to Noonan at the time of selecting Orellano at Striker, would go on to win the Western Conference with a dramatic Decision Day flurry. Proof positive of Noonan's praise.
Starting Luca Orellano as a striker was not simply a random act with the intention of being unpredictable; being radical for the sake of it rarely (if ever) works and, quite frankly, isn't Pat Noonan's style. But using that final card in the deck did potentially open Pandora's Box.
Because Luca Orellano, recently named Finalist for MLS Newcomer of the Year, looked outstanding at striker despite it being his debut performance.
"You could see it's not just about running behind. I think he had a good feel for, in certain moments, coming off the line and playing in the midfield and being able to face goal and attack 1v1 which opened up our wing backs and it opened up Yuya (Kubo) and Lucho (Acosta) in different ways," Pat Noonan explained after the match.
While the new striker did not score Saturday night on Decision Day against Philadelphia Union, in fact, only fellow Argentine Yamil Asad scored for The Orange and Blue in the 2-1 victory as the Union provided the second goal in an own goal. But for all 70 minutes, Orellano played before making way for Niko Gioacchini, the freshly minted member of the striker room, was goal-dangerous, and FCC dominated play with him at the top.
Orellano put on four shots, two on target and generated 0.32 xG independently. He also contributed two key passes and got fouled twice. But probably most importantly, Orellano's play in connection with his teammates was what dazzled most. The interplay, passing, and dribbling with the ball Orellano displayed allowed for possession in the opponent's half and kept FCC as the dominant side during the entire match. It wasn't always perfect, but the vision was clear, and the performance was impressive.
"Yeah, there was a bit of risk in that," Noonan said of starting a player in a new position in such an important matchup. "If you're looking at our goal threats, as far as personnel and who's contributed pretty consistently, it's been the three that were up top today, with Lucho, Yuya and Luca.
"There were still a few moments where I think he could have been more patient along with Yuya just staying a little bit higher to create some space for Lucho, or to, at times, keep their outside back deep so we could free up DeAndre and Yamil. But, for having not played in that specific role up to this point, I thought he did a good job."
The knock-on effect of Orellano as a striker was having Yamil Asad and DeAndre Yedlin on the field at wingback. Asad scored the equalizing goal for FCC right before halftime, and Yedlin's defensive leadership and versatility were key to seeing out a victory.
"It was a combination of things," Noonan elaborated on the result. "Yamil's been playing really well… he gets the goal tonight, so he's also somebody that we think can make plays out of that position. DeAndre, his leadership, fitness getting up and down, those are some of the things that factored into it.
Orellano was short after the match in evaluating his own performance. He described (via an interpreter) that the position was new to him, and the coaches really helped him prepare for it, but he enjoyed it. He also said he would gladly play there again but would do his best no matter where the coaching staff plays him.
Teenage Hadebe to play an important role
The newest member of The Orange and Blue continues to get settled into his new club and is continuing to see his role increase as he gets acclimatized. Teenage Hadebe, who signed a free agent deal with FCC prior to the roster freeze date, has started three matches now in his brief time and subbed on for a fourth.
By playing 82 minutes on Saturday night in Philadelphia, he made his longest appearance of the season and longest appearance in MLS since last October when he played a full 90 for Houston Dynamo FC. He had played minutes in his stop overseas in Türkiye before returning to MLS, but the nearly full-match performance pointed to his capabilities heading into the MLS Cup Playoffs.
"He played almost 80 odd minutes. So he's out there because we trust him and we think he can help us win games," Noonan said of Hadebe after the 2-1 win over Philly. "I think Teenage grew into the game and how he handled the direct play and the moments we had composure to connect passes, his timing of his tackles were very good. So we see him helping us as we go into the playoffs."
Noonan also noted that Hadebe has had a challenging transition to the team, not only with his late arrival but also with his regular call-ins to the Zimbabwe national team. The Warriors are on the precipice of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations, and his contributions have been key to that success. So, while he hasn't missed any matches while on duty, flying back to Africa during International Windows has disrupted his training schedule.
The same goes for Miles Robinson (for example), who has been a regular call-in to the United States squad. However, the additional travel overseas and the shortened runway have certainly made things harder for Hadebe.
Noonan says the next level of performance comes from getting the 29-year-old defender more comfortable with the system and getting his fellow defenders to communicate with him when confusion or challenges arise.
"He struggled in a couple situations early on with just being able to communicate the release from Yamil to [Nathan] Harriel at times when (Philly) were moving the ball along the back line and shifting over and dealing with [Quinn] Sullivan. But like I said, he lacked some of the preparation that the other guys did and I think you could see that in some of those moments," Noonan explained. "What we said to Miles (Robinson) was you've got to be able to communicate and release him when he felt we were secure with himself, Chido (Awaziem), Pavel (Bucha) and Obi (Nwobodo) in front and DeAndre (Yedlin) on the weak side."
"I thought that could have been better in the first 20 or 25 minutes, but then it improved."
Hadebe will have three weeks of uninterrupted training now before he could rejoin Zimbabwe for the next international window where The Warriors face Kenya and Cameroon, and they need just one point from those two matches to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, beginning in Morocco in December 2025. A call-up has yet to be announced, but given the last few windows, it seems likely.
Noonan highlighted that going into the match with Philly, the two weeks of training were vital to getting the squad on the same page, and the performance paid off that hard work. So, with the full team together for the entirety of Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs, building together for success seems more possible than ever.
