Last season the Orange and Blue had a reality check of
what is Major League Soccer all about but is normal for an expansion team to
have its share of struggles but in the end, this made its directives to plan
ahead for this side future.
For a team situated in the Midwest and started getting
all sorts of headlines since that record attendance against Premiership side
Crystal Palace from its USL, and consequently n their days in its minor league
days.
This is when the league top brass didn’t hesitate to
bring professional soccer to Queen City, making it the 24th
expansion team to make its debut in 2019 with the promises of building their
own stadium to be open in 2021.
In the meantime, these have used Nippert Stadium to call
home for quite some time, as this University of Cincinnati venue, is when this team came into primetime and netted all sorts of headlines.
However, reality stinks and in their debut season that
saw the demise of their former USL manager in South African Alan Koch getting
the boot and replaced by interim France’s Yoann Damet later replaced by
Netherlands great Ron Jans for 2020.
As last season the Orange and Blue record in 34 games was
of 6 wins, 22 losses and 6 draws finishing in the Eastern Conference cellar and
24th place overall in the league final standings.
Still, that was then and now the Queen City team is
looking forward to building up a contender for their new man in the helm that last season had its share of troubles after taking over in August with a record in
six matches of one win, one draw and four losses.
As the team builds up a contender in what seems to be
another contested season in all Major League Soccer the club directives have
been busy at work in building a winner for manager Ron Jans.
Among the first needs, the club is in need is to be
building a strong and more creative midfield with the additions of Jimmy
McLaughlin III their USL academy, Moroccan national Adrian Regattin from
Akhisarspor of the Turkish League and Bosnian Haris Medunjanin from the Philadelphia
Union.
Going forward with three strikers acquired in Jurgen
Locadia on loan as a designated player from Brighton Hove & Albion from
England’s Premiership, another DP in Yuyo Kubo from FC Nuremberg and Brandon
Vazquez from Atlanta United 2.
On the defensive side the arrivals of goalkeeper Bobby
Edwards, Saad Abdul- Salaam from the Seattle Sounders and USL side Tacoma
Defiance and Tom Pettersson from Östersunds FK of the Swedish League.
With the team currently on its preseason, for manager
Jans the idea is to adapt the returning players with the new arrivals to build upon that in what is to be his starting eleven for their away opener on March
1 against the New York Red Bulls.
By the way, this club has reinforced many of its most areas
of need, per FC Cincy's new manager asking for experience alongside young talent
to build on that a total contender to face off a very contested Eastern Conference
pack.
In the end, FC Cincinnati if everything falls as a plan by
its manager and directives, the Orange and Blue for sure they can have a decorous
run into their first postseason but will not be among the top three spots,
maybe a finish in sixth place.
Post Contents and Property of Fern Mc Costigan © Copyright
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Photos Credit, Courtesy and Property of © Football Club Cincinnati
2020
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