Know Thy Enemy: FC Cincinnati Preview with Laurel Pfahler
A completely normal preview for a completely normal double game CCL week for both New England and Cincinnati.
Normally the space above our usual Q&A game previews is reserved for analysis or a tidbit column on my thoughts ahead of the match.
Today is different, because this week has been very different for our fellow writer Laurel Pfahler of Queen City Press who normally covers FC Cincinnati as well as being a beat writer for the NFL Bengals for the Dayton Daily News.
For those unaware, Laurel’s team press credential was revoked by FC Cincinnati for two weeks, which she quite rightly announced on her Patreon site because her paying subscribers should know why there might be a change in her coverage. FC Cincinnati then seemed compelled to respond to their own allegations with a special statement on their website, one they curiously did not feel the need to post on social media.
This story has gotten so much coverage it has made such venerable sites such as ESPN FC and Awful Announcing, as well as all of soccer Twitter taking FC Cincy to task over Laurel doing her job. Jeff Carlisle’s article on ESPN cites multiple anonymous FC Cincy sources as to the stories Cincinnati might have had a problem with but offers no further clarity or accuracy to the situation. Surely these must have gotten their media department’s blessing otherwise they’d have to suspend Jeff’s credential as well.
What this seems like to just about everyone is a strong arm tactic by Cincy over coverage they did not like, and since they won’t publicly give a specific example that makes sense to anyone and refuse to clarify what specifically is wrong about Laurel’s reporting, they’re learning about the Streisand Effect in real time.
MLS naturally had no comment on the situation to ESPN, which is not surprising since they already have too many losing public relations campaigns on the referee lockout the US Open Cup to deal with another. The North American Soccer Reporters group are however involved and per the ESPN story they do a heck of a job backing up Laurel from FC Cincinnati’s statement where they tried to cite professional standards to someone who knows how to do their job.
“NASR told ESPN it had been advised by the Society of Professional Journalists that ‘We are unaware that Cincinnati attempted to use our guidelines as a mechanism to deny access to a journalist. We do not encourage or condone the denial of press credentials for journalists who conduct themselves professionally.’ ”
Out of professional courtesy and because it’s none of my business, we did not ask Laurel any questions regarding the situation with FC Cincy but wanted to shed light onto her situation and lend our support in our usual preview space. As always, we thank her for her time and efforts in answering our questions today and hope her time spent collaborating with us brought some semblance of normalcy to what I can only imagine is a very difficult week.
You can find my answers over on Laurel’s site if you sign up via Patreon like I did for the year but there are monthly options available for great FC Cincy coverage and other independent sites and contributors around the league that deserve as much support as we can give them.
I also wanted to remind the powers that be in MLS and sports in general that the media, fans, supporters, and others that love this sport were here long before you held titles like commissioner, team president, and director of media relations. And we will be here long after you retire or move on. And we will be the ones that write and remember your legacy of the sport you say you hold so dear. And we have very, very long memories.
The actions from MLS and its teams this year speak very loudly to the soccer community. You would do well to listen when we speak back louder.
Onto the preview…
TBM: Monterrey knocked out FC Cincinnati behind two Brandon Vazquez goals across the series. I know Vazquez didn't celebrate the goal in Cincy but were there a lot of mixed emotions at TQL Stadium and how did the team play overall in the CCC?
LP: There were a lot of mixed emotions among fans. They loved Vazquez for the contributions he made in turning FC Cincinnati around in 2022 and just the human being he was. He was easy to support because he worked hard and always said the right things. I would say most wanted to acknowledge him, but many were torn on how to make the game difficult for him as a visiting player. There were some boos, some claps, but I think everyone appreciated that he did not celebrate his goal. Instead he clasped his hands together toward the crowd as a sign of appreciation.
FC Cincinnati played really well in Champions Cup, but it has been clear in all of its games the offense is still finding its rhythm. The chances are there, so that's at least a good sign, but the lack of finishing has been rough to witness. Even in the first CCC game at Cavalier, while FCC was clearly the dominant team, it took a goal at the end of each half to gain the 2-0 advantage going into the home leg. In the second leg, Pat Noonan rotated with hopes the "kids" could get the job done and they did with an impressive 4-0 result where backups contributed on all four goals. Against, Monterrey, it was more of the same. Great chances, controlled the game for large chunks but no finishing. The defense, on the other hand, has been a positive.
While the results showed FCC wasn’t good enough against Monterrey, it was always going to be tough against the top team in Concacaf. Monterrey benefited from being in midseason form, while FCC showed not to be quite ready for the challenge. And it’s clear the offseason roster build still isn’t complete.
TBM: Speaking of losing Vazquez, who did Cincy sign as a replacement up top and how are they doing so far in 2024? Has Pat Noonan had to make a major formation change up top as well?
LP: FC Cincinnati has not yet replaced Vazquez, which contributes to the early struggles on offense. Corey Baird was brought in as the so-called upgrade on Dom Badji - a player that can start games and fill an important role, but not expected to be an 18-goal scorer. He’s ideally more of a facilitator in the offense, and to expect he would repeat an 8-goal 2023 campaign after not really showing to be a consistent finisher previously was probably not realistic. He’s still a solid addition. He’s had chances so perhaps he just needs some time in the system, but FCC is still looking at forwards.
As far as the formation, Noonan hasn’t made changes but not having a target forward like Vazquez, the buildup in this offense is even more important. I also notice Roman Celentano distributing more to the wingbacks and center backs than booting it down field like he did with Vazquez.
TBM: Two home games and two 0-0 draws to Toronto and DC United, any concerns from those two games or are those results likely from heavy fixture congestion in the early season with the extra CCC games?
LP: I think the fixture congestion played a factor for sure because there was rotation for D.C. and against Toronto, it was a lot of new faces on the field together for the first time. Aaron Boupendza and Luca Orellano had not been on the trip to Cavalier, and FCC had to replace six starters from last year.
Those games might have created some concerns over the attack, but again with the CCC games, it was not surprising. I think in the end those extra games are going to help unlock the offense. There is enough talent with guys like Luciano Acosta and Boupendza, and newcomers like Orellano, Pavel Bucha and DeAndre Yedlin - once they figure it out together, the goals will start flowing.
Injuries/Predictions/Etc
FC Cincinnati put everything it could into CCC, plus the travel is tough, so I think you’ll see a bit of rotation, but with no midweek game coming up, perhaps it’s not as needed. I could see Corey Baird maybe getting a rest on the bench, since he’s been starting every game, and since DeAndre Yedlin played 84 minutes Thursday at Monterrey, this could be a game Alvas Powell starts. Miles Robinson will be leaving for the Nations League semifinals with the U.S. national team this week but should be available. It’s just hard to know if they would start him or give him a break before Thursday’s semifinal game against Jamaica. I am going to guess he’s on the bench just to account for all the travel. Obinna Nwobodo likely is out because of a leg contusion suffered in last weekend’s game against D.C. United. Otherwise, everyone should be available, I believe.
3-4-1-2: Celentano; Murphy, Miazga, Keller; Orellano, Bucha, Pinto, Powell; Acosta; Boupendza, Santos
Maybe I am wrong and we see FCC go for it on the road, but the travel just makes me think Pat Noonan might need to adjust the lineup. The turf also throws a wrinkle. I’m going to predict we see another draw, 1-1, which would be satisfying at this stage and under these conditions.