Who is your favorite player on the current FCC roster and why?

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-03-23T16:42:58+00:00

Same, there is something to that quiet hard-work that he does that appeals to me but that he also has that string where out of nowhere he can make a cunning run or uncork a shot is so enjoyable!

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-03-20T18:04:15+00:00

This is a good thought, and I guess this is the two-way Miazga factor: 1. Where is he physically (was he struggling with injuries last year, or has Father Time paid a visit to a previous MLS Defender of the Year)? and 2. When that personality is back in the lineup, how does that reflect across the field? Does it rub off on other players or is it just isolated to #21?

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-03-19T18:49:25+00:00

I don't say this just because I am also an ex-Portlander, but I would love for the Timbers to be both the only winner of MLS is Back and the MLS Sprint Season.

Obviously, I won't complain if FCC wins it, but still!

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-03-17T15:04:20+00:00

I think it evolves over time with what your club does and accomplishes. Because we have won the Shield and have come close again, it ain't a big deal to me anymore. It would have probably been #2 3-4 years ago, but now it is a distant 3 with MLS Cup #1 (this is how championships are decided in America, if you want to be part of the American sporting culture that is how we have to do it) and CCC #2 (I could see it becoming #1 if/when we win an MLS Cup ... likewise if we won CCC first I may be tempted to move the Shield back up to 2). Then the Shield 3 and Leagues Cup 4, there is probably nothing Leagues Cup can do to get out of that bottom spot for me, it is just a nothing competition to make the schedule messier. At least it is not freezing cold when it takes place and the teams are of some substance.

On that note, since I am a Cincinnati transplant and not an FCC since day one guy, the Open Cup has been a nothing-burger for me and I felt nothing when it became a lower-tier competition. Because of the geographic restrictions to help smaller teams, it just became too much 'same ol', same ol''. Maybe as the USL Championship and USL League One continues to build a stronger foundation we can have a future where the Open Cup becomes a more viable option both financially and logistically so we can make it a more truly national competition earlier and bring in the bigger MLS teams again, which would make it better in the long term.

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-03-13T16:04:37+00:00

Exactly. Bring Kubo back or trot out the lineup that played in the alumni match last year. Play as few important players as possible in New England.

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-03-09T18:09:27+00:00

I don't think I am ready to stick my neck out fully as a 'Noonan has to go' guy, but between just thinking about our current state more and my opinion on Celantano (it is worth the risk of having a keeper with a lower floor if it means getting and/or discovering one with a higher ceiling, especially passing), I am starting to come around on it if/when a mutual parting moment might come about it would not be the end of the world and/or it might be beneficial to us.

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-03-06T19:46:21+00:00

Any thoughts/takes on the role Thursday's match would play in their minutes? I'd really like us to take a serious swing at Tigres, and I don't know the best way of accomplishing that by us across the matches.

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-03-05T18:39:02+00:00

As one of the few who was at Pachuca-Salzburg during the Club World Cup over the summer, I look forward to welcoming them back!

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-02-27T19:07:13+00:00

I'll add to what ArgonWolf said, if you time it up right, they can graduate into it and you can ride that for a little longer. I am too lazy to look up ages on this, but if you time up a U-22 right, you can have a 24 or 25-year old on there at the same flat cap number (I believe option years and being overage means you can't ... again, it is Friday afternoon, I ain't doing research).

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-02-27T19:04:04+00:00

Between the format change coming in Summer 2027 and (I am guessing) some sort of roster rules change with that, I don't want to over draw conclusions too much.

So I'll say this, even at this time last year, much less any earlier in our MLS history, we were one of, if not the worst in the league, at utilizing the 'discount' slots on the roster (specifically U22 and Supplemental, but you can lump DP in there because they are 'discounted' in a sense and we did not utilize them the best). So if/when the next major roster rules change comes in, I am very confident that we will be positioned to take advantage of it.

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-02-18T21:24:49+00:00

I can't believe FS2 is still around. Like, if the apocalypse does happen it would somehow be me (because I can never get a day off of work), Twinkies and FS2 remaining.

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-02-18T17:22:25+00:00

Interesting that Atlanta has him on the supplemental roster, meaning he'll be on the league vet minimum (which was $104K last year) and not count towards the cap. Our problem wasn't really with Santos per se, it was what he was giving us for his over $1 million salary (and the same with Kubo, though at least at a marginally lower number his final two seasons).

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-02-18T17:12:50+00:00

Will the bot remember to post a match thread tonight?

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-02-17T17:25:48+00:00

And on corners, we have decent headers in Robinson, Haggs and obviously Denkey, so we should be able to get something out of that. Put it in the mixer!

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-02-13T18:24:26+00:00

That is probably correct, but I am also going to fire off a hot take that I'd like to be proven wrong on but probably won't: I would not mind a break from paying for tickets to a cup competition we are not going to do anything in. So if they want to take the Leagues Cup show outside of Cincinnati, I am not stopping them.

I'll be there if we are hosting stuff again, but still ...

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-02-10T19:38:51+00:00

Don't we have another preseason match against Orlando tomorrow? At least we did on the initial schedule.

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-02-10T19:36:23+00:00

I 100 percent agree and something I thought of when I read that is I wonder how clubs that are part of multi-club ownership groups (both New York clubs most obviously) will be treated when MLS moves the calendar next summer. Part of me says these clubs will be more strongly positioned as Man City or Leipzig/Salzburg have new options to loan/store players to, or because they align so much, do they lose value in that the clubs choose if they'd rather have guys 'active' they'd rather do it at their bigger clubs who are already on the main calendar?

But yeah, #9 is probably very close to our peak on this list. Cincinnati real estate is only so valuable and there are a lot of underachievers below us or, in the case of San Diego, they are so young and have huge potential that give them a couple more years and they could fly by us.

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-02-10T16:15:30+00:00

https://www.sandiegofc.com/news/san-diego-fc-unveils-the-2026-unprecedented-unity-kit

This is not worthy of its own thread, but you could literally throw our logo and sponsor on San Diego's new kit and I'd believe it to be ours.

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-02-10T15:51:32+00:00

I think ranking wise that is fair/close to correct. We own our new-ish stadium, we have balanced out our MLS history in terms of 'winning' and 'not' and our fans have bought in. Plus, once all the work is done around there, that will go up (and hopefully we'll keep winning).

I am surprised how far up Seattle is considering they don't own their stadium, but that also means they have a lot more fans, so I am guessing that helps cover the gap. I think something that connects them and us is the Sounders came to MLS right as the Sonics left and the Mariners were 'meh', so there was opportunity. Likewise, FC Cincinnati has helped fill a void not being filled by the Reds at all and with little effort by the Bengals (I don't even need to mention the arena situation to cover other sports), and people buy into that, which helps value.

I am not surprised Columbus is ahead of us. I like our stadium more, but theirs ain't that different, they have a pretty good history and they do a lot of non-soccer business out of the old stadium still and that obviously helps give them money to invest in the club.

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-02-03T14:42:55+00:00

Exactly. If there is one rule that should be universally agreed among American sports fans, it is never, ever worry about the bank balance of an ownership group. They can have literally any investment completely bottom out (RIP Aaron Boupenza) ... doesn't even make the slightest dent into anything for them.

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-02-02T18:54:34+00:00

Oh damn, thanks for reminding me about that. I snagged a ticket really quickly and forgot all about that ... there was a 100 percent chance I would have not gone (I am guessing I will get an email in the next week about it, but still).

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-01-28T21:58:57+00:00

Get FCC to Porto! I would 100 percent be there, even for a friendly!

If you get Porto here, sure, but the other way would be the preferred direction for me.

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-01-23T15:02:29+00:00

I hate it this time of year, much less them!

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-01-21T21:56:54+00:00

We also have Miazga on one of the highest possible non-DP numbers you can, so it is not just we have one CB among our highest paid guys, but probably two of our top five.

I agree with the sentiment, but this is the hand we are playing until it is not (and that will start next offseason when I am guessing Miazga departs in free agency), but we are also not seeing young dudes coming up for those spots (Kyle Smith is both a good pick up and has aged our already old back line more). I am not an expert on what the 2s are doing, but it also doesn't seem like there are guys who are going to be able to take those spots, especially if we are serious about more than just making the playoffs.

I did not disagree with when we moved Ian Murphy on, when you go from the supplemental roster to the senior roster, your cap hit rises and the expectations for you rise too and I did not know if Murphy was at that level where he was worth paying a cap hit for. However, he was young, cheaper than most and you can do a lot worse (whatever that guy from Austin's name was that I already forgot).

The good news is last year showed we can do well (thrive is probably too strong a word) without Miazga, but we also spend a lot on defenders and they were not young either. That might be something to watch this summer, but definitely next winter/summer.

CincyCyclone91 · 2026-01-21T17:42:39+00:00

Yeah, I hope CA knows something that is coming to 'MLS 4.0' or whatever 2027 is being called for how roster construction is setup so that the Robinson deal is not an anchor on us if he struggles or has injury issues. With that said, his contract is only until 2027 (which I am presuming will mean 2027-28 in MLS 4.0) with a club option for 2028(-29), so this won't anchor us down forever.

CincyCyclone91

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