FC Cincinnati: The underdogs of the 2023 MLS season

FC Cincinnati have been on a tear in 2023, but not many were expecting the rampant run Pat Noonan's side have enjoyed.

Prior to Noonan joining the Orange and Blue, the Eastern Conference team failed to make the playoffs for their first three years in MLS. But that all changed with an up-and-coming coach that guided them to their first-ever postseason berth in 2022.

Even after a fifth place finished last term, the team's supporters were hoping to go a step further but they probably weren't expecting their club to shatter several records en route to capturing the Supporters' Shield...

MVP frontrunner Lucho Acosta

Where else to start other than the league's most in-form player, Lucho Acosta?

Acosta consistently performed at a high level during his time at Audi Field with D.C. United, and that didn't change in his first year with FCC as he notched 10 goals and 19 assists. Now, the 29-year-old has leveled up by creating tons of his chances for his teammates but also becoming more of a goal scoring threat, a true nightmare for opposing backlines.

In the 2023 regular season, Acosta positioned himself as favorite for the league's best player award by amassing 17 goals, his best ever return in an MLS season, while also registering 14 assists. His astounding stats sees him in first place in total goal involvements in MLS (31).

It's fair to say that supporters of the Orange and Blue had high expectations for Acosta after his 2022 campaign, but he exceeded those hopes and then some. Like FCC as a whole, teams may have underrated Acosta in the past, but they won't be anymore after his impeccable 2023 campaign.

The front office

When teams in any sport have a successful season, the front office tends to get overlooked from time to time.

That shouldn't be the case for Cincinnati general manager Chris Albright, a former MLS and US men's national team player who's played a vital role in turning around the team at TQL Stadium.

Albright was given the keys to the Orange and Blue's roster near the end of the 2021 season, when Cincinnati finished in last place in the Eastern Conference table with 20 points and a mere four wins. But Albright stepped in, along with Noonan ahead of the 2022 campaign to bring FCC out of the basement of the East.

Although Acosta joined Cincinnati in 2021, Albright quickly realized how integral he is to the team by negotiating a contract extension for the MVP favorite. He didn't stop there, as he also tied down Brandon Vazquez and Alvaro Barreal to new deals with the team.

Albright's shrewd knowledge in the game goes beyond the exciting players like Acosta and Barreal; He identified Roman Celentano as the ideal starting goalkeeper in the 2022 MLS Superdraft and beefed up the backline by securing the signing of Matt Miazga.

He's dealt with some departures, too, as Brenner said goodbye to the Orange and Blue and joined Serie A side Udinese in the summer transfer window. However, Albright wasn't going to leave Noonan short-handed, as he brought in Aaron Boupendza as a replacement, who's hit the ground running with five goals in 10 appearances (six starts).

FCC's rock-solid defense

In sports, much of the time we love to give praise to attacking units/offenses. While they are important, the saying 'defense wins championships' appears to be working well for Cincinnati.

With Noonan's preferred three-at-the-back formation, the Orange and Blue's defense conceded just 39 goals in 34 regular season games in 2023 (tied for fourth-best in MLS), a true testament to the quality of the likes of Celentano and Miazga.

Celentano kept an impressive 12 clean sheets this term, only second in the league to Seattle Sounders legend Stefan Frei with 14. The young shot-stopper also contributed with 87 saves as well as a save percentage of 70.2%

Miazga, Yerson Mosquera - who's on loan from Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers - Nick Hagglund and Santiago Arias have all played their part in shaping the back-three to limit the shots Celentano faces.

While Cincinnati don't have many eye-popping names in their center-back ranks, they've put teams around the league on notice due their unity and effectiveness in Noonan's system.

Pat Noonan's guidance

With Noonan at the helm, fans of FCC have seen their club go from basement-dwelling, hopelessness to top-of-the table, MLS Cup favorites.

Noonan has orchestrated a team that notched club records in wins (19) and points (65), while amassing the fifth-most goals scored in the league with 57. His preferred 3-4-1-2 formation gives his team a solid defense to build upon, while also not taking away too much from the attacking perspective.

Up front, the trio of Vazquez and Boupendza as the striker duo with Acosta just behind them has worked wonders. Even though the attacking unit saw Brenner depart the club, their play hasn't dropped off to keep them amongst the highest-scoring units in MLS.

Noonan has instilled belief in this team that was not long ago scraping the bottom of the barrel in MLS as a new club, and now they're on to bigger and better things as in MLS Cup playoffs. Having picked up the game one victory over New York Red Bulls, Cincinnati can close out the series with a win on November 4 at Red Bull Arena and advance to the next round of the postseason.

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