Defensively FCCincy has been good - a bit worried about their team speed with Hagglund being on a yellow. Really need to punish Crew in transition or they will keep sending 8 bodies forward when they have the ball. FCCincy had a few run outs but didn’t muster a decent chance off them.

My FCCincy 1st half thoughts: too many good touches in the box to only come away with 1 shot on target - need to capitalize on those chances. Arfsten can’t keep up with Ender - need to get that kid running. Evander has looked off the pace - simplify the game & don’t try to make every play a home run

My tactical hopes for FCCincy today: 1️⃣Evander doesn’t drop so deep & gets touches in the final third. 2️⃣FCC isn’t afraid to play quickly in behind and punish the Crew defenders for selling out going forward. 3️⃣Brenner and KD combine in transition - a little in, out, wide or short, short, long action.

Would love to see FC Cincinnati first line of pressure just squeeze the play instead of trying to win the ball. Crew CBs are SO good at bypassing first point of pressure with the dribble.

My #FCCincy halftime thoughts: put pressure on Arfsten - have to get Ender running in behind. And as soon as Ender takes off and ball is played, strikers get in the box! Defensively can’t get dragged out by movement of Rossi and leave space for Crew wide players to shoot the gaps.

JERSEY SWAP: Geoff & Coach put a sharp orange-and-blue bow on the #AllForCincy regular season by bringing in @empiregass.bsky.social from @soccerwisehq.bsky.social to discuss how the season went. Who could be the Cincinnati "Gass Theorem" contestant in 2026? cincinnatisoccertalk.com/2025/10/17/s...

Had such a blast talking FCC present and future with @empiregass.bsky.social. Tune in to hear who David is picking for FCC’s 2026 Gass Theorem candidate, and why it’s silly to think Pat Noonan’s seat is even approaching warm regardless of postseason results.

Ramiro really trying to play between Evander and the ball to limit his touches all first half - the way to capitalize that is to get him on the ball with a 3 player combo: Obi to Denkey, one touch underneath to Evander… or something like that. Glad to be up 2-0 but need to get your 10 involved.

Thanks for your message on @soccerwisehq.bsky.social today @empiregass.bsky.social regarding ICE raids. You’re right, issues of humanity are not political. Love and care of neighbor is not political. Right or Left, we should all be able to rally around treating each other well.

What will Noonan do to plug up the midfield? NYCFC drifting Maxi into half spaces and pushing an 8 forward - completely over running Kubo/Anunga. FCC have to either step a CB forward or drop one of their 10’s deeper or change formations.

@galendruke.bsky.social I am really proud to be a priest in the Episcopal Church which your guest, Ryan Burge, called “the only one that bucks the trend” of being a liberal, white, Christian church in America. Don’t love that he framed our size by saying we don’t matter! Great episode though.

3 ways to beat a very compact defense: quick combinations through the lines (have to be perfect because space is tight) to draw them in then hit the space out wide; play over the top into the channels and force the back line to drop; switch side to side quickly and play around the block.

SKC playing in a VERY tight mid block defensively. No space between the lines. I’d like to see FC Cincinnati play a few balls in behind to loosen that up a bit.

FC Cincinnati not playing with nearly enough width. Baird not good enough with his touch to play in the seam in tight space. Crowding out Denkey. Start wide then combine to the inside.

Orellano turning the ball over with nearly 40% of his touches. Hasn’t been strong enough in key spots. Some really poor first touches. Robinson’s passes out of the back have been excellent but need someone to actually receive them and do something. Santos ain’t it.

Talking Tactics w/ @fccincytactalk.bsky.social breaks down the play style differences of DeAndre Yedlin and Lucas Engel. Watch now free on Patreon. ⬇️ #AllForCincy #FCCincy www.patreon.com/posts/125463...

What I don’t like through 20’: too many cheap giveaways lead to good counterattack opportunities. Atlanta United players off the FCC left getting in on their dominant feet to shoot too easily. What I do: Atlanta back line looks slow so Luca and Santos should have some joy.

5 of FCC’s 7 shots came from outside of the box. Need to show some patience in the final third and force Biel and Zaha to track back a bit. Shooting quickly from distance is not a recipe for success.

All in all a decent half considering. Had a few half-chances that looked promising. Took intelligent fouls when needed. Kept CLT from having any really clear cut looks. Need to be cleaner in transition to attack - too many bad touches slowing play.

Orellano will need to maintain some width and force Zaha to defend or get to run at Ream with Yedlin on the overlap. Feels like the FCC right will tell the story of this match.

Outside defender depth is a must for this team, but a 30 year old, oft injured journeyman doesn’t move the needle for me. Would be shocked if he did anything more than spelled Engel at the end of matches where FCC is in control. I hope I’m wrong.

Kubo for Bucha a VERY curious sub. Bucha was struggling to provide defensive cover for Engel, so maybe Pat sees Kubo’s mobility as an upside.

Denkey struggled to hold the ball up with the few touches he got. Only retained possession on 43% of his touches. Obi has been a beast - already 8 duels on the night. Engel struggling - only completed 56% of his passes.

A huge difficulty when you play a team that has as much possession as Tigres has is stepping on the a ball when you win it back. Players get scared to take risks and give the ball away. But FCC need to stay tuned into the counter attack. Tigres looks gappy in transition.

The number of cynical fouls by Tigres is piling up. One would think some 🟨 would come out early in the 2nd. FCC showing good poise though. Still too many bad giveaways - especially from Engel.

13 touches not good enough for Denkey. Orellano with a 47% possession loss ratio. Defense playing well but big offensive pieces not doing enough. Looking like it’s going to have to be a late Evander salvage job.

Very excited to see the flexibility to play a back 4. We’ve been commenting on that possibility since the signing of Engel. Not sold on Baird as a left wing, but he should be very good pressing - underrated as a defensive forward. Kubo, Orelllano, Denkey - should be enough to get this job done.

Looks like the FCC game plan is cycle the ball side to side, let Evander try to find space, and smack the ball down the channel if he can’t. No complexity to it. Unless Yedlin and Engel can start to participate meaningfully in the attack it’s tough to see it getting better.

Tigres pattern of play is designed to force the FCC CBs to defend out wide and the Wingbacks to stay tuned in covering the channels. FCC needs to stay disciplined and not chase the ball.

Talking Tactics will be producing video content on our platforms! What would you like @fccincytactalk.bsky.social to breakdown? Whether you are new to soccer or seasoned veteran of the game, all levels of questions are welcome! Message in the comments or [email protected]

@fccincytactalk.bsky.social is joined by Justin Hoyte, for what just might be the final time, to make predictions for FC Cincinnati's 2025 season. The guys also talk about Justin's new role as assistant coach in the FCC academy, and much more! cincinnatisoccertalk.com/2025/02/21/t...

What can we learn from the Philadelphia preseason match? @fccincytactalk.bsky.social walks us through what he believes this team can be in 2025. cincinnatisoccertalk.com/2025/02/10/w...

You can’t learn a lot from preseason matches, but so far it’s all we’ve got. Here’s what I learned from our only chance to watch FC Cincinnati so far: wp.me/pazblx-bKh

Join @fccincytactalk.bsky.social and Bob from the Designated Pundits as they breakdown FC Cincinnati as they head into the 2025 season. LINK⬇️ #AllForCincy www.youtube.com/live/3vvGGPp...

Makes me nervous that the Rapids are picking off #FCCincy players since the Rapids have a notoriously brilliant analytics department. Hopefully these players fit the Rapids’ play style, and it’s not just that the FCC front office are missing something.

@tombogert.bsky.social & @empiregass.bsky.social ignoring the obviousby leaving Corey Baird off their #FCCincy LWB depth chart on Soccer Wise today… Man I hope Bogert’s scoop that FCC are close on a signing comes to fruition soon. For my $ WBs were biggest weakness outside of injuries in 2024.

this week, I wrote about #allforcincy's number one Roman Celentano - his shot stopping, his passing, and his trickier roster context in 2025 open.substack.com/pub/preseaso...

⚔️ Join us at grainworks Brewing for our 4th annual scarf release charity event on Saturday, February 1st, from 4-10pm! Special guests @cincysoccertalk.bsky.social will host a live show at 5:30pm! Grab your 2025 Norden membership scarf and support St Vincent De Paul Preorder now! Link in bio!⚔️

Archie Gray consistently shifting too far to the right to cover Dragusin as he moves ball side. Lack of clarity in midfield as to who should drop in leaves a huge gap between Gray and Spence that Arsenal will take advantage of if Spurs don’t adjust.

This Spurs team truly showing us the meaning of “suffering” through a match. Have completed 4 passes in the attacking Half of the field through 20 min. Luckily, Arsenal unable to create chances from open play so far meaning lots of time for Tottenham to rest as they ready to defend set pieces.

Thoughts on Spurs: incredible result with 10 players out, even if it means little for their EFL Cup chances. Spence continues to impress. Gray’s emergency CB minutes going to be great for his development overall. Bergvall needs to start more: irreplaceable energy and he is the future.

Preparing for this Spurs v Liverpool matchup.

Why hasn’t a coach figured out how to defend Arsenal’s corner kicks yet? Need to have players physically disrupt the runs of the players crowded at the back post - just like you would if they were running in from the top of the box. #EFLCup #Arsenal #NUFC

Admittedly, I’m highly biased, but I find it fascinating how Arsenal struggles to break down opponents. Constantly resort to hopeful long balls, knock downs, and reliant on set piece goals. It’s worked so far, but totally antithetical to the club’s DNA. #EFLCup #ARSvNEW

When I was a women’s college coach my players used to watch me slowly lose my nerve as a close game went on. They would say “Coach Brad’s got no chill.” I suppose fitting that I’m a Spurs fan. Spurs most certainly got no chill. #COYS

This would be an unreal get for Charlotte. Goal scoring wingers can make a huge difference in this league (see Gabriel Pec). And Almiron can come inside with the best of them also. With Chicago also rapidly improving, the East is looking tight for 2025.

A great way to get all of @mattdoyle.bsky.social content without the hassle of trying to keep up with social media posts. A must-subscribe along with @nrgilman.bsky.social for any #FCCincinnati fan.

In case you were wondering where Motagua FC, FC Cincinnati's first-round opponent, plays: Hello, Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés. (Tegucigalpa, Honduras)

@justinhoyte.bsky.social and I will be recording the final 2024 episode of Talking Tactics this week - together and in person! Still looking for questions and buy-or-sell topics for the show. #FCCincy #AllForCincy

Nate doing fantastic things in his independent writing. Make sure you follow his substack. #FCCincy #MLS