Football Season Guide

After finishing fifth in regular season, the Eastern Conference side managed to beat the New York Red Bulls 2-1 on the road before losing 1-0 at Philadelphia in the playoffs. Curiously, Cincinnati boasted the second-best attack but also the third-joint worst defence in the Conference. They took advantage of the off-season to offload several backup players such as Calvin Harris, Ronald Matarrita, Harrison Robledo, Tyler Blackett; Zico Bailey and Geoff Cameron. Meanwhile, they brought in talented midfielder Marco Angulo, as well as two men with European football experience in Yerson Mosquera and Santiago Arias. Pat Noonan was glad to see his stars such as Brenner and Brandon Vazquez stay put despite reported interest from European clubs. He kept his team’s backbone intact, with the three aforementioned signings being expected to occupy starting positions in first XI. Only two teams scored more goals than Cincinnati last season, with their attacking trident of Brenner, Vazquez and Luciano Acosta scoring a combined 43 goals in 2022. Their forward line is undoubtedly their main strength. Meanwhile, their defensive frailties could be their only weakness once more, as Mosquera and Arias might have Premier League and LaLiga experience, respectively, but their injury records could be a concern.