Ahead of Sunday afternoon’s 2020 MLS season opener at the New York Red Bulls (#MLSisBack, y’all), FC Cincinnati held their Annual Media day on Monday afternoon in Mason.
The event followed the club’s first training session back in Greater Cincinnati after five consecutive weeks on the road. Additionally, Monday was the first time that players officially were based out of the brand-new, state-of-the-art Mercy Health Training Center, which officially opened the week after postseason training ended in November. In 2019, while using the facility’s fields, the team was based out of a temporary on-site facility, which has since been demolished.
After a morning on the Milford pitch, an upbeat afternoon of interviews from GM Gerard Nijkamp, interim head coach Yoann Damet and players followed.
Here are some of the biggest talking points from the event…
Coaching title doesn’t alter excitement for the 2020 campaign
Two weeks ago, Damet expected to be an assistant coach throughout the 2020 season. Now, he’s the team’s leader entering the season opener at the New York Red Bulls.
“Everybody’s excited,” he said. “We’re excited to be back here at home for training, but also excited to have the league that kicks in on Sunday. That’s a good feeling. I think the players are looking forward to start a new chapter and are looking forward to compete.”
This will be the second time in as many seasons that Damet is the team’s interim head coach. He occupied the role for three months during 2019 and helped lead the club toward a new playing style, identity and philosophy. That same style has been applied throughout the club’s 2020 preseason preparations.
Nijkamp provided a coaching search update
“We will not push the process because we want to find in one, two, three weeks the head coach,” he told the media. “All the pieces must come together. All the pieces must come together to have that good fit for the club … I’m confident in Yoann doing a good job. So, if we find a coach in one week, it would be great. But maybe it will take one or two months because that is possible."
Nijkamp saying he believes in Damet and the coaching staff is a key component of the coaching search. While the GM didn’t confirm that Damet was a candidate to win the job fulltime, he also didn’t rule it out.
But because there’s trust in Damet, that also means there isn’t a rush to complete a coaching search that could ultimately become a lengthy, thorough process. It’s just as important to note that there’s full belief in FCC’s current roster.
“I believe in this roster,” the GM said. “My team believes in this roster, and until last Tuesday, also (former head coach) Ron Jans believes in this roster. I think we will not change that by having a new coach and change everything and we start from scratch.”
The Orange and Blue are ready to play real matches again
The upcoming matchup with the Red Bulls is the first time FC Cincinnati will have played a competitive match since Oct. 6. After training on the road the past five weeks, there’s an excitement to be home. But also excitement to be so close to the season’s kickoff.
When Nijkamp addressed the media, he mentioned the club has added 11 players while moving on from 18. With so much change, the first game will be the first opportunity to see how competitive this roster against other MLS opponents.
As for Red Bulls specifically, they were a playoff team last season after finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference standings.
“I think we’re ready to compete,” Damet said. “We’re ready to see what 2020 has for us and also to show that we’ve been working a lot and that we’re able to put some things together.”
No more dress rehearsals
Speaking to FCC’s Alex Stec, Kendall Waston said he’s glad he’s moving on from preseason practices and friendlies.
“Finally, we are back here,” he said. “I don’t like practicing for five weeks and nothing is going ahead. It’s like when you’re going to a show, you dress up really nice and then stay home. There’s no reason. Now, we’re going to play Sunday and I’m excited to get started.”
Other little nuggets…
- There was a rumor swirling around on Reddit and Twitter last week saying Nijkamp was in the New York City area meeting with a potential head coach candidate. He was really in Cincinnati. That said, he made sure to tell the media that he spent this past weekend in New York with his wife. He was all smiles when he mentioned that while he did go to the Big Apple to meet someone, she is not an FCC coaching candidate.
- Kekuta Manneh said things felt “different” when the team used MHTC for the first time on Monday. As mentioned above, even returning players mentioned how nice the new facility was to have at the start of the regular season.
- Any idea who wears the captain’s armband against RBNY? Damet was asked, but declined to reveal anything. He said there’s still plenty of time to decide. He provided a similar answer when asked who’s the starting goalkeeper in week one.
