Welcome to “Down The Hatch,” a weekly mailbag about FC Cincinnati and their time in MLS. This is Charlie Hatch, the club’s Digital Host and Writer.
Questions can be submitted here or on Twitter by tweeting to @charliehatch_.
Here’s our first addition. Thank you for the questions and feel free to send more!
Frank: When will information about the 2019/202 DA Academy be released?
Hey, Frank! Details aren’t yet finalized regarding the FCC Academy, but during his “State of the Club” speech Tuesday afternoon, team President and General Manager Jeff Berding said to expect more info in late June or early July. He noted we’re still awaiting some final guidance on 2019-20 structure from U.S. Soccer and MLS.
Jeanine: Does anyone have an update on #20? We want to make sure he is in the celebration and feels our support? Any news would be wonderful.
Hey, Jeanine! Jimmy McLaughlin tore his right ACL before players reported in January and has since had surgery. At this point, his timeline is just working through rehab. He’s expected to miss the 2019 season, however.
He’s feeling the support, though! He responded to this tweet earlier Thursday.
Mark: What do you attribute FCC’s meteoric ride to MLS in just 3 years to? Has the fanbase captured everything it should have along the way or are there areas where fans could be more engaged?
Hey, Mark! Great question. The truth is so many things culminated at the perfect moment. Strong ownership and a high-profile first coach helped. The magical Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup run in 2017 was an even better for showcasing Cincinnati to MLS and the rest of this country’s soccer community. Of course, that with the passion from supporters and the future West End Stadium all played a part. Every aspect was dependent on the other.
As for the fans, the broad feeling is supporters have been unbelievable through the first three years. Fans have literally exceeded expectations from the first home game. Just this week club announced 20,000 season ticketholders in 2019. At this point, I’d say it’s crucial fans are knowledgeable about FCC and MLS. We’ll do our part at fccincinnati.com to produce quality content, as well as on social media, and the Cincinnati media has really embraced this team far stronger than most cities’ media contingents. Beyond that, hopefully everyone has time to appreciate how meteoric the rise has truly been.
Brandon: Will #FCCincy play in a 3-4-3 or in a different lineup?
Hey, Brandon! We won’t know the exact lineup until the opening kickoff Saturday night. Through preseason, the club shifted between formations depending on the matchup and which players were available. We’ve seen that with Head Coach Alan Koch’s teams in the last two seasons, too. At this point, it’s too soon to say the club has cemented itself with a lineup.
Torie: Where/When will some St. Patty’s Day FC Cincinnati Opening Day gear be available? It’s very important that we have some festive green gear!
Hey, Torie! Good question. There’s already St. Patty’s Day gear online and available here.
That said, it’s worth noting Cincinnati weather in mid-March isn’t 100 percent t-shirt friendly!
Alex: First off, I love FCC’s involvement with the community and its fans. Are there any plans to bring back the Kids club this season or next?
Hey, Alex! I’m glad you asked. The Kids Club Program is back again in 2019 and launched earlier this week. More info can be found here.
Matt: When will Greg Garza get in the lineup? Is he still battling the quad injury?
Hey, Matt! Yes, he’s still rehabbing the injury he picked up at U.S. Men’s National Team camp. Since the start of preseason, Koch said he’ll be conservative with player injuries so that it’s a long-term benefit throughout the season. With that said, there’s no exact date when Garza is in the lineup. Once he’s healthy enough for training, he’ll have to go through that before he can play an MLS regular season game.
Scott: Could we please get a clock somewhere in the stadium that displays extra time at the end of the halves? It is included in the television broadcasts but nowhere to be seen in the stadium.
Hey, Scott! This is a good question, but there’s a good reason why not. When the fourth official puts up the time, that’s technically the minimum. The match official has final say when the game ends, rather than a scoreboard. In the U.S. Women’s National Team game Wednesday night, a linesman got injured right before the 90th minute. That’s not common, but you could see how something like that could alter stoppage time. Ultimately the ref has the final say, and I just start the timer on my phone to follow along.
Jonah: Do any of the players have pets? If so, what animal do they care for?
Hey Jonah! I’ll be honest — I have no idea! But that’s a great question. Hopefully I’ll have a better answer soon!
