Exit interviews in any sport are one of the strangest and (usually) dower times of the year in the sports calendar. It's the end of the season so for most teams, if not all but one team, that means you’re leaving on a sour note.
FC Cincinnati exits the 2024 season with regret. Opportunity opened itself up to them after the fact, but they were unable to take advantage of it. That context exists outside of FC Cincinnati in so much that the results around them bear no mind to the results they suffered themselves, but that doesn’t make the bitter taste of disappointment dissipate in any way.
2024 was not all bad. Far from it. There were stand out performances, stretches of strong play, breakout stars and exhilarating moments for The Orange and Blue. Those things can’t be denied or ignored. But when you frame the season in the context what FC Cincinnati aimed to achieve, and what they believed was possible, no one is making excuses or shirking the blame. They failed to achieve their goals.
Exit Interviews are a time to review the year though, so let’s identify some of the common themes from the day and hear from the players themselves.
Perspective but not acceptance
The resounding attitude across all players who spoke Wednesday was that 2024 was an ok season, but not one that met their expectations.
“This is not the way we wanted things to end,” Pavel Bucha said.
“We had a big chance, but we lost our game. We could have won it,” Yuya Kubo said.
“It's nice setting big goals and having big expectations for yourself. But that means sometimes…sometimes you don't hit those goals,” Roman Celentano added.
Everyone agreed it was a fine season. They had ups and downs. They battled through tremendous adversity, bad luck, and challenges. There were personal struggles and there were struggles on the pitch, but the resounding belief, and a point of pride for most, was that despite all that they remained connected as a unit. The locker room never turned toxic, and they all continued to pull in the same direction.
“'I’m just proud of all the guys, even the guys that weren’t getting a chance that we're staying ready for when they were needed and they step up. I feel like a lot of guys did that this year. I'm proud of the guys that just kept pushing even though the situation wasn't good for them personally,” Roman Celentano continued in an FCCincinnati.Com exclusive interview. “They're always coming to work, smiles on their faces, doing stuff. So I was proud of the attitude of the guys. Even when things weren't going well..the boys kind of stuck together and tried to do the best we could.”
A common theme of conversation throughout the year was that a moment was only a failure if you failed to learn from it. The goal going into 2025 then becomes taking the lessons of 2024 and building off them.
Those lessons come in many ways.
Yamil Asad said he still feels hurt by the losing feeling and wanted to continue to thank the organization for the opportunity to prove himself. Pavel Bucha, who registered the most minutes and miles covered on the team this year by a wide margin, said learning from the grind of the season was valuable to staying his best over the course of the season. Chidozie Awaziem said he wanted to continue to improve with the defense by learning from his fellow defenders and better communicating with them.
“We have everything a team could want,” Awaziem said of how the team could move on into 2025. “We have the quality (players), we have the experienced players. We have workaholics. I think we just need some, some adjustments, which I think the club knows…I think with all pieces being put together. I think we're going to be on the top stage because everyone is coming (back in 2025) with the hunger to be champions.”
The results this season were not acceptable (by their own standards) but a lack of perspective can help inform how they move forward. The season is over, there is no going back. So looking to how you learn from this season is vital.
On Track for 2025
Among those who spoke most prominently on Wednesday afternoon at Mercy Health Training Center were Nick Hagglund and Matt Miazga. Prominent center backs who had their season cut short with devastating injuries. On top of being vital players to the teams on the field plans, their loss created a significant loss of leadership in the team; a challenge that both players and the team had to learn to overcome as the season wore on.
Fortunately for the players, FC Cincinnati and its supporters, both Hagglund and Miazga are on track for a healthy recovery and return to action.
“It's coming along. I wish it was faster than it is, but that's rehab. I wish I was back earlier this year, but I’m just taking it one day at a time right now,” Hagglund said. Notably, the Cincinnati native is the only player on the roster without a contract for the 2025 season, making his return, in theory, in question. But Hagglund assured he was still intending on returning to The Orange and Blue. “They've said that I'm going to be back, and we're all planning for me to be back, so I believe I'll be back.”
Hagglund later explained that right now his progression includes running on a treadmill at “85%” body weight and is slowly building up strength to return to the field soon.
Miazga on the other hand is secured in his contractual return to FCC and is also progressing as well as can be hoped for. The 2023 MLS Defender of the Year suffered a season ending knee surgery in a match at San Jose Earthquakes this season and underwent successful reconstructive surgery of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and meniscus. An injury that ultimately, potentially, significantly derailed the season for FCC in perhaps unquantifiable ways.
The 29-year-old has also continued his work in the gym in his recovery, and began running on a treadmill to build up strength with the hope of returning to the field some time next week for the first time.
“Now the focus is getting sharper again, because I'm getting closer to returning to the pitch,” Miazga said. “I’m just putting a lot of work in and taking it day by day. I’m doing a lot of running on the treadmill and stuff like that, so hopefully that translates onto the pitch very soon.”
Still Up in the Air
While those defenders' futures feel more secure, there are still players who’s futures are up in the air who made significant contributions to the squad. 11 players on the squad have contract options for 2025, and while those decisions are not due for a few weeks, others have purchase options for players on loan to the club.
Of note Luca Orellano, a finalist for Newcomer of the Year, and Kevin Kelsy, the starting striker in the MLS 22 under 22 best XI, both have purchase options for 2025 and beyond.
Both had significant seasons. Orellano, 24, scored 10 goals and grabed 7 assists in his first season in MLS on loan from Brazilian side Vasco Da Gama. Kelsy, 20, is on loan from Ukrainian side FC Shaktar Donesek and scored six goals in just over 1200 minutes played this season. Both player expressed interest in returning to FC Cincinnati next season, but said the decision is out of their hands so they will go into the offseason to rest.
“For me right now, I'm excited to take some time, spend time with my family and go away,” Orellano explained. “I'll leave that with the club and my representatives, but we don't know at this time.”
Orellano had expressed his desire to stay in Cincinnati beyond this season in the past but the decision is ultimately one to be made by the club. To that effect though, Pat Noonan has also expressed his interest in keeping Orellano beyond this season at multiple points.
Kevin Kelsy’s decision is a tad more complicated. Kelsy, currently contracted in Europe has the option to return to Ukraine and help his side in UEFA Champions League. However, given all the circumstances, both as a young professional soccer player and person, Kelsy indicated Wednesday he would be happy to return to FC Cincinnati and continue developing and hope to contribute more.
“Truth is (I am) really happy. It was just a great reception from the staff and everyone here,” Kelsy said. “I was received really well. I tried to play with the eagerness to succeed and to help the team, whenever I could, and to help the team achieve success when I could. Now for me, it's just the terms of the contract. That will happen now between the club and representatives.”
“As a footballer, what's most important is your life. Outside the field, I'm very, very comfortable with my life here and with the situation here in this country. But this right now, is sort of out of my hands with what might happen.”
The return to Ukraine would give pause to nearly everyone as the Russian Invasion continues in the nation. FC Shakhtar Donetsk has been directly impacted by the invasion, needing to relocate their base of operations three times since the start of the conflict.
“I see Europe still as the goal,” Kelsy added. “But, thinking about being here, the ability to have some consistency, to continue to compete…I think about that a lot as well.”
