Since FC Cincinnati secured its bid as the newest Major League Soccer expansion franchise, head coach Alan Koch said he’s worn two hats.
One of those hats oversaw the eventual United Soccer League regular-season champions. The other coordinated a recruitment plan to scout every MLS player in preparation of the 2019 campaign and, in particular, Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday afternoon is when club officials will travel to MLS league headquarters in New York City and select five players in the 2018 MLS Expansion Draft from a possible 18 teams. Those five players will serve as the next installment of Cincinnati’s roster build ahead of its inaugural season in the top flight.
“It’s going to be cool, actually,” Koch said Wednesday afternoon about the draft. “In a couple days, we’ll have a decent-size squad. We won’t have a full squad, obviously, and we still have time to put that together, but we’re going to have the true makings of a team. So that’s going to be exciting.”
Soon, the season-long hypotheticals about who FCC will draft will transform into a tangible reality.
On Monday, MLS will announce which players its clubs protected on their rosters. Up to 11 players can be saved from a current team for 18 of the current 23 franchises. The other five are exempt after watching their players get drafted in last season’s expansion draft. Only one player can be drafted per team. (FCC will receive a financial compensation because of the smaller pool of players.)
But until then, Koch and FC Cincinnati are researching, strategizing and planning.
With five rounds that last three minutes each, the club can add players to its roster or use them as assets for a potential trade or transfer with another team.
“Right now, it’s open conversation. It’s open communication with all the different clubs seeing what they’re thinking,” Koch said. “We definitely look forward to getting the lists because when we get the lists we can see exactly who we can pick or who we can use to do a piece of business.”
FCC’s third-year coach said current players already rostered could also be used in transfer negotiations, but that’s not part of the team’s plans.
“We try to sign the players that we sign for a reason,” Koch said. “But this is a business so you have to be open to all sorts of eventualities.”
Those signed via the expansion draft will also arrive with a reason. With a slight framework in what will become the eventual roster, adding selected players allows Cincinnati to construct its squad to suit a specific planning style or tactical approach. The hypotheticals are becoming real-time decisions.
For now, it’s a waiting game for Koch and company. Different players available will ultimately alter the franchise’s inaugural MLS roster.
Following Tuesday, FCC can move forward and begin building its roster further. In addition, it will prepare for a second draft — the MLS SuperDraft — next month.
“All the different pieces we’re looking to do are all out there,” Koch said. “We just have to figure out what exactly works for us come draft time.”
Clubs FCC can draft players from
Atlanta United, Colorado Rapids, Chicago Fire, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy, Los Angeles FC, Minnesota United FC, Montreal Impact, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Clubs exempt from the expansion draft
Columbus Crew SC, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City, Toronto FC
