Nick Hagglund stood by an empty locker and spoke honestly about FC Cincinnati’s 4-1 loss at Seattle Sounders FC to open the 2019 MLS regular season.
“It was a learning experience,” Hagglund said. “It was our first MLS game. We have to take the lessons from this and build on this. We still have 33 games left. You lose soccer games. When you lose, your character comes out and you see what happens next week.”
There were two perspectives to Cincinnati’s loss. One was the excitement of joining MLS, even if the debut was a painful reality check; the other was ensuring that reality check isn’t the new normal.
Bunkered defensively to start the match, the Orange and Blue scored against the run of play in the 13th minute from a Leo Bertone volley and looked lively immediately following the goal. But Seattle responded with four unanswered in Cincinnati’s introduction to MLS.
“We can’t make any excuses for ourselves but we are going to grow together as the season grows on,” Hagglund said.
Saturday night showed FC Cincinnati are still working through growing pains.
The 2019 preseason started well with three games unbeaten in Florida. It ended with 10-man Cincinnati losing 3-0 to Columbus Crew SC a week before the regular season started. Days later, team President and General Manager Jeff Berding said it was inexcusable and needed to get better.
Thus, changes were made.
After playing six games with a back three in the preseason, Head Coach Alan Koch opted for a 4-2-3-1 in Seattle.
“We came out in a 4-2-3-1 and we have been working on that for about a week,” Hagglund said.
At times, it showed.
Both fullbacks Alvas Powell and Matheiu Deplagne advanced into the final third regularly, but occasionally found themselves too far forward. Because the backline was a back four instead of a back three, that meant less defensive coverage. Seattle capitalized.
“You have to go on the road in a situation like this and you have to problem solve,” Koch said. “(Seattle) did a very, very good job of overloading the flank and we have to deal with that … We have to slide over collectively as a group. Our back four and our midfield, too. I don’t think we did a good job of problem solving in the first 45 minutes.”
A new defensive shape with limited preparation time doesn’t equate to an ideal situation, of course. But if the club opts for the same pairings Sunday night at Atlanta United FC, that means double the amount of time in the formation than what Cincinnati had previously.
Deplagne played left back for the first time in 2019. He played as a center or right wing back during preseason. If he’s on the left again, he has match experience there.
As for the midfield and attacking players, FC Cincinnati looked their best immediately following Bertone’s goal.
“When our players were calm and confident and when we possessed the ball, I thought we looked very, very good,” Koch said. “But that was only short little spurts during the course of the game … The positives are when we’re calm and composed and when we take care of the ball, we look like a very good.”
Now, Cincinnati needs to show more of that against the reigning MLS Cup champions in their MLS home opener. It’s a baptism by fire, but it’s the schedule FCC were given.
Defensively, if the club keeps its shape, more practice time and game film should help ahead of Atlanta deploying its own expected 3-4-3 formation. In the midfield, the objective moving forward is turning the “ short little spurts” of passing and momentum into long spells of the match.
The celebrations for making MLS are complete. On Sunday, ATLUTD celebrate their 2018 MLS Cup. That’s the standard FC Cincinnati must match themselves against this season.
