Football Season Review

FC Cincinnati endured a hard introduction to the MLS as they finished well adrift at the bottom of both the Eastern Conference and the Supporters Shield standings, managing to win just six times over the course of the season. The campaign started on a positive note with Cincinnati picking up seven points from first four games but the season quickly unraveled as they managed a solitary draw from their next seven games. By then Alan Koch had been fired and Yoann Damet had taken over on an interim basis and, though Cincinnati did manage a win at home to Montreal, their form went from bad to worse as they found it hard to cope with the higher quality of their MLS opponents. Ron Jans took over on a permanent basis in August and it was not until the final weeks of the season that Cincinnati started to show consistency with regards to positive results, losing just one of their final five games and keeping three cleansheets in the process. By then the damage had been done with Cincinnati destined to finish at the bottom of the standings while they ended the campaign with the worst defensive record in the MLS history, conceding 75 goals. The club also ended the season with the least amount of goals scored in the MLS. Star striker Fanendo Adi made just seven starts, scoring just one goal in the process, while only two players ended scoring more than five goals for Cincinnati over the course of the season. Cincinnati did show promise of a more stingy defense in the final weeks of the campaign but they will need to complement it with an effective attack if they are to enjoy a better campaign next season.

Player of the Season: Allan Cruz