The role FC Cincinnati's scouting network is playing during the USL Cup run

Pat Brennan | Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption FC Cincinnati vs. Nashville SC post match review Pat Brennan and Charlie Hatch discuss FCC's victory over NSC as Cincinnati continues into the playoffs.

Futbol Club Cincinnati's USL Cup run is already off to a thrilling start after the team progressed beyond Nashville SC in a penalty-kick shootout, but the thrills come at a price.

Discerning eyes within the FC Cincinnati organization – and head coach Alan Koch's in particular – have been, at times, diverted from scouting for the 2019 Major League Soccer season while the USL postseason run carries on.

That's a price the organization is willing to pay, of course. It's also comparable to the balancing act the club has maintained since it was confirmed for MLS in May.

But make no mistake that it is indeed an ongoing opportunity cost.

“It doesn’t make it any easier," Koch said of the balance between the postseason and building for next year. "It’s not going to compromise things, but it does make more work... Obviously, we’ve proven since day one we’re not afraid of hard work so we just have to do some more hard work."

Fortunately, the club bolstered its scouting staff last week, adding three scouts to its growing network.

That's allowed Koch, who said he is pleased to still be based in Cincinnati and presiding over the postseason, to further delegate scouting responsibilities in the midst of the club's already-planned staffing build-out.

FC Cincinnati announced last week the additions Jorge Alvial, Hunter Freeman, and Doug Elder. The three men will help keep FC Cincinnati's scouting and recruitment efforts moving forward while Koch and his technical staff remain in Cincinnati to focus on USL Cup.

FC Cincinnati leaned on connections in the game via Koch and Technical Director Luke Sassano to bring Alvial, Freeman, and Elder into the fold.

“We’ve added some very quality people. They’re great additions and they give us more quality eyes," Koch said. "As we grow as a club, you have to have more quality eyes because that allows you to source more quality players. They’re a much-needed addition and they’ve already hit the ground running."

While Alvial, Freeman, and Elder each boast rich backgrounds in the game, it's unlikely fans will see or hear from them much.

Their contributions will eventually be seen on the field but the scouts themselves will largely stay out of sight. Their movements abroad and domestically will be discreet and rarely discussed publicly.

FC Cincinnati declined to make Alvial, Freeman, and Elder available for comment.

Responsibilities have already been doled out to the new scouts, and they'll all soon be on the road searching for the next FC Cincinnati stars.

FC Cincinnati has three primary mechanisms through which it will build its inaugural MLS team: January's MLS SuperDraft, the expansion draft, and the global market.

Alvial, who took on the "head of scouting" title for FC Cincinnati, will survey the international market.

Elder and Freeman will dedicate themselves to the intercollegiate game in preparation for the SuperDraft, Koch said.

Koch and the FC Cincinnati technical staff will continue to survey the MLS landscape for the forthcoming expansion draft.

And Koch will have the final say on all personnel decisions. More than likely, he'll see in-person each player recommended to him by the scouts after diligent behind-the-scenes work and research.

"The best scouting and recruitment that actually happens is not actually when you’re watching a player and actually seeing what takes places on the field," Koch said. "The majority of the time, it’s the conversations that happen at that facility where you’re watching the game… while you’re there and in that environment, there are all sorts of conversations – little reminders – that take place. So, a lot of the time, scouting trips are ones to go look at specific players. That’s the most direct form of recruitment, but a lot of the indirect work that’s actually as important or more important is the conversations that take place.

“Scouts really are the first line. They’re the people that you send out to get the first look, and they’ll probably see more players than I’ll see during the course of the year. That allows us to narrow the scope of players Luke and I will actually have to go and see play. Yeah, you probably won’t see them much."