Charlie Hatch

Enquirer contributor

Now a third of the way through its inaugural season, Futbol Club Cincinnati has grown into an outlier in American soccer in a matter of months.

From a strong start to its inaugural season to sizable crowds, FC Cincinnati has slowly developed a few stereotypes that, for the most part, are positive.

FIRST THOUGHTS (ON THE FIELD)

The biggest story surrounding FC Cincinnati in its first steps as a franchise is its unmatched growth.

Despite its third-tier status, the club stands as an outlier in comparison to the rest of United Soccer League, Cincinnati’s league.

Not only is FC Cincinnati’s play more aggressive and attack-oriented than the majority of USL’s 29 clubs, the club also has a strong goal distribution amongst the side, with nine players having made the scoring sheet.

Usually lining up in a 4-3-3 and adjusting throughout the match, Cincinnati’s multi-faceted attacks have forced opposing sides to struggle. Cincinnati has had a considerable mix of long-range goals, tap-ins, headers and the occasional penalty. Essentially, the team is unpredictable for an opponent’s backline.

Rather than Cincinnati building all of its play around forward Ugo Okoli, the midfield tends to rock back-and-forth to find the open man in space. That sort of selflessness has ultimately led to more creative chances and a free-flowing style. But these are on-field observations.

Off the field, FC Cincinnati has grown at an exponential rate. In five home matches at Nippert Stadium, the club has broken the league’s highest-attendance record – twice.

The average league attendance in 2015 was 3,369. FC Cincinnati has averaged 17,189 in its USL home matches so far this year.

Also noticeable, though, is the amount of FC Cincinnati merchandise fans have at the match. The city has fully embraced its new club in rapid fashion.

MOLDING STEREOTYPES

Although there are a few habits that FC Cincinnati is transforming into patterns.

Looking past the new-team, fast-growth mantra that the club has molded, Cincinnati still has difficulties finishing the abundance of chances presented.

While the forward line has been solid, sometimes it struggles to finish the chances the midfield generates.

Ugo Okoli, who played as the lone forward in Saturday night’s 2-0 win over City Islanders FC, entered the match high on confidence, but goalless since May 4. Okoli was presented with constant action and eventually scored on an 89th-minute penalty.

Okoli has been a strong presence at the head of Cincinnati’s attack throughout the season. Four goals in 10 matches is a good return on value, but a few more goals instead of hitting the posts and Okoli could become potentially the most lethal forward in the Eastern conference.

Moving to the other side of the field, FC Cincinnati has been strong defensively in the last two matches, but the team occasionally creeps into uncomfortable spells, relying on Mitch Hildebrandt to prevent goals.

Luckily for the club, Hildebrandt has been arguably the most consistent player, and the defense has slowly molded into a stronger backline. In the past two matches, Cincinnati has kept two clean sheets, the only two this season.

RESPECTABLE WHILE EXPECTING MORE

FC Cincinnati’s burst into the league has been noticeable to the fans, the league and even Major League Soccer. What that means, no one actually knows. That said, head coach John Harkes and the players are doing a respectable job in focusing on the present, rather than getting overexcited.

Now seven matches unbeaten, including a U.S. Open Cup win, FC Cincinnati has found a strong rhythm and stuck with it.

Questions about the team and tactics have become pickier. Though players have already exceeded initial expectations, they continually look for improvement. Maybe it’s a new attitude, but it’s a respectable start to Cincinnati’s first truly respectable club.