If you weren't present for The Enquirer's 2019 Major League Soccer season-ending edition of "Beyond The Net" last week, you missed a lot.

The "BTN" hosts were joined by FC Cincinnati President Jeff Berding, who gave a candid interview on a number of subjects related to the club and the state of soccer in the Queen City.

Of principal interest were Berding's comments regarding improvements to the club's roster for the 2020 MLS season.

The club's front office isn't getting the benefit of the doubt from many outside observers after FC Cincinnati's first crack at building an MLS roster produced a team that went 6-22-6 in 2019.

One of the major criticisms early this offseason has been that more than 20 players from the last-place 2019 team could return for 2020.

The reality is there's plenty of offseason remaining to wheel and deal, and that FC Cincinnati expects significant personnel changes for next season.

"I'll say this: We think we're going to add five impact players," Berding said. "So, regardless of people's math, we'll have the ability and are planning to bring in a group of players that will differentiate (from 2019) and help us achieve better success regardless of what your math is.

"We feel – and I've talked to other presidents and GM's – we have a foundation here. We're not without talent. We're not without good players. We have talented, good, strong-minded players who other teams would like to have. Most of those players will come back. Some of our players, we've already said aren't coming back and I think we have some others that are question marks."

Berding said the club on-loaded some multi-year deals ahead of last season. That's not surprising. Some of those could be hard to move but the club is evaluating many possibilities and Berding reiterated that "we feel confident we have the room."

More:FC Cincinnati Technical Director Luke Sassano leaving the club

More:The best, worst of FC Cincinnati's 2019 MLS season

Berding was also asked about the possibility of making FC Cincinnati a contender in the space of just one offseason, but Berding essentially said he doesn't think of opportunities for improvement in terms of offseasons.

Rather, it's transfer windows that tell the tale of improvement. If Cincinnati can string two solid FIFA transfer windows together this winter and again in August, playoff contention could be a reality.

"There's two (transfer) windows between now and next year's playoffs, so," Berding said, "if part of the question is, 'do you think a year from now FC Cincinnati will have made enough moves to compete to make the playoffs?' I think the answer is yes."

Berding talks NWSL, Rose Lavelle to Cincinnati

The ears of Cincinnati's soccer community certainly perked up last week with the news of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) expanding to nearby Louisville, which is steaming forward as a community with robust soccer aspirations.

FC Cincinnati has long stated an interest in being part of NWSL expansion, but that interest was limited to a one-line acknowledgement of the fact on the team's website for an extended period of time.

Recently, Berding's been more open about the extent of FC Cincinnati's interest in NWSL. His most revealing remarks to date were shared on BTN where Berding painted an encouraging picture for women's soccer in the region and said his organization has been in conversations about NWSL expansion.

"The NWSL is growing. They had a very good growth year and we believe it will continue to grow," Berding said. "There's already an academy on the girl's side here, the Cincinnati Development Academy, our very first year writing a six-figure check to support the young women, so I would offer this: We're gonna have a brilliant stadium that we're privately funding down in the West End that would obviously work for NWSL.

"Are we interested? Yes. Have I had some conversations? Yes. Is there anything imminent to announce? No. Is there going to be (an expansion) chase? No. When it's ready to happen, I would share with you, I think it'll just happen. We have some work to do so I want to make it clear: I'm not promising the fans 'take it to the bank, we're going to have NWSL.' That's not what I'm saying. Is the interest there from our ownership group and organization? One-hundred percent."

Berding went on to explain that the club's now-completed Mercy Health Training Center and under-construction West End Stadium were both designed with NWSL in mind.

The training center, for instance, could undergo an additional phase of expansion to accommodate professional women's soccer.

But as Berding stated several times, all the NWSL chatter shouldn't be misconstrued to mean a deal is done. "Let's be clear, we have our hands full on getting a better 2020 on the men's side," Berding said.

Rose Lavelle

The FC Cincinnati organization has championed local product Rose Lavelle's recent accomplishments including being a key contributor to last summer's FIFA Women's World Cup-winning American national team.

More:Rose Lavelle to headline 2020 Cincinnati.com Sports Awards at Music Hall

The club helped host a public celebration in Lavelle's honor post-World Cup and also took the reins on arranging some of her media availability.

That's in addition to hosting in U.S. women's national team match at Nippert Stadium in 2017. Lavelle, a Mount Notre Dame and Cincinnati United Premier product, was the centerpiece of the occasion.

When prompted during BTN about the possibility of Berding attempting to bring Lavelle to a hypothetical Cincinnati-based NWSL franchise, Berding playfully indicated it's something he's given some thought to.

Ever the skilled rhetorician from his days as a Cincinnati politician, Berding maneuvered through The Enquirer's prompt about Lavelle.

It's probably safe to think Berding's given some thought to the idea of bringing Lavelle home to play in her home region, and what it would take to do so.