On Tuesday afternoon, Jeff Berding sat down for a press conference at FC Cincinnati’s downtown offices. Mere hours beforehand, the team had announced that third-year head coach Alan Koch had been dismissed after 11 matches at the helm of the MLS expansion side. The line of questioning opened with clear concerns about the team’s culture and a horrific string of results.



As Cincinnati’s president and general manager, Berding tried to set the course.



“I won’t get into a rear-view mirror,” he said. “Today’s focus is through the windshield.”



Just as it’s ill-advised to drive without using your rearview mirror, it’s unwise to begin a coaching search without understanding where your last hire went wrong.



For observers who didn’t follow Cincinnati until the 2019 MLS season, firing Koch may have seemed like a brash overreaction to a difficult start in a new league. After all, this was...