Noonan Preparing for ‘Strong’ Nashville Side Ahead of First Visit to GEODIS Park

March 21, 2023 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – FC Cincinnati News Release

Just one word to describe Pat Noonan’s second FC Cincinnati team, four matches into the season? How about “resourceful”? The Orange and Blue seem capable of finding multiple ways to get results, even if “dominant” seems too strong a word to sum up their unbeaten status.

“When you’re maybe not at your best, or you’re still trying to get into a consistent rhythm, you’ve got to figure out ways to get points,” Noonan has said. “So far, I’m pleased with that.”

FCC had its collective back to the wall for most of the season opener vs. Houston, getting outshot 19-14 and allowing Dynamo 62.3 percent possession. But the match went in the book as a 2-1 win. Then we have the last two weeks to consider.

On the heels of a tightly buttoned 1-0 home win over Seattle-a club that came in widely hailed as among Major League Soccer’s best-FCC played fast and loose in Chicago on Saturday, with a furious finish. Analysts had been calling it a “trap game,” against a winless and offensively suspect foe, and in the 84th minute, the jaws of steel were nearly slammed shut. Chicago led 3-1 on three unanswered goals and looked increasingly celebratory. But FCC roared back to score in the 84th and 87th minutes (Sergio Santos and Junior Moreno), claiming an “erratic” (Noonan’s word) 3-3 draw that chilled the Fire and a small Soldier Field crowd as much as the 20-degree weather.

Now 2-0-2 (eight points) on the season and alone in third place in the Eastern Conference, just two points behind first-place Atlanta, FCC turns its attention to a contest no one will be calling a trap. Noonan’s road warriors head for Nashville, for a Saturday game against a foe the Orange and Blue have never beaten. And Nashville SC not only is 2-0-2 against FCC all-time, they are once again a power player in the East, standing just a point behind FCC after a 2-1-1 start. That, more than the series history, is what matters to Noonan.

“They’ve been a consistently strong team under (coach) Gary Smith,” Noonan said. “Very organized, very disciplined. They understand how to win. And we saw them in preseason training, and it’s evident they’ve added a different dynamic this year.”

That would be the wing play of Jacob Shaffelberg and Fafà Picault.

“Those guys are providing more speed on the outside, with wider distribution,” Noonan said. “When we saw them in preseason, they were very aggressive in their press and had good speed in transition….