UPDATE: FC Cincinnati has officially announced the signing of Miles Robinson, giving FCC one of the top center-back pairings in all of MLS.
“We are thrilled that Miles chose to continue his career in Cincinnati,” Chris Albright, FC Cincinnati general manager, said. “He is an elite defender with a dynamic skillset who already has an incredible amount of MLS and international experience. His personality and character are an immediate addition to our locker room and we’d like to welcome him to FC Cincinnati.”
Robinson’s signing comes after a season in which FCC secured the loan of Yerson Mosquera and watched him flourish in Orange and Blue, but almost assuredly wouldn’t be returning. This gives FCC a more secure footing and could also see the team change formations.
“I’m very excited to be signing for FC Cincinnati,” Robinson said. “This is an amazing organization from top to bottom, and I will do everything in my power to win more trophies for the passionate fans and outstanding people of this city. I’m ecstatic to play my first home game at TQL Stadium.”
Original story below
Following a mid-December visit to the Queen City, the Athletic’s Tom Bogert broke the news that former Atlanta United center-back and current U.S. Men’s National Team player Miles Robinson will be the newest addition to the Orange & Blue.
The MLS free agent had offers on the table from his former club and reported interest in Europe from clubs such as PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie and an unnamed Premier League club.
While much of the MLS offseason hype has been focused on the offensive firepower being brought into Miami, FCC General Manager Chris Albright countered by forming the best center-back pairing in the league. Robinson, regarded as the top MLS free agent, could allow a formation shift to a back four or has been a part of a back three in Atlanta.
Robinson, who turns 27 in mid-March, has 27 appearances for the USMNT and was regarded as a starter before an injury derailed his chances of going to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Following his rehabilitation from injury, Robinson remains one of the top four center-backs in the US pool along with Tim Ream, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Chris Richards. He made two starts in the Fall for the US, including going 90 minutes vs. Oman and Ghana. The Massachusetts native started the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League semi-final vs. Mexico and played next to Matt Miazga down the stretch in the Summer’s Gold Cup.
A likely contributing factor to Robinson’s signing with FCC is the upcoming 2024 Copa America hosted in the US. FCC will offer guaranteed playing time that some other clubs might not have been able to match.
Robinson has 170 professional appearances following his selection in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft out of Syracuse. The former Generation Adidas talent was loaned to the Charleston Battery and Atlanta United 2 of the USL before making his MLS league debut in 2018.
Robinson has played the last six seasons with Atlanta United FC where he turned into one of the best center-backs in Major League Soccer. In those six seasons, Robinson made 120 MLS regular season appearances for Atlanta United, in which he scored three goals, tallied three assists and had one own goal. In total, he’s played just under 10,000 minutes in those matches.
However, that does include an Achilles tendon tear that occurred early in the 2022 MLS season that considerably shorted that year for him. He did bounce back in 2023 and play in 27 matches in the MLS regular season for the Five Stripes, logging the most minutes for the side since his 2019 season.
Individually, Robinson was selected to the MLS Best XI twice (2019 and 2021), was an MLS All-Star in 2021 and was also selected to the CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI in 2021 as well.
Queen City Press reporter Laurel Pfahler reported that Robinson signed a one-year deal with a club option for 2025.
Recommended for you
