FC Cincinnati joined Major League Soccer as an expansion club in 2019; a season later, Inter Miami would too. Both of these clubs were founded with championship ambitions, and are settling for nothing less. Within just four seasons, both of them had claimed a Supporters’ Shield—a season apart. But their sole desire, an MLS Cup, still eludes them.
Cincinnati was built to be a championship-level club with its foundations in the community. They began in the minor leagues, drawing crowds of tens of thousands; they left USL in infamy, being one of the most dominant clubs with a raucous, nationally-recognized fanbase. After spending their first few major league seasons in the doldrums, they quickly became a contender with world-class players and facilities. But they never forgot what got them there.
Miami was built quite differently. They went straight into MLS with not just designs on being a championship club, but on being a world class brand. They, too, had early woes, spending three of their first four seasons near the bottom of the East. Then they did what they had planned all along: spending millions upon millions to sign the greatest player of all time—alongside his 2000s-2010s Barcelona teammates—in the hopes that it would guarantee a cup.
As soon as Cincinnati came close to a trophy in summer of 2023, it was big-money, Messi-era Miami that stood in the way. The two sides had their first knockout meeting in that season’s Open Cup semi-final; after the home side took a 2-0 lead, a brace of assists from Messi brought it to 3-3 after extra-time, and they were eliminated in penalties.
Cincinnati are once more a cup contender. And the second opponent that awaits them in the gauntlet along the path to the final is none other than Messi’s Miami. They are again standing in the way, not just of any trophy, but the cup itself.
THE HERONS
The Herons are in postseason form. Since the beginning of last month, their only loss was in match two of their series against Nashville. They have averaged 3 goals per match in that six-match span, and only conceded a total of 5. Included in that was their wallop over Nashville, with 8 goals scored—all between Lionel Messi and Tadeo Allende—and 3 conceded.
Once they included Balthasar Rodriguez in their lineup, their frontline was upgraded. With Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez as a striker duo, he acts as a playmaker out wide while Tadeo Allende looks to stretch the field with vertical runs. As talented as that attack is—scoring a league-high 81 goals across this season—their defense is a glaring weakness. A wealth of options up top have not been equally allocated to the back. Their 55 goals conceded puts them around midtable range, considerably low for a playoff side. Against any opponent, there is the possibility that their field will be tilted.
Lionel Messi is the obvious choice for the player to watch. Not only is he feeling nostalgic—as he recently visited the remodeled Camp Nou in the veil of night—but he is feeling dangerous. He is coming off of another tour with Argentina, scoring and assisting in their friendly over Angola, and even being presented with an award by the nation’s president. As mentioned, he singlehandedly brought Miami past Nashville, with 5 goals and 3 assists across the series.
A source of motivation for Miami for the rest of these playoffs is the imminent retirements of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, two of the greatest of all time in their respective positions. If they win, their careers will be extended; if they lose, both will retire without adding an MLS Cup to their illustrious trophy cases. Miami is well-aware that this team, as it is, has its last chance to win it all.
They will play with conviction from whistle to whistle, attempting their normal style of hoarding possession and breaking their opponent down with intricate link-up play.
THE ORANGE AND BLUE
Cincinnati clinching Round One over heated rivals Columbus Crew truly proved themselves. It overcame a streak of dismal knockout performances, and achieved a feat that had not been seen since the first season of the Noonan era: a come-from-behind playoff win. That kind of tenacity had long been missing when it was most needed.
An individual performance by Brenner—that is among the greatest in club history—led the Orange and Blue to its grand victory. He scored not only his first playoff goal, but added another too, to tie and then take the lead. His second spell here has been everything that fans dreamt of and more. Who else but Brenner could be the player to watch?
Ender Echenique is a player whom Cincinnati also upgraded their attack with. The importance of his vertical runs against Columbus cannot be overstated. But he was forced off with a knock in a friendly for Venezuela, and may not start as he recovers. Luca Orellano could reprise his role as an inverted RWB instead, if Ender is deemed only fit to be a sub. Either one of him or Luca could still put Miami’s shaky defense on the backfoot, especially if Jordi Alba is forced to be more defensive.
They must exploit Miami’s vulnerabilities at the back, whether that means bringing intensity from the whistle or absorbing defensive pressure to counterattack hard. FCC must not be forced into playing on the backfoot as their opponents want.
. . .
Cincinnati brought the Nancy era to a close as his move to Celtic looms. They could do the same to this “Messi and friends” Miami team, with Suarez on his last leg, and both Busquets and Alba mere matches from retirement.
Opportunities like this, for either side, come few and far between. The occasion is far more than just a normal conference semi-final; it is years of bragging rights between perennial contenders. You could hardly imagine a more competitive affair. Who is more up for it?
Author’s Note: The paragraph on Ender Echenique was updated with newly-released information on his injury status.
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