This year marks the fifth under Pat Noonan and Chris Albright. So far, the pair are batting 1.000 when it comes to making the MLS Cup playoffs. At some point, the wheels come off, but is this the year when we see them loosen?
There’s a fair bet that FC Cincinnati makes the playoffs again this season, but seasons are not played on paper. We asked our staff where they believe the Orange & Blue finish this season, and while the confidence is evident, other teams have swung harder for bigger talent. There could be some big obstacles in the way while they strive for a second Supporters’ Shield.
MONDAY: FC Cincinnati’s MVP
WEDNESDAY: FC Cincinnati’s finish in the standings
FRIDAY: The Shield and MLS Cup winners
Sunday, November 2, 2025 in Columbus , Ohio. / Photo by Anders Saling
Justin Blair – 2nd in East
For the first time in three seasons, I believe FC Cincinnati have a strong core of experience and production returning. The Orange & Blue are not looking to replace a former MVP or find ways to fill in the gaps of major playing time drop offs. At the dawn of Year Two with our two star threats of Kevin Denkey and Evander, I have a ton of confidence that this team with start off hot.
When deciding how FCC will finish it is important to look at a full season in its entirety. We aren’t holding some major sell-on star on this roster that could demolish this club in the summer window. We have a solid starter in every position and even very comparable reserves in certain positions. From a purely “what about us” position, FCC could be looking at a Top 3 in the MLS. With the defending MLS Cup champions seemingly just getting better roster-wise, I will play it safe and say FCC finishes in 2nd place in the MLS East.
Jacob Holton – 2nd in East
I feel like I have been a bit more bullish on FCC’s moves this offseason. There were no major disruptions to the core of the roster, and there were no major transfer dramas that dragged on too long. The team did a good job of filling out their depth with guys with a lot of MLS experience, and Kevin Denkey and Evander had a full offseason together.
If FCC can stay healthy at the back, I think 2nd place in the east is not out of the question. There will be more goals, and the defense will be better. For those reasons, FCC will have another great season in MLS. (Of course, that is as long as Denkey does not get moved in the summer.)
Jason Ashcraft – 3rd in East
The Garys had very little money to play with this offseason and because of that fact, not a lot happened on the transfer front. Of course, Inter Miami continues to find creative ways to acquire players despite MLS roster rules—creative ways that seemingly no other MLS Club has been able to replicate. Several other Eastern Conference teams have also gotten better in the offseason…on paper, at least.
I’m picking FCC to finish third in the East behind Miami and Nashville. I’m not confident that we see another Supporters Shield run this season as I believe LAFC is poised to run roughshod over a weaker Western Conference and will challenge Miami for the big plate at the end of the season. Overall, I have FCC as fifth in the Shield race when the dust settles.
Gracin Galbreath – 3rd in East
I have some concerns with this team in 2026. Although they do not look as disjointed in certain positions as they did last season, there still appears to be holes that other trophy contenders don’t have.
Their depth up top and at the back is glaringly thin. Partnered with Denkey is Ayoub Jabbari, who I do not think was meant to start if the cap space wasn’t too thin to add a needle mover. Behind them are Tom Barlow, Dado Valenzuela, Kristian Fletcher—who has not recovered from an ACL injury—and some prospects who have yet to break out.
Miles, Miazga, and Hadebe will be in the back three, but I am concerned at the latter’s ball-playing ability, while with Miazga, there is no guarantee he will be back to his best. The only depth there is Hagglund, a legend but could drop off at any point, Gilberto Flores, who is not fully trusted by Noonan, and Alvas Powell if they keep moving him out of position. As mentioned, these sort of holes are not anywhere to be found in Miami and are not present in teams like LAFC, Philly, and Nashville.
Cincinnati will be better than last season, but the floor of the contenders has been raised, and I’m not sure they made signings that matched it during this offseason. For these reasons, I predict they will finish in 3rd. I am not saying they will be a bad team by any means; the attack should excite and the other main pieces like Bucha, Miles, and Celentano will be among the best in their positions.
Josh Dye – (At least) 3rd in East
Continuity is King. Well, at least it gets you in the throne room.
That’s what Chris Albright is banking on after a very mild winter transfer window that saw only the margins shuffled. And, if you follow the online discourse of this team, you might believe that spells doom for a team that vastly overperformed their underlying metrics a season ago. And the reality is, they very well might! But I’m taking the optimistic approach and believing the inverse.
Because, while the deck chairs were shuffled (so long Kei Kamara & Yuya Kubo; hello Tom Barlow & Kyle Smith), the team returns a MVP finalist and a 16-goal striker with a full year under his belt (Gass Theorem PotY candidate, anyone?). Add in a major addition of Bryan Ramirez and another step from Ender Echenique, plus some fresh coaching ideas via Brett Uttley, plus virtually the entire midfield and defense returning and you’ve got a recipe that I believe can make some noise.
There are simply too many random variables that play a bigger role in the endgame, so I’m going with a range in my prediction: I’ve got this team finishing Top 3 in the East and Top 5 in the league. I’m not going to pretend last year didn’t see this team finish 2nd in the table even though the spreadsheets said otherwise. Winning games matter and this team has a knack for doing it better than almost anyone. And with a rare offseason of no drama and all ball, I’m believing they’ll do it again.
Rupesh Sharma – 4th in East
FC Cincinnati’s roster has stayed pretty constant, so I do not see any reason that the club will have a major decrease in points. If Matt Miazga is able to stay healthy this season, I can see the team finishing as high as second. However, based on recent injury history, I think the team will finish around fourth place.
Geoff Tebbetts – 4th in East
Let’s have another solid roll of the dice. Daddy needs a new pair of shoes.
The odds say that the front office has the hot hand. Chris Albright has smashed preseason deals since 2022 and built some strong teams to go with the talent the previous front office gathered. That talent list from 2019 is pretty much down to two bench players, so everyone in place is pretty much an Albright guy.
The high-profile departures have been filled by lesser-known names and bench depth pieces this time around. Kevin Denkey, Evander, Miles Robinson, Pavel Bucha, and Roman Celentano have been a dependable spine, so now it’s time for the other hired hands to pull their weight. The summer pickups should solidify with practice, while Bryan Ramirez sounds ready to be the next switchblade player. If Matt Miazga can regain his “Defender of the Year” form, brighter days should be in the future.
The worry is that we’re settling with gradual, dependable gains while the conference is building for bear. Miami and Nashville are ready to capitalize with heavyweight signings, while Chicago and Philadelphia will pounce on summer deals with GAM stockpiles. Cincinnati are depending on chemistry and vibes until the next big contract is dealt for financial space.
I don’t think the dice are loaded in our favor this year. We will still be in play for home advantage in the postseason, but I don’t see us finishing better than 4th.
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