4-4-2 > 3-5-2

Kevin Wallace

As of right now, anyway. Which is kinda crazy, right? Last year the assumption going into the season was Albright and Noonan were going to remake Cincy in Philly’s image: a 4-4-2 diamond filled with talented teenagers + the expensive signings Philadelphia’s owners couldn’t provide.

And that diamond shape lasted exactly one match against Austin and was immediately scrapped for a new identity in the 3-5-2 (or 5-2-1-2 if you’re an annoying asshole).

But where the FC Cincinnati roster stands as of the time of publishing, the 4-4-2 diamond looks to be the more viable option of the two formations.

The thing with playing three centerbacks is that you probably need 2 to 3 centerbacks to back them up. The backups don’t need to be starter material, but you don’t want to throw in a random 15 year old from the academy to be your last line of defense against guys like Hany Mukhtar and Dániel Gazdag. I mean, did you see FCC2’s record last year?

3-5-2

So here’s where The FC would line up in a 3-5-2 right now

So there’s a few issues here. First off I’ll call out that Arias hasn’t officially been signed as of the time of writing but I’m going to say that because I bet he does become official before I finally hit publish on this.

You’ll also notice Powell and something called a “Thomas” is backing up the backline. Powell makes sense as a backup in an emergency situation but it isn’t great thinking he’s the first option back there. Draft pick Joey Akpunonu can probably do the job but like Murphy last year I don’t think he’s Plan A. And then there’s Kai Thomas from FCC2. He’s a well regarded prospect but it’s really hard to overlook the fact that the 2 team was dreadful last year. Maybe he was the lone bright spot, but for someone who never made the 18 last year for the senior team, it’s a little uncomfortable to think he could be a ligament away from starting.

The midfield, wingbacks, and strikers all look to be in good working order. No surprises there.

4-4-2

And here’s what the 4-4-2 would look like.

I mean, not bad? Looking at the backup of every position, the only real question mark would be Robledo, who, actually got game time last year. The centerbacks are suddenly 2 deep, and the midfield looks actually kinda scary. Whatever concerns you’d have about Barreal as a dedicated leftback are covered by playing a proper 6 and two 8s in midfield, giving defensive flexibility to cover when Barreal makes those sweet sweet overlapping runs.

But it’s probably worth mentioning here that Albright isn’t done shopping and a veteran centerback of some kind is basically guaranteed to be coming in. I’d expect one to be signed during the preseason. And that makes the 3-5-2 much more viable than it looks right now.

But don’t rule out a four-man diamond midfield.