Speaking to the club recently, new FC Cincinnati manager Ron Jans was clear about what he wanted from the remaining seven games for his team: “We want to see who fits in our future plans.” 

It’s time to plan for the future.

Things haven’t been going so well for the Orange and Blue in the table. After winning back-to-back games earlier in July, FC Cincinnati have dropped six of seven games and are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. They’re last in the league table and have the worst goal differential of minus-37. League leaders Los Angeles FC boast an absolutely insane plus-46 goal differential, but the next-closest team to Bob Bradley’s squad is Atlanta United at plus-16.

All of this goes to prove Jans’ point. Beginning with a trip to the Lone Start State to square off against FC Dallas in Frisco, Texas, the games aren’t about this year anymore. Instead, they’re seeing who fits in with the strategic direction of the squad and building a level of cohesion with those players.

For two of FCC’s players, this game is a bit of a homecoming.

“It’s gonna be special to go back to the place where I made my whole career,” said midfielder Victor Ulloa, who spent many years with Dallas. “It’s gonna be weird being on the other side of things for a change.” 

Roland Lamah echoed those sentiments, saying he had “good memories” from Texas but hopes to take points off his old team.

Another point that Lamah made was regarding the high press. The weather in Texas — in case you didn’t know — is hot, and it’s essentially untenable to press high for all 90 minutes. Instead, Lamah said, the team need to be “clever” in terms of when to press and attempt to win back possession. When FCC do have the ball, they need to be efficient with their chances. 

Lastly, to Jans’ point about figuring out who fits into the club’s future plans, it looks like a perfect time of year to do just the thing with some squad experimentation, as four players from the Orange and Blue have been called up to their respective national team sides for the upcoming breaks. Allan Cruz and Kendall Waston will join their Costa Rica side, Alvas Powell will join the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica, and Derrick Etienne Jr. will join Haiti. 

Four #FCCincy players have been called up for international duty. Congrats, guys! ??????

?: https://t.co/9SyKSqSjTF pic.twitter.com/3A3xDPxEbn

— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) August 28, 2019

That means plenty of opportunity to work with different individual players and different combinations for Jans. But even though the focus has turned to experimentation and planning for the future, make no mistake: These FCC players are competitors, and they want points in Texas. They’re not going to be looking for a feel-good story the last seven games of the season, or be OK coasting to draws and losses. This is a team that wants to start building momentum headed into next season, and they’ve got a chance starting Saturday night at 7 PM CT against FC Dallas in Frisco, Texas. Local viewers can watch the game right here on FloFC.