FC Cincinnati: What now as club ponders post-Nijkamp future
Another general manager search for FC Cincinnati
For FC Cincinnati, the turmoil continues.
Friday’s news that the club has parted ways with general manager Gerard Nijkamp shouldn’t come as a terrible surprise. While the criticism might seem unfair given that FC Cincinnati has been in MLS only three years, this is a team that has struggled to find stability and direction during that time.
Now with the team mired near the bottom of the Eastern Conference and clearly struggling, it is clear that FC Cincinnati needs to take an entirely different direction if they are to become competitive in this league.
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The two years under Nijkamp saw plenty of spending and ambition but precious little return on that investment.
“I would like to thank Gerard for his commitment and dedication to FC Cincinnati. Gerard has been a key leader in the development in our project – opening of TQL Stadium, improving the roster, player development from the Academy to the first team, and building a broader soccer infrastructure that positions us for success in the future,” FC Cincinnati President Jeff Berding said in a statement released by the club.
“We sincerely appreciate Gerard’s efforts over the past two years and respect his decision to return to his family in Europe. We wish him and his family the best of luck moving forward. With a significant portion of the season remaining, our focus is on improving our play on the pitch and earning a playoff spot. Our search for Gerard’s successor will begin immediately and focus on identifying the leader that best aligns with our ambition to win a championship in Major League Soccer.”
The statement by Berding says all the right things but there has to be a level of concern when it comes to the club and its trajectory. Despite incredible support from the community and a growing fanbase, as evidenced in the opening of TQL Stadium this year, the same level of success has not been seen on the playing field.
FC Cincinnati, ahead of its stadium opening this year, was perhaps the most active team this past offseason. They spent big and went big on the transfer market.
And yet the results simply aren’t there, a 3-7-6 record (15 points) is certainly an improvement over last year’s horrible record. But given the massive investment in the club, three wins through 16 matches is simply not good enough.
And with Nashville SC’s success as an expansion team last year, there clearly is a pathway to being competitive in MLS as a young club. Even Inter Miami made the playoffs last year and yet FC Cincinnati was barely competitive in 2020.
Will it be another international sporting director, who doesn’t understand the league’s rules and quirks? And will this new general manager be given time to build this thing the right way? Time will tell but FC Cincinnati doesn’t have a great track record regarding their patience with team building.
The infrastructure around this club is solid but the team was strangely thrown together in a way that left it unable to compete during its first two years in the league. Now with a hodgepodge of a lineup that lacks vision, FC Cincinnati might be facing yet another offseason of massive overhauls.
FC Cincinnati host Orlando City this weekend.