FC Cincinnati have played for the last month with nary a breath between games, let alone a full week to really recover from or review the matches they’ve played. Since the start of October, FCC have played every Wednesday and Saturday (or Sunday) and traveled over 4000 miles round trip. It was always going to be a furious stretch run to the finish of the 2026 regular season, but the added rescheduled home match against D.C. United on October 21 took away the lone respite from the already busy end of the year.
But in that stretch, despite the challenges, FC Cincinnati ultimately clinched their spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Which is great, but there is still work to do. They have seeding to clinch and a wildcard game to avoid. Fortunately, they now prepare for a Decision Day game that seals their season, with a full week to prepare. One week of regular – high-stakes – training, that both gives the rest and recovery time that this squad needs while also building off the momentum they’ve earned. Simple….right?
“It'll feel weird. I don't know how much we'll actually do for the next three or four days. Guys are hanging on by a thread, and this will be an important week of recovery,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said after the 1-0 win over Philadelphia Union.
“It was a difficult stretch, but I think not only the guys, but the staff members that helped these guys to be able to turn it around and get the recovery right and turn the page and move on to whatever the next challenge was in the best possible way, that's all been done in a really good way by our staff,” Noonan elaborated. “Everybody grinds together, and so you get to share the joy of this specific moment together.”
Noonan added Thursday that their first few days of training that week had been light in order to accomodate recovery and not overload anyone after the high workload of the last month and before the playoffs, when they would need everyone most. But that starting Wedensday they had returned to the regular intensity and had a very strong session.
"It's been good. The days off were necessary for guys to recover, and we've still managed some workloads in the first two days just because of some knocks that guys took and making sure that we didn't overdo it in these first two days," Noonan explained. "Let them have good intensity, but the necessary recovery and yesterday was a really good training session, good energy. So, I think we've managed it in a way where now it just becomes a focus of Nashville in the next couple days and our preparation."
No one could use the break more than a guy like Evander, though everyone has their own plight they are fighting. The attacking midfielder, though, was hit with an illness last week, which left him unable to train for certain days and needing to take extra care leading into both matches he played last week.
The first, at Inter Miami CF, left him worse for wear due to the humidity and exertion, so he couldn't train the next two days and was excused from the building to avoid anyone else catching it. By the time matchday against Philly rolled around, Evander was mostly recovered and able to play again, but having not trained, Noonan devised a plan to limit his minutes and play him only in the second half.
Even with the limited minutes, though, turning it around again coming off that illness for another midweek game would have been tough. So the full week to recover now leaves FC Cincinnati and Evander in a FAR better place moving forward.
“After a good run, I think we knew we had time to rest and prepare the right way for the last game of the regular season,” Evander said Wednesday after training. “I think it's already been a good week. We want to win. We're gonna play at home against the champions of the Supporters’ Shield. But we want to show we are a strong team for the playoffs.”
“So it's gonna be a very important game for us,” Evander continued. “We want to change the momentum. We want to change the way that we started the season, and hopefully end the season in a good way.”
Training continues as the days tick down to Decision Day, where FC Cincinnati, along with all other Eastern Conference sides, will kick off the action at 4:00 p.m. in a synchronized start to the final day. The Orange and Blue could move to as high as sixth with a win, but fall to as low as ninth with a loss. For all possible scenarios and the pathways to each, click here.