FC Cincinnati Kick off 2026 Preseason with Refreshed Approach and Full Squad in Training
MLS FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati Kick off 2026 Preseason with Refreshed Approach and Full Squad in Training

Published on January 14, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release


In a light moment at a press availability on FC Cincinnati's second day of preseason training for the 2026 season, General Manager Chris Albright said, "everyone showed up for work this year, which is nice," before unfurling a soft, sleek smile and a laugh.

His analysis, while tongue-in-cheek, is correct as The Orange and Blue have all reported back as expected for preseason training and have taken to the field to begin their preparations for the 2026 season. The core of the group is in place and in training, and a handful of new additions, including free-agent signings Kyle Smith and Tom Barlow, as well as homegrown signee Ademar Chávez, are on the team and in action.

There is even a new assistant coach in the mix ahead of preseason training. Brett Uttley, who was the Head Coach of MLS NEXT Pro side Austin FC II prior to joining FCC, has been added to the first team coaching staff and has already begun working with the team in these early days of preseason.

No two preseasons are exactly the same, but sometimes there are similar themes to look for. This year, perhaps more like the preseason of 2023, the core of the team is in place and in training from the get-go, unlike FC Cincinnati's two seasons (2024, 2025), where, due to a variety of reasons, the team that would ultimately take the field for game 1 was hardly present.

That doesn't mean the team is complete; far from it. There are still players who need to get to training but have reported and are absent for club-approved reasons. But the overwhelming majority, the true core of the team, is in place to begin preseason.

"We haven't had a group like this where you have all your top talent, your foundation, most of it returning - with a couple new pieces - are all here already to be able to accomplish things maybe earlier on than Pat and the staff have been able to," FC Cincinnati General Manager Chris Albright said on Tuesday in a press conference. Albright spoke to kick off preseason activities as the team trains in Cincinnati for a week before heading down to Clearwater, Florida, for the bulk of preseason.

"There's also a lot of guys that understand what's expected...there's more institutional knowledge from the group of how we act as FC Cincinnati players and staff that we're going to be able to build off of, as opposed to be teaching it from day one," Albright continued.

The group in training this week was missing just two names from the roster and was supplemented by some FC Cincinnati 2 and Academy players in the meantime, while they need the numbers. Teenage Hadebe has not yet joined the group, but he was given extra time off this offseason because of his participation with Zimbabwe at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) pushed his 2025 game action until late December, so he is getting the rest he needs. Kristian Fletcher was also absent, but he had been in Cincinnati with the team prior to training and is away for a medical checkup as he recovers from ACL surgery he had in June 2025.

Beyond that, the group is together and started their preparations with no drama.

While the group may be solid right now, Albright elaborated on how the club is improving and remodeling itself to build on last year. In the final press conference of 2025, Albright had hinted at "high level conversations" the club was having about how it moves forward because the 2025 season they had just completed was "not good enough." Tuesday, he helped give what he called a "refresh," a clearer face.

"When we talked about a refresh, it was maybe less personnel based and more strategically thinking about how we put the best 11 together to accomplish our goals," Albright explained. "When we talk about the refresh, it's strategic and staffing, how we train - you'll see some of our scheduling is different. So we've thought about a lot of things this offseason to try to maximize the group to be able to win."

"Add to the overall recipe," Albright added, summarizing things in a more succinct metaphor.

Adding Uttley to the coaching staff was one addition to the recipe; another is the conversation around the club bringing in a set-piece coach to further add to the staff. Which is a place that Albright admitted is, perhaps, a place FCC is behind when compared to the rest of MLS, but could add significant positives given the roster they have. Citing the club's physicality, height, and Evander's set-piece service.

Another change in the new year, or at least for preseason, has been the training schedule. The team has been training in the afternoons, after a full morning or more of meetings and other work, before taking to the field. The reason for the change is known only to the braintrust at FCC, and it may seem small, but it signals a shift in how things were and how the team is approaching 2026.

That said, even with those changes, it can't be overstated how valuable it is to have everyone, or at the very least the majority, in and going through this process together. Any approach changes don't really have force or effect if the team isn't here, so the combination offers exciting opportunities.

"It allows us to approach team meetings differently," Albright explained. "When we talk about setting expectations and goals to our players, in years past, we would have to wait and have those meetings in Clearwater two to three weeks from now, because a bunch of guys weren't here. So really, just being able to have those conversations about goal setting and what to expect, that allows us to get a jump on some of the years prior."

So, given the majority of the group is in place and any additions would come in as additives, where does the roster stand? The additions of forward Tom Barlow and defender Kyle Smith create depth at positions of need, and younger additions like Ademar Chávez and Kristian Fletcher add to a developing youth core for the future. The departure of wingback Luca Orellano to Liga MX side CF Monterrey raises some interesting questions, but for the most part, the team is aligned, and that's because the work done last summer put it in a position to be where it is now.

FCC added three key pieces to the roster last summer in Ayoub Jabbari, Samuel Gidi, and Ender Echenique, all of whom are expected to play a big role in 2026. They had less than half a season of work together, so the expectation is that more time together will be even more beneficial. But had they not come in and augmented the roster as it is, there would need to be a lot more work on the roster, and those players may not be in as early as they are now.

So the roster is in a good place. But that doesn't mean they're done adding or tweaking to it as things progress.

"We feel really comfortable with the group we have right now to be able to compete, not only in MLS, but in the Concacaf Champions Cup. But the team we put out on February 20 will not be the team that you see in October, much like last year. We'll continue to make additions as they make sense for the team, and try to put a team together to win trophies," Albright said. "I think that's a credit to a lot of the good work that we did last summer. A lot of the additions that you would maybe see this January actually happened in July and August."

"The good thing is the game's not played on paper," Albright continued. "So we're going to see over the next few weeks what we are, what we thought we were going to be. So, preseason will inform us a lot on what we need to address."

Preseason is underway, and thus, the evaluation has begun. The countdown to opening day continues as FC Cincinnati prepare for their first Concacaf Champions Cup game of 2026 on February 18, and the MLS season opener at TQL Stadium on February 21. The team is in a solid place to build from; whatever comes next will come from that foundation.

Check out the FC Cincinnati Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from January 14, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central