First Weeks of Preseason Training Open 2026 with Refreshed Ideas and in a Strong Way
MLS FC Cincinnati

First Weeks of Preseason Training Open 2026 with Refreshed Ideas and in a Strong Way

Published on January 21, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release


Preseason, according to most, if not all, parties involved, is an irreplaceable and invaluable period of preparation for an MLS team, and FC Cincinnati is no exception. The time spent together, both on and off the field, is incredibly useful for implementing change, establishing expectations, fostering team unity, defining team principles, and developing players' individual skills and how those skills function within a team.

And that's on top of simply getting guys physically and mentally up to speed for the year ahead.

It's a lot to stack inside one month of training, but it's one month, and usually the only month, where you can spend the entire time focused exclusively on yourself. There's no opponent to prepare for, or competition to consider when building a training regime - that time will come soon enough. Sure, there are preseason friendlies to compete in and prepare for, but as friendlies, those can serve as milestones or evaluation points rather than must win games. So it ends up being just over a month of work solely on yourself, building a foundation for future success.

Given all that, it is great to say that in the eyes of Pat Noonan and FC Cincinnati's player leaders, this opening week (plus a couple of days) has been an excellent start to the 2026 season, and thanks to an array of factors - some fortunate, some by design - FC Cincinnati is "ahead of schedule" in a sense and very optimistic about this preseason camp.

"It's good to be back, certainly, a lot of moving parts, as is always the case, but it's been a good first week," Pat Noonan said after training in Cincinnati just before the club left for Clearwater, Florida. "We haven't been on grass for the first three days since I've been here, so that was a huge positive, and you could see it in the players (and) the training. I think we got more accomplished this week than we have previously."

The weather was one factor that went in FCC's favor early in the new year, as while it was chilly, it never got harsh enough to worry about not training outdoors. Similarly, the snow and rain held off just enough for them to train on their grass pitches at Mercy Health Training Center. The combined factors, which crossed over just enough for their planned first week of action before heading down to Clearwater (and seemed to have turned for the worse the moment they departed), allowed the team the chance to train on grass for the whole week. Something Noonan says they haven't been able to do or have done during his time with FCC and greatly aided the process in the first week.

Had they been less lucky, the team would have had to train at an indoor facility or on turf, and from Noonan's description during his first press availability of the year, the team may have only really been able to get to the place they are now, or start that process, once they got to warmer climates and grass surfaces.

That weather is fortunate and not controllable, so you thank Mother Nature for the gift and try to capitalize on it as best you can. Other factors, though, were more in your control, which is how you do just that.

FC Cincinnati kicked off preseason with a more complete group than they have in years. There were excused absences, and there will, of course, be more additions as the year goes on, but the core (and really far more than that) was in the building working on day one. That has allowed Noonan and his staff to hit the ground running.

"Less moving parts, I think, and more stability with signed players being here and helping us start in a good way," Noonan explained from his preseason kickoff press conference. "When we were putting together the sessions for week one and who's available, outside of a couple guys being excused, it's been a really strong group to start us off. So on top of that stability, what we've been able to accomplish in these first couple days has been a positive for the group."

"Training was good...I think we had a very good first week," FCC forward Kévin Denkey said of the opening of preseason. Denkey is back for his second preseason with the club and highlighted that his comfort level has already put him in a better position to prepare for the year. "I feel more settled. I know more, I know the city, I know my teammates more. Last year we were just discovering each other, now I can say that we know each other."

It has also allowed for the often-referred-to "refresh" to really take root. FC Cincinnati General Manager Chris Albright unveiled an organizational refresh as they look to do things differently from previous years and continue to improve the club. He reiterated that intention in a season kickoff chat with the press last week. Head Coach Pat Noonan had not yet spoken on the record about that "refresh" but highlighted it in his chat with the media last Friday and expressed his excitement for some of the changes they were looking to make and the care that went into crafting the plan.

"It was enjoyable to think about improvement," Noonan said of the refresh and his view of it. "And I think that just speaks to the ambition of, certainly, Carl (H. Lindner III) and our ownership group, from Chris (Albright), myself, down to the players; we want to be better and we don't want to settle."

That refresh, though, as well thought-out and intentioned as it may be, is really hard to install with a half-baked roster or an absent collection of players. It's a lot easier to get the group online and add on individual pieces later if you start early and with everyone.

That element this preseason, thus far, can't be overstated.

"It does help," Noonan said of the impact of implementing changes with the group they have," "We've started in a really stable way, in a strong way, with returning players and who's available. Some of the reset and the new ideas came in different conversations, and so certainly, from the strength of the group from last season to this season that makes the transition a little bit more comfortable... in that regard.

"It's important. It's really important, because you have that automatism," Denkey added to the player element of having everyone in for preseason to try new things. "You know when a player has the ball, I know he will put it there. I know he likes this kind of movement, this kind of run, so I can adapt better, and they know how I play. Last season, maybe (teammates) only saw the videos of me. Now, we train every day, we play games. So I think it is better, and that's the most important thing. I'm excited for it."

FC Cincinnati has continued its preseason training now in Clearwater, Florida, building on a solid foundation. They will have their first preseason test when they make the 90-minute drive from their training home to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, to take on the New England Revolution on Friday, January 23.

There is still plenty of preseason to go before kickoff, and that match won't define anything, but it will be the first look at a nearly assembled FCC squad, and an exciting milestone ahead of the 2026 season to come.

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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.

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