Queen City Press

09/11/2024

"My life changed in an instant."

CB Chidozie Awaziem described his childhood as "chaos" at times, growing up in a home with five boys after his mother passed when he was young. Soccer has meant everything to him and his family, which drives him. 📸 Jeremy Miller

Like the runt of a pack often must fend for himself, Chidozie Awaziem sometimes had to do the same as the youngest of five boys in a household where at times th

08/05/2024

ICYMI: Aaron Boupendza has been away from for more than a week now. The club says he is recovering from illness, but meanwhile he's been spotted downtown and sources tell me he is just not showing up to team activities.

Aaron Boupendza has been absent from FC Cincinnati's training sessions for more than a week, and according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation,

07/23/2024

has its first signing of the summer transfer window. A league source confirmed the club is acquiring Nigerian CB Chidozie Awaziem from Portuguese club Boavista. More details, including the length of his contract and how long FCC has been eying him...

FC Cincinnati has acquired Nigerian centerback Chidozie Awaziem from Portuguese club Boavista, according to a league source. Awaziem takes Matt Miazga’s spot on

07/11/2024

Some have questioned why FC Cincinnati would let Miles Robinson go to the Olympics after being away for Copa America already and considering the injuries on the back line. Curious if anyone's thoughts were changed after reading about what the opportunity means for him and how Atlanta twice prevented him from call-ups.

What do you think?

Miles Robinson was always an avid follower of the Olympics as a youth. The FC Cincinnati centerback remembers watching the Beijing Games in 2008 on the edge of

06/26/2024

From 90-minute train rides to school and training as a 10-year-old, Pavel Bucha learned the discipline that helped him become 's most oft-used player this season. My feature on the Czech midfielder as he adjusts in his first stint abroad...

Teammates describe Pavel Bucha as one of the more serious personalities on FC Cincinnati’s roster. He says that was engrained in him as a youth trying to balanc

06/24/2024

EXCLUSIVE: forward Aaron Boupendza spoke to me after Saturday’s game about his return to the field for the first time since April 27, the difficulty of being out for jaw surgery and now focusing on his future:

Aaron Boupendza said he has moved on from the off-field incident that led to jaw surgery and an extended absence from the pitch, and he is just happy to be back

06/21/2024

Matt Miazga will undergo knee surgery in the coming days, and his timeline to return for remains up in the air. More from interviews with Pat Noonan and Nick Hagglund regarding Miazga and the challenges of also having Miles Robinson away.

FC Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan confirmed Friday that center back Matt Miazga will undergo knee surgery, but the extent of the injury is unknown until he goes th

05/11/2024

MATCHDAY: Those that were a part of ’s Eastern Conference final loss are reminded of that sting this week ahead of . The club has too many of those in this rivalry, still looking for it’s first road win in the series, but confident.

As much as FC Cincinnati tries not to dwell on the past, that task is a bit more challenging this week. With the first “Hell is Real” derby of the season comes

05/01/2024

New on : Multiple sources tell me forward Aaron Boupendza suffered a facial injury in an off-field incident.

FC Cincinnati forward Aaron Boupendza suffered a facial injury outside of team facilities, multiple sources close to the situation told Queen City Press. The i

04/17/2024

Mail is here! For those trying to figure out the end of the fans' song for Roman Celentano, I asked him his thoughts and what he hears. Made for a fun question to answer in my latest mailbag, in addition to covering a wide range of other topics.

It's mail time. This week's mailbag is full of a wide range of topics asked by readers, so let's dive right in... Alex P: What do you think the chances are we s

04/04/2024

Lots of news today in land. Coach Pat Noonan ruled Roman Celentano out for this weekend's game against New York Red Bulls and the club announced the loan of Quimi Ordonez to OFK in Sweden. Both stories linked below...

Celentano out: https://queencitypress.net/2024/04/03/week-of-4-2-24-notes-from-fc-cincinnati-training/

Ordonez loaned: https://queencitypress.net/2024/04/04/fc-cincinnati-sends-ordonez-on-loan-in-sweden/

FC Cincinnati is down to three forwards on its roster.  The club has loaned homegrown player Quimi Ordonez to Östersunds FK of the Swedish second division

03/24/2024

ICYMI: Luciano Acosta's milestone goal lifted to a 1-0 win over and put FCC atop the league standings. He's now in elite company with 60 goals and 80 assists. More on his feat, the defense's unsurprising start + more. Feature photo by Jeremy Miller.

PHOTOS BY JEREMY MILLER STORY BY LAUREL PFAHLER Luciano Acosta was both surprised and honored when someone showed him the elite group of players he joined with

03/07/2024

“When I look back at my four years here in Cincinnati, I would say they were the best years of my life."

Brandon Vazquez went from MLS Supporters' Shield winner to Liga MX & Concacaf's top team at Monterrey. Ahead of the first match against his old club, the former forward spoke about the move, his time here and facing friends.

Brandon Vazquez recognized the four seasons he spent with FC Cincinnati as “the best years” of his life. It started off a little rough, playing a bench role for

03/06/2024

DeAndre Yedlin knew about his likely trade to before he played in Inter Miami's game against Orlando City on Saturday. Was on a plane to Cincy by Sunday and after less than three full days, it's already "one of the easiest transitions" he's made.

DeAndre Yedlin looks forward to a 'new beginning' with FC Cincinnati, after he was traded from Inter Miami CF.

03/04/2024

I spoke with former GM Gerard Nijkamp last week when he was in town. He reflected on his time with the club, players he signed, what he learned about MLS and thoughts on the league since + more.

Former FC Cincinnati general manager Gerard Nijkamp always said he would need five complete transfer windows to get the Orange and Blue turned around from the t

02/23/2024

More on MLS reducing Matt Miazga's suspension by a game. He will not be eligible Sunday vs. Toronto but can return to league play March 2 at Chicago.

Matt Miazga's three-game suspension for misconduct has been reduced by a game, and the FC Cincinnati centerback now has to miss just one match to start the seas

02/23/2024

controlled the game but needed some of its depth to step up to collect a 2-0 win over Cavalier FC last night in the club's Concacaf Champions Cup opener. Goals from Sergio Santos and Malik Pinto helped put FCC in a favorable spot going into Leg 2.

A depleted roster didn’t prevent FC Cincinnati from a dominant performance in its first real match of the season, but the Orange and Blue made their Concacaf Ch

02/16/2024

coach Pat Noonan said he saw more consistency this preseason than his previous two and the team seems to be in a good place but "the important part is how does that translate when it matters?" We'll find out more next week when real games begin.

FC Cincinnati closed out its preseason with a third straight win in four friendlies, but coach Pat Noonan said the team hasn’t quite accomplished everything nee

02/15/2024

Last year, my son asked for a Yuya Kubo jersey but I told him I wasn't sure if Kubo would play much or be here much longer. Apparently, Kubo didn't either. I spoke to him about his decision to return for a fifth/sixth season and his role with for my latest feature. (And to be clear, I don't base editorial decisions on my son's favorite players. I know Kubo is very well-loved by the FCC fan base so thought this would be a well-received piece).

Yuya Kubo initially thought he would play out his three-year guaranteed contract with FC Cincinnati and then move on to the next stop. Perhaps return to Japan a

02/07/2024

More on finalizing the deal to sign Czech midfielder Pavel Bucha on a transfer from FC Viktoria Plzeň...

Updated previous story from Jan. 20, as FC Cincinnati has now announced this signing Feb. 7. FC Cincinnati has finalized the acquisition Czech midfielder Pavel

02/05/2024

 Highlights from this week’s show. Join us for a special episode LIVE at the Norden Supporters Group Scarf Release Party with Special Guests Jimmy McLaughlin and Laurel Pfahler of Queen City Press. Proceeds from the event will benefit the St. Vincent de Paul Society in the West End. Join Boston...

02/02/2024

The latest episode of Podcast is up! We discuss Alvaro Barreal staying with , why the club didn't sell him this window and what we're learning from preseason so far + more. Plus, hear interview clips with Noonan and Boupendza.

Alvaro Barreal is staying with FC Cincinnati for the time being after the main transfer windows in Europe closed Thursday. We discuss what's next for Barreal an

02/01/2024

No surprise move for Alvaro Barreal on "Deadline Day" in England and other countries in Europe. He remains with for the time being. More on his status with the team...

There was no "Deadline Day" surprise for Alvaro Barreal. The left wingback remains with FC Cincinnati as most of the transfer windows in Europe have closed. FCC

01/31/2024

Mail is here! I answered a bunch of questions about 's roster, the latest with Alvaro Barreal ahead of European windows closing and more in my latest mailbag (available to my $5/mo and up subscribers) -- and this is just Part 1. I got so many questions, Part 2 will post later this week.

I sent out a request for mailbag questions last week and had my inbox flooded within minutes, which is great. But, I'm trying to get to them all and it was gett

01/24/2024

Aaron Boupendza already was looking forward to his first preseason with after adjusting on the fly mid-2023 when he arrived. His agent said after a traumatic experience this offseason, Boupendza especially was ready to get back to soccer...

Aaron Boupendza said at the end of last season he was looking forward to his first preseason with FC Cincinnati and a chance to settle in more completely with t