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A look at FC Cincinnati’s roster build for the 2019 season

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FC Cincinnati made a multitude of additions to its roster since Tuesday ahead of their first Major League Soccer season.

The expansion side brought 10 players from its USL days to America’s top division, and it’s also added MLS veterans.

Following Tuesday’s Expansion Draft, Cincinnati acquired Greg Garza and Kendall Waston.

The latter is a two-time MLS Best XI defender, while Garza is regarded as one of the best attacking fullbacks in MLS, and helped Atlanta to their first MLS Cup.

In Tuesday’s expansion draft, FC Cincinnati scooped up Darren Mattocks, who scored 10 league goals for D.C. United in 2018, but saw a drop in minutes following Wayne Rooney’s arrival.

Mattocks joins former Portland Timbers teammate Fanendo Adi in the attack following the Nigerian’s move to Cincinnati earlier in the season.

Selected alongside Mattocks were Roland Lamah, Eric Alexander, and Hassan Ndam.

Lamah scored 19 goals and added nine assists since joining FC Dallas in 2017 and will give Cincy a good option in wide areas.

Alexander is an experienced central midfielder who will provide depth at the position, while Ndam is a center back the club has plenty of familiarity with from his time in USL with New York Red Bulls II.

Victor Ulloa joined the club on Wednesday through a trade with FC Dallas, who received General Allocation Money in return for their Homegrown player.

Ulloa may find himself playing alongside is Fatai Alashe who joined the club this past summer from the San Jose Earthquakes.

report is claiming the club will sign Przemyslaw Tyton to fill its goalkeeping void.

The 31-year-old goalkeeper appeared three times in the 2012 UEFA European Championships for Poland and has 14 total caps for his country.

FC Cincinnati has one goalkeeper already on its roster, as it traded for the rights of Spencer Richey from the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The goalkeeper was on loan from the Whitecaps in 2018 and made 14 appearances for the USL version of FC Cincinnati.

Among the players returning to the club is Emmanuel Ledesma. The Argentine will likely line up on the opposite flank of Lamah, after a successful 2018 with FCC in which he won the USL MVP award for scoring 16 goals and adding 16 assists.

Joining Ledesma is Justin Hoyte, who will likely play behind the winger at right back.

Other defenders joining Hoyte from USL include Blake Smith, and Forrest Lasso. In addition to Alashe, three midfielders who played with FCC in 2018 are set to return to the club with Nazmi Albadawi, Corben Bone, and Jimmy McLaughlin signing this week.

As of now, the team may lack depth, but it still has time to build on itsroster with three months till their first MLS season kicks off.

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