‘We have a long way to go’

If the 2019 Major League Soccer season went well for anyone at FC Cincinnati, it couldn't have been more than a handful of individuals. Count Alvas Powell as one of the players that disappointed that season, and departed letdown by his experience with the club.

After a Western Conference championship with Portland Timbers in 2018, FC Cincinnati's historically bad inaugural season took its toll on Powell, who was a regular starter for title-winning Portland teams before he was traded to FCC.

After leaving the club following just 13 appearances in 2019, he carved out significant roles (and playoff starts) in two subsequent stints with Inter Miami CF and Philadelphia Union in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

More:FC Cincinnati 2022 MLS preview: 'Solid, fitter, organized' not exciting, but wins would be

When the opportunity presented itself this past offseason for Powell to return to FC Cincinnati, where he experienced arguably the biggest dip in his career, it required some explaining to his family.

"I didn't have any hesitation. I was just laughing when I popped the news to my wife. And, like, (she said), 'Oh. Cincinnati again?'" Powell told reporters Wednesday. "I said to her, "It'll be different.' There's a lot of changes here.' (They) are passionate about winning and they've changed the mentality of everything here."

But Powell's return to FC Cincinnati for the 2022 season finds him at a club that's reshaped itself in many facets since he departed.

FCC figures to lean on Powell in order to set right its on-field product, and Powell welcomed the chance to reunite with head coach Pat Noonan and general manager Chris Albright, who oversaw Powell's recruitment to the Philadelphia Union last season.

More:FC Cincinnati confirms reserve team will join MLS Next Pro 2022 season

"I was happy. The moment I get the chance to come again and do something that I love, especially in Cincinnati – (the) last season was not good for me but I work with Pat in Philly. I work with Chris. They brought me to Philadelphia and now here, and I'm excited to work with them and have a good season.

"For a minute, it was hard to swallow but I'm excited to be here to work for the fans and the club."

FC Cincinnati continues preparation for Austin FC opener

Powell and his teammates went through their paces in a training session open to media Wednesday at TQL Stadium ahead of Saturday's season-opener at Austin FC.

Cincinnati players went through small-sided games and eventually full-field scrimmages, which featured interesting pairings and partnerships, one of which produced a Nick Markanich goal while he was paired up top with a veteran player.

More:FC Cincinnati GM Chris Albright: Club won't be finished product in time for Austin FC opener

Cincinnati on Wednesday made official the signings of Markanich, of Northern Illinois, and Duke product Ian Murphy to first-year contracts.

FCC selected Murphy and Markanich with the 14th and 30th picks, respectively, in this year's SuperDraft.

There wasn't much time to celebrate the signings as Noonan pushed Cincinnati through what appeared to be a rigorous session.

In his post-training remarks, Noonan reiterated a version of the sentiment he's been pushing out through the media since his arrival, saying, "We’ve taken good steps but I’ve said it throughout this process. We have a long way to go, and that’s OK."

"Today was trying to put them in tough moments," Noonan said. "Some transition moments and how do we react? And on both sides of the ball, to play at tempo. But then it was also about how we manage tempo and understanding the moments to go forward at speed, and then when we don’t have the numbers, how do we move the ball in ways where we control the play and not force mistakes and open up the game and open us up defensively, so that was a lot of what we were working on today and it’s still where we need to improve."

What the arrivals of Barreal, Brenner mean

Brenner Souza da Silva was a full participant during Wednesday's training session, just as he had been since arriving to Cincinnati Friday with his immigration issues settled.

Like Alvaro Barreal, who managed to squeeze in a few training sessions with FCC in Florida last week, Brenner secured his green card.

For both players, the green card allows them permanent-resident status in the United States. That designation also gives FC Cincinnati two additional roster spots for international players, which are a valuable and movable commodity in MLS.

Resolving the delay in securing their immigration status should prove to be worth it for the individuals and the club, but it could also have short-term consequences.

Brenner, who was FC Cincinnati's leading scorer in 2021 and will bear significant scoring burden this season, essentially missed the entire preseason. Barreal's situation is only marginally better by virtue of his arrival only days earlier than Brenner's.

Asked Wednesday about the status of the two players, Noonan indicated he won't rush to get the players on the field.

More:FC Cincinnati unveils Juncta Juvant secondary kit ahead of 2022 MLS season

"That’s day by day progression, just to see how they react to what we’re doing each day in training. We’ve had to kind of monitor the work load," Noonan said. "It’s unfortunate but the reality is they were away from us for a long time, so we need to think about how we implement them into the group.

"They came in and the first couple days, you could see the talent that they have. It’s a matter of pushing the fitness in the right way to make sure that we’re thinking just past Saturday.”

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‘We have a long way to go’

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