17-year-old defender Andrei Chirila was on the path to being a first-team player, but his timeline was bumped up a little early this season thanks to his own performance and hard work. Last week, FC Cincinnati made it official by signing the young center back to a Homegrown player contract, bringing the FCC Academy graduate into the fold through the 2028-29 season with an option for 2029-30.
Signed already with FC Cincinnati 2 on an MLS NEXT Pro contract, Chirila had already signed a Homegrown deal that was scheduled to kick in at the end of the 2026 season, but has played his way into the picture in a way that made accelerating that timeline make sense. Chirila was added to the first team roster four times on Short-Term agreements (the most you can under current roster regulations) and made three starts for the first team on those call-ups. He made his FC Cincinnati debut in the Concacaf Champions Cup against O&M FC, then made his MLS debut at New England Revolution.
“When we were using Andrei with some of the temporary loans, we knew that eventually this is going to be somebody that's a first team player. So why wait?” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of the club making his deal official. “He's training with us every day. He's going to be training with us every day, because I think he needs to be in that environment. He's had a really strong start with the preseason and with the game minutes and (he is) somebody that we need to keep progressing in a way where he feels confident being out there.”
After spending the entire preseason with FC Cincinnati and then appearing three times to start the season, he had essentially spent the entire start of 2026 with the first team, so the signing of his contract took him from de facto first-teamer to an official one.
“It was a crazy feeling. Ever since I was young, it's been soccer, soccer, soccer. My dad always taught us soccer. He's been teaching us from a young age so signing that first team contract was something I always dreamed of with my family,” Chirila said on Wednesday after training. “It felt great, honestly. But now all I have to do is put my head down and keep working.”
Chirila joins his brother, Steffan, 19, on the first team, making the duo the first set of brothers to play for FC Cincinnati. Despite being the younger brother on the team and the second-youngest player signed to a first-team contract, age is something he is looking to take out of the equation.
As a 17-year-old, Chrilia is well aware that there is plenty to work on and improve, but as a professional now, he has the mindset that his youthfulness cannot be a crutch. His goal is to be a professional player, and being young is part of his current situation, but it's not a reason not to set his goals high or hold himself to a high standard for success.
The best way to help the team, in his eyes, is to be good enough to be on the field. His age doesn’t restrict him, so he should play at the level needed to compete, not just the level his age may give him credit for.
“That MLS debut was also something I've always dreamed of. I went into the game just thinking, all I can do is just do my best. Don't think about, ‘oh, I'm a young player’ this or that. I just went into the game thinking I can play and just trying to do my best,” Chirila explained of his approach.
“I mean, it's definitely in the back of my mind. I know I'm a young player, but I try to push that out,” Chirila continued. “I try my best not to think about it like that. I just try to put myself as I'm just one of the players, and hold myself to that standard. I want to improve like everyone else. I don't think about my age out there. So all I do is work hard and do my best to show coach that I can be one of the players to play and start and help the team.”
FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan has been very complimentary of the defender in the opening phases of 2026, highlighting him as a standout in preseason with the first team and for his contributions in matches. Noonan has highlighted how Chirila brings an intensity and vocal presence to the field that is unique for his age.
As he progresses, though, the FC Cincinnati feel he’s a player who has earned an opportunity and needs to be given one at the highest level to continue his development.
“Whether that's more consistently (with minutes), whether that's rotation, whatever it is, he's progressing in a good way,” Noonan further explained of Chirila’s path forward.
“He's had some hard lessons with some of his minutes, some good moments, but he's a confident kid, bright kid, and he's learning how to be a pro. I think he has a lot of good people around him, pushing him, and has some really strong qualities with the ball. I think the physical side of things, and just his strength and the speed of play, speed of thought, all those things are improving and need to continue to improve, but he's got a bright future."
“I think, for me, one of my skills is playing forward, passing forward as a defender,” Chirila said of himself. “I think that's something I can help the team with. I can also, as a defender, be vocal and communicate to bring the team up.”
"His passing range. I think that was pretty clear early on when he was with us,” Noonan added of where he’s seen Chirila grow since first arriving with FC Cincinnati. “What he sees ahead of the ball, how he deals with pressure, and the confidence that he has to try different passes. Using different parts of his foot in a way where not many people can or feel the confidence to do it. So that that part stuck out. What also stuck out was how far off on the defensive side he was, just physically, and then just with the speed of the game and reading plays. That part's improved, I think. His confidence to speak is improving, which is important in that position. So sometimes, as a young kid when you're just getting into the first team environment, you're not using your voice all the time if you don't know what you're saying, and he's starting to understand that a little bit more and speak more."
As the 2026 season continues, do not be surprised to see Andrei Chirila feature in a combination of FC Cincinnati and FC Cincinnati 2 matches to continue his growth and improve as a player. But as he trains more and more with the first team, and ingrains himself more in the squad, it seems clear that Andrei Chirila will be a major factor for FC Cincinnati in the future – it's just a matter of when.
