“Miles for Cincy” was the bat signal that flashed over Cincinnati just less than two years ago that signaled the potential for a new addition to the club that would ultimately come to fruition. The message, emblazoned on the fins of TQL Stadium one late December night in 2023, was part of a sales pitch to the All-Star defender who had become a free agent at the end of the season. A successful sales pitch, in the end, but in that moment it was more so an understanding of what could be.
Now, approximately 20 months later, that message is a statement of what is and has been. All-Star, National Team Captain, Team USA Olympian and FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson is All For Cincy, and has continued his commitment to the club by signing a two-year contract extension. The deal keeps Robinson in Orange and Blue through the 2027 season (with an option for 2028) and keeps a piece in both the leadership core and defensive backline at the club.
“He's elite at so many things when it comes to defending, and I think he continues to improve,” FC Cincinnati General Manager Chris Albright said of Robinson at a training session. “The number of plays that don't happen when Miles is on the field, you never realize. You never realize what doesn't even have to happen, or someone that doesn't have to cover because he can just put out so many fires by himself. There's only so few players in the world that have that elite athleticism and dueling ability, and he's in that category.
“He was a free agent with serious interest from some big clubs, and we're able to retain him,” Albright added. “So we're thrilled that we're able to do so.”
In a short time Robinson has established himself in Cincinnati both as a key player to the squad, and as a significant leader in a locker room full of experienced players and strong personalities. He has been recognized for his strong play on the field, being named an MLS All-Star in both 2024 and 2025, been a five-time recipient of Team of the Match Day honors as well as being one of the few regular call ups to the US Men’s National Team from MLS – being named to the rosters for the three biggest competitions for the side in the last two years (2024 Summer Olympics, 2024 Copa America, 2025 Gold Cup). He’s been named captain by Head Coach Pat Noonan 13 times and been an influential figure off the pitch countless times both as a leader in the locker room and an ambassador for the club in the community – including receiving a commendation from Cincinnati City Council as a Black History Month Honoree.
Miles Robinson’s accolades speak for themselves in terms of his quality on the pitch. But as a defender, it can sometimes be harder to quantify what makes you great compared to those where more tangible stats can be calculated. Goalscorers, assist getters, even keepers with saves and clean sheets, have specific counting stats one could point to to discern quality compared to others at their position. For a defender, it can be more about the things that don’t happen that make them special. Which is something that can, on occasion, stand out in a match – like a high speed run to intercept a pass or track back on a runner – but more often than not it’s the things that are never noticed that shine the brightest for those who are the most tuned in to the game like players and coaches.
For all the accolades and skills Robinson possesses, ‘avid self promoter’ has not been one of the ways you’d describe the American defender. Both on the pitch and off it. Robinson is as mild mannered in a media appearance as he is in the heat of battle. A consummate professional, Robinson has never in his time at FC Cincinnati backed away from a media request, in the same way he has never backed away from a challenge on the pitch, but when asked to share insight into his performance or his opinion, the 28-year-old will, without fail, deflect all possible praise onto his teammates while accepting all possible blame on himself – no matter how undue it is.
All of this combined, the challenges of interpreting defensive stardom in tandem with his quiet, humble demeanor, makes getting to know Miles Robinson the player and person a bit of a challenge.
So who better to ask to get to know Robinson than his teammates (both past and present) and his coaches? They are after all the people he spends most of his time with and are those who have no issue complimenting their star defender and leader.
The picture they paint of Robinson is one with great nuances in the brush strokes that ultimately leads to a very clear image. He is a person with great depth, undeniable talent, and a warmness that makes him a person people naturally gravitate to.
One teammate described him as having a certain “movie star quality.” Another as “a quiet confidence you wish you had yourself.” No matter how they described Miles Robinson the person, all of his teammates agree on what they think about him as a player.
“He’s the best defender I’ve ever played with, and you can quote me on that one,” Lukas Engel shared in a conversation at Mercy Health Training Center about his fellow defender. “I think everyone that understands football knows how good Miles is. He reads the game so well, he's a great athlete. He's a leader.”
Engel, on loan from EFL Championship side Middlesbrough, is a newcomer to the squad this season. Not every teammate was as forward with their declaration of “the best,” but Engel’s praise is a definitive place to start. As a fresh face to the lineup, and MLS, in 2025 his familiarity to Robinson even if only by reputation was limited. But a quick impression was made.
“I didn't know much about Miles before I came here, but as soon as I came here, and it’s kind of tough to explain, but you can just see he's got this intelligence that all great defenders have. It leaps out instantly,” Engel continued. “It’s like he can see the game before it happens and react. He's a great defender.”
The unifying theme of the actual quality Robinson brings to the field is in his versatility, and how that diversity of skill not only helps the team win but also creates confidence in his teammates. The ability to step into every role on the defensive line, or handle any challenge that comes his way, makes it so others can play in a more suitable role. It also means that his teammates can be confident taking risks knowing he will be there to clean things up.
“Both on and off the pitch, Miles is special,” midfielder Obinna Nwobodo shared in a sitdown with FCCincinnati.com. “Firstly, on the pitch, there's something about each person that makes them special. But with Miles, it's like, as a defender he is full of everything. His speed, his mentality, his mindset. On-the-ball and off-the-ball, his calmness. You don’t find that combination just anywhere, it is special. So for me, I think seeing him at the back always gives me confidence, knowing that you can just come in and play and he will be there.”
Robinson was named after acclaimed Jazz musician Miles Davis, who’s magic on the trumpet and as a composer had a profound impact on Robinson’s father, Jeff, who is a professional Jazz musician in his own right. This meant that Miles grew up in a musical household, but in 2024, when Robinson first sat down with FCCincinnati.com in Clearwater, Florida he said he never picked up that musical instinct. His father could play every instrument he could think of, but beyond a few guitar chords, Miles hadn’t pursued that interest. At the time, he correlated Jazz music with Soccer in that it’s a combination of structure and improvisation but that’s the extent of his musical analogy.
Funny enough though, given the way Robinson’s teammates describe his play, there may be some additional family resemblance. In the same way Jeff Robinson or Miles Davis can play every instrument in the band, Miles Robinson can do everything a defender could be asked to.
“He does everything so well, and does so as a top professional. He leads by example and guys follow that,” Engel added to the same point. “He can do pretty much everything you ask him. If you ask him to play on the left, he plays on the left, and he does just as good a job as he does on the right or in the middle. That’s not easy. He's very versatile. He can mark the fastest guy, and the strongest and the most technical. He can handle just about anything you throw at him. That's the thing you don't see. But that's where the confidence from the other guys comes from, because, you know, you've got someone at the back that's strong, aggressive, fast, all that. He’s just one of those special types.”
“If you envision a young player playing right wing back, and you say, ‘man, who would I'd like to put behind that young right wing back as a security blanket. Miles would be the first name that comes to mind,” General Manager Chris Albright, who is not his teammate but provides essential context to Robinson’s skill, added to this point. “His ability to play a high line, to just cancel out everything in behind is really a key element of what we want to do. So, in that way, he's just an excellent fit for how we want to play.”
“I don't know many strikers that can run faster than Miles, I don't know many strikers that are stronger than Miles, and that’s all natural to him,” Nwobodo continued in his explanation of Robinson's quality. “This is just a special gift that I feel like he has.”
Since Nwobodo arrived in Cincinnati, he has been a key defender for the squad outside of the defensive backline. His work in the midfield as one of the best play disrupters has earned him recognition the league over and he’s been a significant element of FC Cincinnati’s success. There are few in Major League Soccer who, in their own way, can relate to the challenges Robinson faces and help provide perspective on the quality his American teammate brings.
But an additional element Nwobodo highlights as key in Robinson’s game is the off the field elements that make FC Cincinnati better. Part of that is the personality and locker room presence he brings as a good teammate (and Robinson has that, more to come on that), but it is also about how Robinson carries himself in the team and helps to set a culture of teamwork, intensity, and work ethic.
“What makes him special is off the pitch also, because he carries that professionalism with him, and brings it to the games,” Nwobodo continued. “He's a calm guy. Not way different from the way he looks or he plays. His mentality and the way he tries to carry everyone along makes us better, and people follow that.”
“The way he comforts everyone and gives motivation, even when things are not going so well. He tries to make himself big in order to accommodate people, in order to make everyone feel good and also make people feel comfortable. He will wear the stress on his own shoulders so the team can succeed. I don't think there's anyone that will have anything bad to say about Miles in terms of personality wise. No one can, and I've never seen him talk about or have issues with anyone. It’s the first time I've ever seen someone who never has issues, ever. He just solves issues. Off the pitch, on the pitch, he makes things easier for people in his own way. He is never seen shouting, or getting angry or get mad, but his intensity shows how much he wants to win, and his actions make it so you work with him. So he’s just a special, special player and a special person, on the pitch, but also off the pitch.”
It can be, at least in the mainstream typically, difficult for defenders to get their due as stars. But they can be rockstars to the goalkeepers they help defend. Roman Celentano, for example, was eager to share a perspective on Robinson, and did so first acknowledging how defense is a team game. It takes a full group working as one to be at their best. But what Miles brings to the table helps set the tone, and can make the group better than the sum of their parts.
“I think it's just a mentality of defending. I feel like he'll put his life on the line to keep the ball out of the net. It's shown through his slides, tracking plays, his runs in behind…he's just always like, ‘I need to be out here. I need to compete. I don't want to give anything up.’ So it's just a reflection of his character and his mentality of, ‘I'm going to do everything I can to keep the ball from going in the net,’” Celentano said in a conversation after training with the defenders. “And he does it in his own way. Like, as a younger guy it can be hard to be a leader, but I’ve been really lucky to work with guys like Miles and Matt (Miazga) because they work in tandem so well. They believe in the same things but do it in a different way, so it complements each other like yin and yang. I think that makes us better than if either one was too alike. They’re both so valuable as leaders, but are even better, as a keeper at least, because they’re together.”
“He gets leadership in a really unique way,” Celentano continued of Robinson. “Maybe that’s just who he is, but you don’t have to know him very well just to know he's going to be there 100 percent. He’s got your back and his confidence gives you confidence. He lets us push higher up the field, or press harder, because if something breaks or doesn’t work he can clean up the mess. Any ball over the top, you know Miles is there. Dangerous run, you know Miles is there. Left side, right side, he’s there. And if he can't, someone else will, because they'll want to help Miles.”
Potential hyperbole aside, the confidence and support Miles Robinson provides to his teammates in all senses is a unique, intangible element that only his teammates feel. His 35.4 kilometers per hour sprint speed (12th fastest in MLS this season and a figure he has described in the past as “as fast as I need to go, not as fast as I can go.”) or his 3.8 kilometers run at high speeds are tangible examples of how Robinson supports his teammates. And that speed likely helps contribute to the confidence they have in him, but the intangible element is something he’s had for a long time.
“When he came to Atlanta, he was a baby, you know? He spent what, two years at Syracuse and then got drafted,” Jeff Larentowicz, Director of Player Pathway at FC Cincinnati said of Robinson. Robinson played two years with the Orange before electing to leave the college ranks for the 2017 MLS SuperDraft as a Generation Adidas athlete. He would go second overall to Atlanta and join Larentowicz at the club where the two would play together for four years and appear together 60 times. To this day, the 60 appearances makes Larentowicz Robinson’s seventh most common teammate in his career. The two would win an MLS Cup and US Open Cup together before Larentowicz retired in 2021 after 443 MLS matches and four international call-ups for the USMNT. But they would be reunited at FC Cincinnati after Robinson joined in 2024 and Larentowicz joined the front office at the end of 2022.
“He was quiet, but you could see his athleticism. We had older, more established guys at the group, and so he didn't break in right away, but you could see it,” Larentowicz continued from his office at the FC Cincinnati Training Center in Milford. “I don't know what the right word is but like, a budding star. You could see it, there was a lot in there. You knew that when he was given a chance, and a little bit of time to develop, he was going to be special.”
Robinson was drafted to Atlanta in 2017 but only made two appearances that season in US Open Cup games. He made his MLS debut in 2018, and then appeared in every match of the 2019 season. According to Larentowicz, the style of soccer Atlanta United was trying to play was both very challenging and very new to American players, but persevering through that challenge both made Robinson a better player and proved the kind of person that he is.
“He's become much more confident with the ball at his feet, taking passes, making plays, not just choosing the simple option, but making more difficult plays and more difficult passes,” Larentowicz continued as to how he’s seen Robinson grow over the years. “He's easy going, but he's easy going and not a pushover. He's easy going, but he's no bullshit. I think for any locker room, or whatever euphemism you want to use, you want to know that the guy in the stall next to you is going to fight for you, with you. And Miles Robinson is always in your corner. When things go down, he’s going to be there backing you up.”
Robinson’s demeanor, and the respect he has earned in the locker room make it no surprise that in a locker room full of leaders, Robinson has been named captain 13 times by Head Coach Pat Noonan this season and is one of the important leaders on the team.
The quiet confidence Robinson brings may run counter to the commonly held belief of what a leaders’ role is on a team. To the point Celentano made, teams need different kinds of leaders to be successful. So while he isn’t the bombastic, highly talkative, leader a player like Miazga or Nwobodo can be, his brand of leadership leaves no question in his teammates as to his ability to wear the armband.
“There are different types of leaders, tons of different types,” Larentowicz, who served as captain to Robinson and Atlanta United multiple times, said. “There’s the vocal guy, the guy who uses action and outworks somebody, or always trains as hard as possible. Then there's just the elite guy that, if you look over at him you know ‘He can get it done today. He can make things happen on the field.’ I think those second two are where Miles is as a leader. He’s just that type of guy. He inspires confidence amongst teammates. He can get the job done and if he’s on your side you feel more confident. He’s not going to be intimidated, and neither should you.”
“You look over and you say, ‘yeah we can do this.’ You say ‘is that a guy I'm willing to fight with, and fight for?’ and it’s an easy ‘Yep.’”
“No Miles is definitely not the loudest, or the yelling, screaming guy in the locker room,” Lukas Engel said of Robinson with a laugh, imagining what that would look or sound like if he was. “He’s definitely not the mad, screaming, shouting kinda guy, but you need that kind of person. Miles can keep things level when we need it, and knows when to let the louder guys take over when we need it. But when he has something to say people listen.”
Perhaps the most enlightening aspect of these conversations with his teammates is that in a lot of ways, Miles Robinson, the strong silent type on the field and the composed professional in every media appearance, is exactly who he is on and off the field. There is no mysterious alter ego or a cape and cowl he throws on when making a public appearance. Miles is Miles.
He is an active member of the community and is a regular attendee of charitable events in Cincinnati, both with the club and on his own. He is one of the first to volunteer to meet with the media when it’s needed and will always take accountability for the bad while deflecting attention to his teammates for the good.
Yet still, Miles Robinson as a personality isn’t all that well known. His teammates though, who spend as much time as anyone with him, paint the picture of a guy who is authentic as they come and as genuine as he appears.“He likes spending time with everybody and everybody likes spending time with him. He’s an easy guy to be around,” Engel said of Robinson’s off the field personality. “He's really professional. He does everything the right way. He takes care of himself. He’s first to meetings and on time for things. He doesn’t take shortcuts. He treats everyone with respect and sets a tone for the rest of the team. If a player as good as Miles does it like that, it makes an impression. That’s a way of leading the team.”
“He just has such a mysterious aura about him,” Celentano added. “Well maybe not specifically mysterious in the locker room but like, a real aura to him. He's just such a chiller. Sometimes he gets hidden by the fact that he's just so chill and so neutral, and nothing seems to faze him. He just keeps his head down, does the work. That’s just who he is, he’s a pro in his personal life and a pro in his professional life. It’s just who Miles is. He’s just such a chill dude. He’s one of the bros and fits with every kind of bro.”
Other notable call outs from teammates – who asked for anonymity in this story for the sake of, maybe, not wanting to embarrass anyone else – include that Miles has the “best music” or the “best taste in music.” They said he has a knack for finding good places to eat and has that “Movie Star Quality,” mentioned earlier.
“It’s kinda like Brad Pitt, he’s just effortlessly cool,” one teammate said.
“When you hang out with him away from the pitch, or from the facility, he is a really fun and interesting guy,” Nwobodo added of Robinson’s personality. “But you may never know it! He likes to do everything fun, he always volunteers to join no matter what we're doing or where we're going. But like, you can barely see it on his face that he likes it! Eventually I, we I guess, realized that he must be having fun, because we enjoy him being there, but also because he keeps wanting to go! Who volunteers to do things they don’t enjoy? Not me. But he’s a fun person to be around. He makes things easy for everyone. You can be brand new, never met him, and Miles will make you feel welcome there.”
Miles Robinson is All For Cincy. His play on the field, his leadership in the locker room, and his growing work in the community make it so. As a young man, and a young professional, Robinson chose to make Cincinnati his home two years ago and now he reaffirms that choice by signing a contract extension. What comes next for Miles is, in his eyes, fairly simple. And after hearing from his teammates this whole time, his words are as clear as can be.
"I love this city. I love the fans. I love the culture in the city and I just want to hopefully bring trophies and good times for the community and for the people here," Miles Robinson said moments after his extention was officially announced. " I think I'm becoming a better player, a better person, a better overall man here. I just want to continue that path to better myself on and off the field, and I think this is a perfect place to do that. I feel you know, stronger, faster, overall, a better player. But I think that's due to the the staff and the players always pushing us each."
"I'm a person that if someone's willing to put effort into and believe and trust in me, it just makes me want to play harder, work harder for the club, for the city, because just the fact that they have faith and trust in me just makes me want to ensure that I can put out what they're expecting," Robinson added as to the trust the club has put into him. "I'm just continuing to grow, continuing to be that person that I want to be. I have lofty goals for myself as a person and (player), but it's just about continuing to chop wood and carry water."
