With opportunities becoming available in the FC Cincinnati rotation due to injury and international duty, several players have seized the moment and helped the team as they continue to fight for the Supporters’ Shield.
“I think tonight was just another indicator of guys being ready for opportunities.” FCC head coach Pat Noonan said about the draw with New England Saturday, “That’s what’s gotten us to this position. Players in different ways and different moments have stepped up to help us compete in a way where we can still go out and expect to get results.”
Among those who have stepped into bigger roles is FC Cincinnati Academy product Malik Pinto, who has appeared in the last 16 MLS games FCC has played and three U.S. Open Cup games.
Pinto, a midfielder, has been a key substitute for Noonan’s side, exemplifying the “be ready” mentality that the head coach praised in his post-match statement.
“Being a professional is always being ready when your opportunities are there.” Pinto said after training at Mercy Health Training Center on Wednesday, “For me, part of developing is just making sure I’m consistent every day, so I’m gonna take advantage of opportunities given to me.”
Pinto is among many who have stepped up their role with the club as the roster fluctuated. Still, he looks to those other, more veteran players as role models for how to treat opportunities no matter how fleeting they come, citing players like Dominique Badji as examples to look to.
“It starts with the veterans on our team…There are times when some of our older players aren’t really playing, and they’re ready when they’re called upon. They always take advantage of their opportunities and are always prepared; their level never drops.
“When we see that as younger players…I think we take after them.”
An alumnus of Princeton, Pinto joined FC Cincinnati after the Covid-19 pandemic shortened the collegiate soccer season. But his soccer roots run deep.
Both of Pinto’s siblings play professional soccer. His sister, Brianna, is a midfielder with the North Carolina Courage of the NWSL, and his brother, Hassan, who played in the USL Championship for Loudoun United FC in 2021.
“I’ve been able to see their journeys and see kind of how the professional soccer world works and I think that’s how we’re able to help each other,” Pinto says. “Soccer is just such an up and down road, a constant roller coaster. So being able to talk to them about whatever, the issues, the successes… it’s easy to bounce ideas off of each other and support each other.”
The support goes beyond just personal phone calls and chat sessions. The Orange and Blue midfielder is also keen to support his family off the field by sporting his family’s jerseys. As he did after the New England game, Pinto sported a No. 8 NC Courage Pinto kit in honor of his sister when leaving TQL Stadium.
“We try to watch each other’s games,” Malik said, supporting his sister, “whether that’s live or just after the fact. So we can talk about what we’re doing on the field…bounce ideas off of each other and support each other along the way. Whether it’s watching or wearing a jersey or or them wearing my jersey, supporting each other on our journey to the top.”
Halsey joins the first team
Defender Bret Halsey joined the first team last Saturday, signing a first-team deal prior to the match with New England Revolution.
Halsey had appeared in two games for FCC and had been called up three times as a short-term loanee before Saturday’s match with New England Revolution. Players from FCC 2 can be called up on short-term loans as many as four times before needing to be signed to the first team.
“It felt good to me because they didn’t have to do it that early,” Halsey, 23, said of the signing after the match with New England Revolution. “It was the goal that I had since I came here…it felt so good to get the call from my agent saying ‘they’re going to offer you.’”
Halsey came to FCC 2 in November 2022 as an MLS Next Pro signing after being a first-round pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft by Real Salt Lake. He has appeared in 13 games for FCC 2 this season and will continue to appear with the 2’s while playing with the first team.
Gold Cup Updates
The U.S. Men’s National Team will come to TQL Stadium this Sunday for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals. The USMNT finished first in their group, drawing Jamaica before defeating St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago.
FC Cincinnati star defender Matt Miazga and striker Brandon Vazquez have featured prominently in all three USMNT games. Miazga started the first two matches before being subbed on in the 46th minute against Trinidad and Tobago. Vazquez has subbed into all three games, scoring twice, including a late equalizer against Jamaica and the final goal against Trinidad and Tobago.
The USMNT takes on Canada at 7:30 p.m. for a chance to go to the semifinals and face the winner of Panama and guest nation Qatar. Jamaica and Guatemala will also play at TQL Stadium Sunday, kicking off at 5 p.m.
Follow Carter on twitter @CarterChapley for news, updates and more.
