FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson has had a busy 10 days and counting. After helping to secure a massive victory for FC Cincinnati on Saturday at TQL Stadium to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the star defender hit the road with teammate Roman Celentano to join the US Men’s National Team camp in Philadelphia.

The center back has been a dutiful representative of his national team for years, even though his call-ups have not always led to the playing time he deserves. In the summer of 2024, he was selected to both the Copa America Squad and the US Olympic team, and despite seeing no playing time at all in the Copa America, he still attended the Olympics and represented Team USA with pride. He has gone several callups entirely without seeing any playing time at all, and still, he attends camp and does all he can to represent FC Cincinnati and his country proudly.

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That commitment and patience seem to be paying off as the 28-year-old MLS All-Star is now not only seeing regular playing time, but has started four of the side's last five matches and been a key contributor to the 3-0-1 record in that stretch.

So, with the 2026 World Cup getting closer every day, and key decisions for Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino to make about who he selects to make the roster on the horizon, Robinson is proving what FC Cincinnati fans already know about him at the right time and seemingly earning the trust of the National Team manager.

“You always want to see your guys, FCC guys get a chance when they go away. I know they think highly of Miles and he's a great team player and fits any culture because he just wants to help the team,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said after Robinson started matches against Australia and Ecuador in October. “So whether he's starting, whether he's coming on in reserve, whether he's not playing, he's going to be there to support his teammates. And (he is) obviously a talented player as well. So it was nice to see him get those starts and certainly he's in the mix, and at this stage, that's a positive."

Robinson started the USMNT's first match, seeing out a 2-1 win over Paraguay in Philadelphia, but did not appear in the second match as an available reserve. Roman Celentano did not feature in either game.

The defining moment of the window, though, was a scuffle at the end of the Paraguay match that saw both benches coming together. At the center of that drama was the FCC defender, who, without blinking, entered the fray to defend his USMNT teammate (Orlando City’s Alex Freeman) as the Paraguay side got a little too physical with the young player.

“I was trying to get involved! You know how it is, a lot of emotions coming in the game but it was honestly a good story. I think the guys liked it,” Robinson said with a laugh and smile, remembering the coming together the next day in an interview in Tampa, Florida, with Major League Soccer. “That’s something that Poch (USMNT Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino) really kind of gets involved in, he likes that kind of stuff. The passion, the heart of the games and situations. It’s a memorable moment so I think guys want to get involved in the history of the Men’s National Team. But the fact that we’re winning the game, and won the game, and that happened is just the cherry on top.”

Celentano, in that interview, would go on to compare how similar it felt to play for the USMNT boss and his club boss in Pat Noonan.

“They both have an intensity about them, and intensity they want to instill in the group,” Celentano said. “At the end of the day they both just want the group to be together and to fight with a lot of spirit, so, there’s some real similarities there.”

Robinson has grown in both his on-field contributions in 2025 and in his leadership responsibilities. The defender is one of six players this year to captain a squad. As a captain for FC Cincinnati, and now a more regular player for the USMNT, the defender says he is trying to learn from both experiences to be a better leader overall and add that element of play to his game on the field.

“Overall I’ve continued to try and grow in that role in my career. As a rookie, as a young player, people would say I definitely wasn’t a leader or a vocal person in the locker room but I’m continuing to try and improve upon that,” Robinson said. “But when I get out on the field I’m definitely trying to give it my all, trying to be vocal, trying to communicate to the guys and uplift them. Try to boost our morale and push our grit and push our integrity.”

While away from FC Cincinnati camp, his attention on the upcoming Eastern Conference Semifinals has remained. In an interview with MLS Season Pass’s “Club and Country” web show, he and Celentano both spoke on the team's mindset heading into this match and how the MLS Cup Playoffs and lifting the MLS Cup is a "mission" they are on.

“We’ve got a lot of spirit, a lot of fight and a lot of confidence heading into this game,” Robinson said of the upcoming match with Miami. “We’re definitely on a mission this season, I can’t stress that enough. We’ve got great players; the unity of the group is really strong so I think when we’re at our best, we’re not losing.”

Teenage Hadebe makes milestone cap

In addition to the members of The Orange and Blue staying stateside, a handful of others jetted off to join their national teams this window. Among them was Teenage Hadebe, who captained his Zimbabwe national team to two victories in friendlies this window. First, taking down Algeria in a match in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and then beating Qatar in Ar-Rayyan, Qatar, in the second game.

In this window, Hadebe, a mainstay of his national side, reached his 50th international cap with his home nation, becoming just the 14th player to do so for the Warriors.

While The Warriors are no longer in contention for World Cup qualification in 2026, Zimbabwe will be preparing for the African Cup of Nations this December where they will take on Angola, South Africa and Egypt in Group B action.

Ender Echenique makes a splash in senior debut

On the opposite end of the spectrum, one of the newest members of FC Cincinnati earned his first senior call-up and now start for his home nation. Ender Echenique made his senior debut for Venezuela this window and earned an eye popping assist while doing so in his maiden appearance against Australia.

The speedster darted up the right wing to receive a long pass out of the midfield, took a touch into the box, then centered a pass to Jesus Ramirez who knocked in the goal.

Echenique and La Vinotinto took on Canada in a friendly for their second match where the speedy Venezuelan again started, but came out after 30 minutes as a precautionary measure after some discomfort in his lower body.

Young Stars Shine with Youth Side

On the youth side of the International Window, three FC Cincinnati first-team members represented their youth national teams.

Gerardo “Dado” Valenzuela was called into the U.S. Under-21 Men’s National team, made up of players eligible for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, to play two friendlies in Denmark and Serbia. Valenzuela started the second match in Serbia.

Samuel Gidi, who was off with the Slovakian U21 side as they pushed for qualification to the 2027 U21 European Champions. The midfielder started and played full 90’s in both games they played – winning 2-1 over Kazakhstan, before falling 4-0 to England.

Stefan Chirila continued his overseas representation of Romania with the U19 squad in the U19 European Championship qualification. Romania played three matches this window, with Chirila appearing in one, and secured their spot in the next round of qualifying with a 2-0-1 record in group play, including wins over Andorra and Iceland and a draw with Finland.