As the calendar year comes to a close, the book on the 2025 season for FC Cincinnati can nearly be shut as well. So, to mark the end of the trip around the sun, Chris Albright gave what has come to represent a somewhat annual “state-of-the-union” press conference on Tuesday morning, closing the year with a public address and setting us on a course for the 2026 season.
Albright spoke for more than 30 minutes at Mercy Health Training Center, a long press conference even by the most patient speakers' standards. But what he gave in that half-hour-plus will help define the next step forward for FC Cincinnati, and give insight into where the club is heading next after a 2025 that left everyone wanting more.
There were a variety of subjects addressed on Tuesday, ranging from higher-level philosophical questions to the more granular details of player attributes and qualities. But here were some central themes to explore.
Great, But Not Good Enough
The universal theme from which all other conversations stemmed was that Chris Albright, plainly and simply, made clear that 2025 was not good enough and that they would be working to correct it in 2026.
Yes, a second-place finish in the Supporters’ Shield table (one point off the trophy), a playoff series win, and the most points in MLS history over a three-year stretch is great work. Work they are proud of. But at the end of the day, they fell short of the goals they set for themselves, and that needs to be addressed.
The success they have had, in short, can’t be a mask for the shortfalls they faced. They need to face them head-on and improve.
“I think there's a lot to be proud of in this building, but I think the reality is we all feel like we fell a bit short too,” Albright explained as to the general opinion of the 2025 season. “To fall a point short of the supporter shield, with some of the performances at home, with some stretches where we weren't productive, scoring goals…that hurts, and so that's not good enough.”
The Albright regime at FC Cincinnati, now entering year 5, has brought unprecedented success to the club, yet goals still elude them. It was, across all the topics touched, a clear message from Albright that he was not settling for what had occurred and, in fact, deemed much of it unacceptable.
“We have the most points over the last three years. That's a lot to be proud of for a lot of people in this building,” Albright added. “But I think that's also the best time to maybe make some changes and look at making some changes.”
Change to Elevate
The follow-up to Albright’s accountability for the success of 2025 was a direct turn to what comes next. He was, in no uncertain terms, clear that change is coming for 2026 based directly on the performances of 2025.
Since the end of 2025, Albright says the club has been having high-level conversations about how they operate and is changing not only the way they pursue success but also the metrics and markers they use to determine that success.
“There's been a lot of high level conversations about refreshing things in year five and being really strategic and analytical as we go into 26 and have clear targets, markers, goals that drive and inform a lot of what we do,” Albright explained. “I don't know that we grew a ton over the course of the season. It felt like we kind of hung on more and we kept adding in personnel and trying to augment this system and these great players and support them. But ultimately, we didn't see the level of growth that we all hope for. And that's why we're having the conversations that we're having now.”
The success of 2025 was evident in the win-loss record, but, to Albright’s point, the team had constant player churn that hamstrung collective growth and improvement. FC Cincinnati added 14 players in 2025, and getting them onboarded and integrated as successfully as they were was an achievement. But there was clearly something missing from the ultimate end product.
One area Albright pointed to for improvement is driving towards generating more xG (expected goals). Another was having the team play a more dominant style, or to “smother” opponents more often. Something he says the team failed to do as often as they should have, in his opinion.
His indication, though, was that any change would come from finding ways to reach these “refreshed” markers for success, and that they would build backwards from there. But that being said, he made clear that in searching for solutions, absolutely everything is on the table for change if it means achieving those goals.
“A formation change, a style change, the way we scout… all of it should drive back to these markers that we're setting for ourselves,” Albright explained. “If a formation change can drive more expected goals and drive more success…get us more wins at TQL Stadium, then it's on the table. But the driver isn’t a formation change. We want to be clear on what our goals are, and if a formation change or personnel change is a part of that. It's all on the table.”
Leverage the Best Asset
One of the clearer objectives, or a path forward that Albright said he was looking to improve on in 2026, is leveraging the club's best asset: the Supporters, and the environment those Supporters can create inside TQL Stadium.
It was his opinion that, too often in 2026, the play on the field was “stale” and did not serve the fans in any way. Again, sure, they were winning games. But too frequently those games were uninspiring and left the experience for fans drab.
That can’t be in 2026.
“There were times when I was sitting at TQL Stadium and it felt a little stale, and that's not what we should be. We should have the ability to smother teams when they come in here, and to be convincing,” Albright said. “That means leveraging our best assets, which are the stadium, the fan base.”
It has been said over and over again, the atmosphere at TQL Stadium is A.) unsurpassed in MLS and B.) capable of making a real impact in matches. Albright indicated that he felt the play on the field wasn't allowing that asset to be truly tapped into, and that can’t continue in future years.
“Make (the players) more efficient, make them understand each other's game better, score more goals, give that feeling of the fans so that ultimately they give it back to us,” Albright added to the solution to the problem he identified of feeling stale in their play. “So that's really what we're talking about as we move forward.”
What Comes Next?
The offseason is well underway, and the high-level conversations Albright has alluded to have been ongoing since at least the end of the year. Though Albright did indicate that more of these conversations have been underway in certain rooms since the middle of 2025. Regardless, the changes are underway.
It is hard to really evaluate how these changes will manifest on the field until the team retakes the field in preseason. And even then, it will likely take weeks, months, or even years to see the full effect.
But there are some immediate changes to point to.
For the first time in the Albright/Pat Noonan era at FC Cincinnati, the club is making a coaching change. They announced last week that Assistant Coach Dom Kinnear would be departing the club, and a search for a new member of the staff was underway.
Kinnear, a two-time MLS Cup-winning head coach in his own right, brought a degree of experience to the staff in the early days of the leadership change, helping shape the team into the success it is now. But as the team was looking into the next phase, they decided it was time to refresh the staff.
“What Dom did for this club, and for Pat and for me personally, is immeasurable,” Albright said of Kinnear. “Dom is an MLS legend. So these weren't easy conversations and we'll always be grateful for him. Honestly, I think, collectively, this became the decision as part of this year five refresh that it was good to move on for everyone.”
A change in the coaching staff is a shake-up on a scale we have not yet seen in the Noonan era of FC Cincinnati, so it introduces some interesting possibilities. What kind of personality or skill set would the club look to add? How or where can that person impact the play on the field? Albright kept his cards somewhat close to his chest, but offered a view of the ideology the club is taking on regarding what the new staff member could bring.
“I think we'll look to add someone that is in line with sort of all the high-level conversations we've had in terms of driving expected goals, being more analytical,” Albright explained. “Taking what we have in the back of the house, what already exists here, how we recruit, and flowing that into the coaches' room a little bit more. Allowing that to, hopefully, show up on Saturdays more often.”
There are further changes to be made this offseason, and, frankly, more to take away from even this press conference that can help us glean the vision of what the braintrust at FCC looks to do this winter. But as Albright – and really the club as a whole by virtue of this holistic refresh he is referring to – heads into the new year, there is one thing that is clear about where things are heading.
Change is on the horizon. In some way or another.
