First, welcome to back to Corben’s Corner. Some really cool things happened since we talked last. Most notably, the MLS commissioner visited our passionately growing soccer town and was blown away by the seriousness of our support and structure. The USL was granted the official second division title and continues to grow, an important landmark for US Soccer. And finally, it really hasn’t been THAT cold. However, none of those moments happened on the field, and if you’re feeling anything close to my level of impatient anxiety, it’s probably because like me you’re missing the rush of game day. You’re ready to march down to the Bailey. You’re ready to sing your heart out with a group of emphatic fans because what singing voice doesn’t sound good 20 thousand strong? You’re ready to get the kids out of the house. You’re ready to watch Mitch “Say No.” There are so many fun things just around the corner, but let’s not jump too far ahead. Preseason comes first.
As I approach another preseason with FC Cincinnati, I have mixed feelings. First, I hate the beep test. If you don’t know what that is I envy you, and I wish I had never found out. Basically, the beep test is death by sprints. Starting off at a brisk jog, you must run 20 meters back and forth while staying on the beep. As time increases, time between beeps decreases, which makes your jog become faster and faster until it becomes a steady sprint, or until you can no longer compete. Sounds fun right? Not so much, but I’m still alive. Seriously though, it tests individual fitness levels and is important for getting a base established so the trainer can mold the next few weeks of preseason accordingly.
Second, 2016 was an inaugural year that will forever hold a special place in time, hearts, and memories. However, as good as the first year was, in my eyes it’ll always be the championship that got away. It seemed our Cinderella expansion story was fictional and ended too soon, but enough about the past. Let’s talk about 2017, and the increasingly public opportunity that lies ahead of a team and its’ community.
2017 is met with new faces, some recognizable from previous River City Cup battles, and others maybe seen for the first time. No matter the relationship, or their journey, they are a part of the FCC family now. They have accepted the challenge that our team has inherited - the ongoing task to propel this growing club to the height it deserves through high standards of humility, ambition, character, and most dominantly, winning. After our successful first season, surely they came here because of the uncovered special movement that is Cincinnati soccer.
Moreover, changes to a team from one season to the next create interesting opportunities. That's a hard part of the job, one no one tells you about. A different kind of loss; building a bond with a group, with individuals, attaching yourself to moments that defined you that year, and then as the season ends so does that team. You see friends move on. You see yourself move on, but at the end of the day that transition builds character, which in turn hopefully breeds success.
The trick is accepting those changes and using them to fuel healthy competitiveness instead of resenting what is now different. A locker room is a sacred place and more times than not, the chemistry groomed inside the walls directly translates to what everyone else witnesses on the field.
When I walk in to the locker room for the first time this season, it’ll be different. What does the future hold? We can’t predict. New faces, familiar ones, players who play my position, players who are older and younger, they all make up the product on the field, fusing together the chemistry that a team needs to succeed. Not combining only talent, but collective trust in team depth, sacrifice, and the noise level of The Bailey.
If we want to be successful this season, the incorporation of the old and new needs to be seamless because that’s what championship teams do. The character of the team takes hold of fate and wills it to victory.
The stage is set. We’ve all worked hard in the off-season.
So, like the first day of school my stomach is turning. I’m counting down the days until the butterflies are gone and I can find myself in a routine once more.
An old coach of mine always reiterated this thought at the beginning of each season. He said as he grew older he realized that seeking a championship was for the glory, the ecstasy and satisfaction of being the best, of course, but the real matter was much more historic. He said that winning a championship is solidifying that specific moment in the memory of the club, fans, and yourself forever.
As we all cruise into preseason together, let’s be certain our goals, and forward movement do not wane. While the inaugural year will no doubt remain momentous, the next best place in history is winning a championship.
