The 2020 FC Cincinnati season was the club's second season in MLS, and the fifth season of a team playing under the FC Cincinnati brand after three years in the lower-division USL Championship. The club finished with a league worst 6–22–6 record in their inaugural MLS season in 2019, setting a league record for the most goals given up with 75. The 2020 season was the final year that FC Cincinnati played home matches at Nippert Stadium, as their new West End Stadium is scheduled to open in March 2021.
FC Cincinnati's offseason transfers and preseason training were executed under head coach Ron Jans. However, Jans resigned on February 17, amidst an investigation into his alleged use of a racial slur. Assistant coach Yoann Damet took over as interim head coach two weeks before FC Cincinnati's first regular season match. On May 21, 2020, Jaap Stam was named head coach—the fourth in the team's history. Said Bakkati, who had worked on Stam's staff in the past, was also named new assistant coach.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MLS suspended play after two weeks in March and resumed with the MLS is Back Tournament four months later. The tournament was played within a bio-secure bubble near Orlando, Florida, and was followed by the resumption of the regular season with a modified schedule to reduce travel. FC Cincinnati played all of their home matches behind closed doors with no public spectators in attendance.
Club
Roster
No.NameNationalityPositionDate of birth (age)Previous club 1 Bobby Edwards GK Portadown FC 18 Spencer Richey GK Vancouver Whitecaps FC 22 Przemysław Tytoń GK Deportivo La Coruña 30 Beckham Sunderland GK FC Cincinnati Academy 2 Kendall Waston DF Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3 Tom Pettersson DF Östersunds FK 4 Greg Garza DF Atlanta United FC 12 Saad Abdul-Salaam DF Seattle Sounders FC 14 Nick Hagglund DF Toronto FC 16 Zico Bailey DF FC Helsingør 17 Mathieu Deplagne DF Troyes AC 23 Maikel van der Werff DF SBV Vitesse 47 Hassan Ndam DF Miami FC 96 Andrew Gutman DF Celtic FC 6 Haris Medunjanin MF Philadelphia Union 8 Allan Cruz MF C.S. Herediano 11 Siem de Jong MF Ajax 15 Kamohelo Mokotjo MF Brentford F.C. 24 Frankie Amaya MF UCLA Bruins 26 Tommy McCabe MF Notre Dame Fighting Irish 33 Caleb Stanko MF SC Freiburg 7 Yuya Kubo MF/FW K.A.A. Gent 20 Jimmy McLaughlin MF/FW FC Cincinnati (USL) 31 Álvaro Barreal MF/FW Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield 36 Joe Gyau MF/FW MSV Duisburg 10 Jürgen Locadia FW Brighton & Hove Albion 19 Brandon Vazquez FW Atlanta United FC 21 Franko Kovačević FW TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II 81 Rashawn Dally FW Las Vegas Lights FC
2020 MLS SuperDraft picks
Round Pick #PlayerPositionCollegeNotes 2 29 Rey Ortiz Forward Portland 3 53 Joris Ahlinvi Midfielder Indiana From Inter Miami FC, did not sign
Player movement
In NumberPositionPlayerTransferred fromFee/notesDateRef 19 FW Brandon Vazquez Nashville SC $150K in TAM November 20, 2019 6 MF Haris Medunjanin Philadelphia Union Selected #1 in 2019 MLS Waiver Draft November 25, 2019 12 DF Saad Abdul-Salaam Seattle Sounders FC Selected #1 in Stage 2 of 2019 MLS Re-Entry Draft December 3, 2019 16 DF Zico Bailey LA Galaxy Fourth-round 2020 MLS SuperDraft pick December 12, 2019 3 DF Tom Pettersson Östersunds FK Free transfer December 17, 2019 7 FW Yuya Kubo K.A.A. Gent Transfer January 9, 2020 1 GK Bobby Edwards Portadown FC Free transfer January 20, 2020 9 MF Adrien Regattin Akhisar Belediyespor Free transfer February 5, 2020 11 MF Siem de Jong Ajax Free transfer February 20, 2020 15 MF Kamohelo Mokotjo Brentford FC Free transfer August 20, 2020 31 MF/FW Álvaro Barreal Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield Transfer September 2, 2020
Out DateNumberPositionPlayerTransferred toFee/notesRef October 9, 2019 7 MF Roland Lamah Option declined October 9, 2019 19 MF Corben Bone Louisville City FC Option declined October 9, 2019 32 DF Justin Hoyte Option declined October 9, 2019 5 MF Nazmi Albadawi North Carolina FC Option declined November 11, 2019 8 MF Víctor Ulloa Inter Miami CF $50K in GAM, a 2020 SuperDraft third-round selection, 26th pick of the 2019 Re-Entry Draft (Stage 1) November 14, 2019 3 DF Forrest Lasso Tampa Bay Rowdies Option declined November 14, 2019 16 MF Derrick Etienne Jr. Columbus Crew Option declined November 19, 2019 92 DF Alvas Powell Inter Miami CF Selected #3 in 2019 MLS Expansion Draft, $50K in GAM January 13, 2020 6 MF Leonardo Bertone FC Thun Undisclosed January 18, 2020 9 FW Fanendo Adi Columbus Crew Waived January 18, 2020 13 GK Jimmy Hague Memphis 901 FC Waived January 18, 2020 45 MF Emmanuel Ledesma SJK Waived January 29, 2020 21 DF Logan Gdula Charleston Battery Waived August 17, 2020 31 FW Kekuta Manneh New England Revolution Trade; received international roster slot August 17, 2020 27 MF Fatai Alashe Columbus Crew Trade; acquired 2021 MLS SuperDraft second-round selection September 11, 2020 9 FW Adrien Regattin Altay Mutually agreed to part ways
Loans in NumberPositionPlayerLoaned fromLoan start dateLoan end dateRef 10 FW Jürgen Locadia Brighton & Hove Albion February 3, 2020 July 30, 2021 21 FW Franko Kovačević TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II October 12, 2020 June 30, 2021
Loans out NumberPositionPlayerLoaned toLoan start dateLoan end dateRef 39 GK Ben Lundt Louisville City FC January 21, 2020 November 30, 2020 47 DF Hassan Ndam Miami FC February 1, 2020 End of season 25 MF Rey Ortiz Charlotte Independence February 28, 2020 November 30, 2020 81 FW Rashawn Dally Las Vegas Lights FC July 2, 2020 End of season 16 MF Tommy McCabe Memphis 901 FC August 28, 2020 End of season
Competitions
Preseason
Major League Soccer
League tables
Eastern Conference
MLS is Back – Group E
Overall
Results
MLS is Back Tournament
U.S. Open Cup
Due to their final position in the 2019 MLS standings, FC Cincinnati would enter the competition in the Third Round, which was scheduled for April 19–21. However, the tournament was suspended and eventually cancelled on August 17, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Statistics
Appearances and goals Numbers after plus-sign(+) denote appearances as a substitute.
! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center|Goalkeepers
! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center|Defenders
! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center|Midfielders
! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center|Forwards
! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center|Players who have played for FC Cincinnati this season but have left the club:
Top scorers {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%; text-align: center;" |- ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:35px;" scope="col"|Rank ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:35px;" scope="col"|Position ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:35px;" scope="col"|No. ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:140px;" scope="col"|Name ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:75px;" scope="col"| ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:75px;" scope="col"| ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:75px;" scope="col"|Total |- |1 |FW |7 |align="left"| Yuya Kubo |3||0||3 |- |rowspan="2"|2 |FW |10 |align="left"| Jürgen Locadia |2||0||2 |- |FW |19 |align="left"| Brandon Vazquez |2||0||2 |- |rowspan="5"|3 |MF |6 |align="left"| Haris Medunjanin |1||0||1 |- |MF |15 |align="left"| Allan Cruz |1||0||1 |- | DF |14 |align="left"| Nick Hagglund |1||0||1 |- |MF | 24 |align="left"| Frankie Amaya |1||0||1 |- |MF |36 |align="left"| Joe Gyau |1||0||1 |- !colspan="4"|Total !12!!0!!12
Top assists {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%; text-align: center;" |- ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:35px;" scope="col"|Rank ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:35px;" scope="col"|Position ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:35px;" scope="col"|No. ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:160px;" scope="col"|Name ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:75px;" scope="col"| ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:75px;" scope="col"| ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:75px;" scope="col"|Total |- |rowspan="2"|1 |FW |9 |align="left"| Adrien Regattin |2||0||2 |- |FW |19 |align="left"| Brandon Vazquez |2||0||2 |- |rowspan="2"|2 |DF |4 |align="left"| Greg Garza |1||0||1 |- |MF |6 |align="left"| Haris Medunjanin |1||0||1 |- !colspan="4"|Total !6!!0!!6
Disciplinary record {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%; text-align:center;" |- | rowspan="2" !width=15| | rowspan="2" !width=15| | rowspan="2" !width=120|Player | colspan="3"|MLS | colspan="3"|Playoffs | colspan="3"|Total |- !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#ff8888;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#ff8888;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#ff8888;| |- || 24 ||MF ||align=left| Frankie Amaya || 7 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 7 || 0 || 0 |- || 17 ||DF ||align=left| Mathieu Deplagne || 6 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 6 || 0 || 0 |- || 2 ||DF ||align=left| Kendall Waston || 5 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 5 || 0 || 0 |- || 36 ||MF ||align=left| Joe Gyau|| 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 4 || 0 || 0 |- || 96 ||DF ||align=left| Andrew Gutman || 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 4 || 0 || 0 |- || 33 ||MF ||align=left| Caleb Stanko || 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 0 |- || 6 ||MF ||align=left| Haris Medunjanin || 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 |- || 8 ||MF ||align=left| Allan Cruz || 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 |- || 14 ||DF ||align=left| Nick Hagglund || 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 |- || 22 ||MF ||align=left| Fatai Alashe || 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 |- || 23 ||DF ||align=left| Maikel van der Werff || 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 |- || 3 ||DF ||align=left| Tom Pettersson || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 |- || 4 ||DF ||align=left| Greg Garza || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 |- || 7 ||MF/FW ||align=left| Yuya Kubo || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 |- || 16 ||DF ||align=left| Zico Bailey || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 |- !colspan=3|Total !!43!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!43!!0!!0
Clean sheets {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;" |- ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:35px;" scope="col"|No. ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:160px;" scope="col"|Name ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:50px;" scope="col"| ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:50px;" scope="col"| ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:50px;" scope="col"|Total ! style="background:#003087; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #FE5000; width:50px;" scope="col"|Games |- | 22 | align=left| Przemysław Tytoń |5||0||5||13 |- | 18 | align=left| Spencer Richey |2||0||2||10 |- | 1 | align=left| Bobby Edwards |0||0||0||2
Awards
MLS is Back Man of the Match The Man of the Match is named after each match by the editorial team of MLSsoccer.com.
Man of the MatchMatchPlayerOpponent16 Frankie AmayaAtlanta United FC32 Yuya KuboNew York Red Bulls44 Przemysław TytońPortland Timbers
MLS is Back Team of the Week The Team of the Week includes the top players and coach during each week of the tournament, as chosen by the editorial team of MLSsoccer.com. WeekBench2 Frankie Amaya3 Yuya Kubo
MLS is Back Coach of the Week