October 22, 2025 • 11 mins
General Manager of FC Cincinnati Chris Albright on MLS Playoffs
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Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Everg that's right, like ESPN thirteen thirty. Cincinnati's all right.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Five minutes after four o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
I'm mowegor.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good afternoon. Thank you so much for listening. O. We're
having just an awesome, awesome I said Wednesday afternoon. It'll
be fun on Monday night. That's the three series FC
Cincinnati and Columbus in the MLS Cup playoffs. The Orange
and Blue wrapping up the regular season with a win
over Montreal on Saturday, clinching the two seed and setting
(00:32):
up first round series against the Crew, starts on Monday
night at TQL Stadium. That game will start at six
forty five, with Game two in Columbus next weekend. The
general manager of FC Cincinnati, and first of all, I
want to thank him because he was.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Supposed to join us tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I thought it was yesterday because I'm a dope and
I'm off tomorrow, so he was nice enough to rearrange
his schedule. The GM of FC Cincinnati, Chris Albright, is
with us. I appreciate you adjusting things for us.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Chris. It's awesome to have you. How are you all?
Good man?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
No worries I'm just happy to be all with you.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
It's good to have you. I say this, and you're
you are free to correct me or confirm. I feel
like from way back in February when training started until
the end of the transfer window about a month and
a half ago, it feels like this has been the
most influx the FC Cincinnati roster has been since you
(01:28):
took over. Would that be a fair and accurate assessment,
that is that is confirmed?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
I would say the winter window had more drama than
than we wanted. A lot of turnover. Uh. We got
through the winter window and I thought to myself, well,
I'll never see a window like that again. And then
a summer window opened then, and we added five more
guys and moved a few guys out, And so I
think we're in a good spot now with our depths
(01:54):
and hopefully ready to make her up for it.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, I mean, you know what you did late summer
felt like like, Okay, these moves are specifically for October
and beyond. You still feel that way, I.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Do you know?
Speaker 3 (02:08):
I think once you see a group together for twenty
five or so games and you're really building around key
pieces in a Vander and Kevin Dankey, you can kind
of diagnose what you need, but you don't want to.
You don't want to just add short term solutions that
you can't build around going forward. So I think we
were able to identify guys that are kind of win
now pieces, but also pieces to help us build around
(02:30):
as we as we move forward.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
When when you acquired a Vander, we all knew you
were getting a great player, and we all knew you
were getting a guy that at times, you know, especially
as as Pat was trying to figure out who was
going to do what you could lean on because he's
a star. Aside from what we see, give me an
idea of what his impact on the club has been.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
On you, You know what instantly mo he really fit
into the group. You know, you can always kind of
gauge the the culture and the atmosphere around the team
in the meal room, and you know, once we got
past some of the drama that we needed to get
past and Evander showed up, the volume in the meals
(03:11):
and preseason was just at like an all time high.
And so he really did a great job for being
such a special player of fitting in with every member
of the team, not just guys his own age or
guys from South America, but literally everyone, And that was
really the best compliment that I could pay him. You
see his ability on the field, but that soft stuff
(03:33):
has been really important for our group.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Every week we get on a match analyst or the
play by play person for your next game from Apple TV,
either on Thursday or Friday, and over the second half
of the season, I think every single week, whether it's
been an analyst, whether it's been a studio host, whether
it's been a play by play person, all will go
out of their way to mention the job that Pat
(03:55):
Noonan has done with his team. And I've asked a
few of them, you know, for a guy who has
been the coach of the year in this league before,
it feels to me like this was his best individual
coaching job. You've seen them all and you, you and
Pat are in total alignment.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
But is is the best?
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Is this the best job that that Pat Newton has
done with an individual team?
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Perhaps?
Speaker 3 (04:15):
I mean, it's it's tough to beat a trophy winning season,
and we were we were a point just short of that,
So I know we set really high expectations for ourselves.
Pat certainly does for himself but him and his staff
that did an incredible job again pulling all these pieces together, uh,
you know, figuring out different lineups, injuries. We've had some
injuries to some key contributors, and I think understanding how
(04:40):
to use the debts.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Those pieces have now played a lot of minutes so
that if they are called upon come playoff time, they
should be ready. So I think a great job managing
the group and has set us up for success, hopefully
over the next month and a half.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
I think if you asked, and your perspective may have
been different. I think if you asked the average FC
Cincinnati fan going into the postseason last year, it didn't
feel like your club was going into the postseason with
a ton of momentum. It feels a little bit different
this year, though. I think the Eastern Conference feels more
wide open, although last year it proved to be very
wide open once the postseason began. Do you feel like
(05:15):
your team is better positioned to make a run than
maybe it was a year ago.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
I think both things are true. I think we're well
positioned to make a run. I think we're in a
better place than we were at the end of last year.
Certainly a deeper group, kind of more tools in the
tool belt, but the East is a gauntlet. The bottom
of the East. I think the ninth place team was
(05:39):
like on fifty three points. I mean, I think that
was good for like fourth the last few years. So
I think as deep and as competitive as the East
has ever been, we're certainly up for the challenge. I
think that's what makes it. It's going to be a
really good product for MLS, for TV, for you know,
hopefully the fans to come out and see it live,
you know, especially with a matchup with like with US
(06:00):
in Columbus. But uh, we we're confident in our group,
confident in our in our top end talent and and
and sort of the bottom of the roster as well.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Is a playoff series with a rival more fun or less.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Fun, It's uh, it's it's more fun. It is it's
more you know, the stress and anxiety that comes with
rivalries and angst, you know, all that certainly bubbles to
the surface. And whether you enjoy that or not, I
guess that's how you kind of rate, you know, rate
the series. But like I said, it's it's I think
(06:33):
it's the best rivalry in MLS, which is really, you know,
great for the state of Ohio, great for for FC Cincinnati.
Uh and so I think it's gonna be a really
enjoyable series for for the average fan.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
FC Cincinnati general manager Chris Albright with us FC Cincinnati
is getting set for Game one of their best of
three series against Columbus at home on Monday night. The
length of the season is extraordinary for for folks who
follow other sports. If if you go all the way,
you're going to be playing in early December and then
like a week later the next you know, the twenty
(07:05):
twenty six season is going to begin CONCACAF Champions Cup
and all that. What what's on your plate right now? Like,
what is the general manager of a major league soccer
team that has a team in the postseason working on
at the moment?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
We right when the window closes, what we try to
do is kind of turn our eyes internally to the
rest of the organization. So whether that's SCC two, MLS,
next pro, you know, our second team, whether that's kind
of continuing to build out our academy and improve our academy,
you know, those kind of things right as the window closes,
and then shortly after you kind of address some of
(07:40):
those key items you're we're on the next season. You know,
we're already trying to make guesses on uh you know,
some some salary cap uh calculations and what pieces will
will be around, what pieces won't, what additions we need, uh.
You know, we have scouts internationally that are already out
watching games. So our at tension, you know, for sort
(08:01):
of me and my guys very quickly goes on to
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
What's match night like for you? What are you doing?
Speaker 3 (08:12):
What am I doing on match night? Angsting with all
the fans is what I would say. Basically, I'm like,
I'm like everybody in the bailey, biting theirl nails for
ninety minutes. No, MAT's day's that's day's great.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Now.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Look, I try to I try to be supportive to
the coaches. I try to have little conversations with players
here and there, but ultimately a lot of you know,
the work that we've done in my part of the
of the house is should be done come match day
and try to enjoy it. I'm enjoying it more as
the years go by, and maybe angsting left, so that's
probably good for my health.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, I can relate to that. It's been a terrific year.
Best of luck on Monday and over the course of
the next five or six weeks. It's been fun to
watch your team this year and a lot of moving parts,
a lot of drama, but it's been fun to watch,
and hopefully it continues until early December. I can't thank
you enough. Always awesome to have you. And again I
appreciate you adjusting your schedule.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Oh no, worries. Well, had you liked your knicks tonight
or no?
Speaker 1 (09:11):
I like my knicks, you know. Yeah, my teams are
Orange and Blue. So we got to.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Beat the Calves, get the season off to a good start,
and then you guys carry the Orange and Blue, you know,
thing moving forward on.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Monday, all right, and I like it. Good luck man,
all right?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Likewise, Chris Albright, general manager, FC Cincinnati, the Orange and Blue,
the soccer Orange and Blue home on Monday, Game one,
best of three series against Columbus at six forty five
on Monday evening at TQL Stadium. It's Quota Raph for four.
It is remarkable the job he is done, and he
and Pat nowt in both. I remember the first time
(09:49):
we had him on and look, man, take it, you know,
with a grain of salt when it comes to me
giving you the nuts and bolts of soccer. I've always
been transparent about that. But like the first few years
of play, it just it felt like instability. It didn't
always feel professional. It felt like there wasn't alignment. And
I remember the first time I talked to that guy going,
(10:09):
I think they have like a legitimate soccer executive. I
think they just became a real major league soccer franchise.
And job he has done, job Patten and has done
has been awesome and hope it continues.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
All month.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
A lot of folks got antsy when they saw, Man,
we're gonna play Columbus. We'll see should be fun. Should
be fun again? Monday night Game one, best of three?
Speaking of fun, is the UC basketball season gonna be fun? Because, frankly,
last year was not. Scott Springer's the Big twelve Media
Days in Kansas City. He joins us.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Next Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Traffic from the UC Health Traffic Center.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Mamma Grahams Save Lives.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Call five one three, five eighty four.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Pink to schedule your annual mammogram with UC Health's expert team.
That's five one, three, five eighty four pink on southbound
seventy one seventy five before Donaldson Road.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
It's an accident off onto the left shoulder. Traffic stop
and go from two seventy five and Erlanger.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Another accident on Dixie Highway at Buttermilk Pike, and police
activity on Winton Road at Dutch Colony Drive.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
I met Exelic with traffic. This report is sponsor
Everg that's right, like ESPN thirteen thirty. Cincinnati's all right.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Five minutes after four o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
I'm mowegor.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good afternoon. Thank you so much for listening. O. We're
having just an awesome, awesome I said Wednesday afternoon. It'll
be fun on Monday night. That's the three series FC
Cincinnati and Columbus in the MLS Cup playoffs. The Orange
and Blue wrapping up the regular season with a win
over Montreal on Saturday, clinching the two seed and setting
(00:32):
up first round series against the Crew, starts on Monday
night at TQL Stadium. That game will start at six
forty five, with Game two in Columbus next weekend. The
general manager of FC Cincinnati, and first of all, I
want to thank him because he was.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Supposed to join us tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I thought it was yesterday because I'm a dope and
I'm off tomorrow, so he was nice enough to rearrange
his schedule. The GM of FC Cincinnati, Chris Albright, is
with us. I appreciate you adjusting things for us.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Chris. It's awesome to have you. How are you all?
Good man?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
No worries I'm just happy to be all with you.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
It's good to have you. I say this, and you're
you are free to correct me or confirm. I feel
like from way back in February when training started until
the end of the transfer window about a month and
a half ago, it feels like this has been the
most influx the FC Cincinnati roster has been since you
(01:28):
took over. Would that be a fair and accurate assessment,
that is that is confirmed?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
I would say the winter window had more drama than
than we wanted. A lot of turnover. Uh. We got
through the winter window and I thought to myself, well,
I'll never see a window like that again. And then
a summer window opened then, and we added five more
guys and moved a few guys out, And so I
think we're in a good spot now with our depths
(01:54):
and hopefully ready to make her up for it.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, I mean, you know what you did late summer
felt like like, Okay, these moves are specifically for October
and beyond. You still feel that way, I.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Do you know?
Speaker 3 (02:08):
I think once you see a group together for twenty
five or so games and you're really building around key
pieces in a Vander and Kevin Dankey, you can kind
of diagnose what you need, but you don't want to.
You don't want to just add short term solutions that
you can't build around going forward. So I think we
were able to identify guys that are kind of win
now pieces, but also pieces to help us build around
(02:30):
as we as we move forward.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
When when you acquired a Vander, we all knew you
were getting a great player, and we all knew you
were getting a guy that at times, you know, especially
as as Pat was trying to figure out who was
going to do what you could lean on because he's
a star. Aside from what we see, give me an
idea of what his impact on the club has been.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
On you, You know what instantly mo he really fit
into the group. You know, you can always kind of
gauge the the culture and the atmosphere around the team
in the meal room, and you know, once we got
past some of the drama that we needed to get
past and Evander showed up, the volume in the meals
(03:11):
and preseason was just at like an all time high.
And so he really did a great job for being
such a special player of fitting in with every member
of the team, not just guys his own age or
guys from South America, but literally everyone, And that was
really the best compliment that I could pay him. You
see his ability on the field, but that soft stuff
(03:33):
has been really important for our group.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Every week we get on a match analyst or the
play by play person for your next game from Apple TV,
either on Thursday or Friday, and over the second half
of the season, I think every single week, whether it's
been an analyst, whether it's been a studio host, whether
it's been a play by play person, all will go
out of their way to mention the job that Pat
(03:55):
Noonan has done with his team. And I've asked a
few of them, you know, for a guy who has
been the coach of the year in this league before,
it feels to me like this was his best individual
coaching job. You've seen them all and you, you and
Pat are in total alignment.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
But is is the best?
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Is this the best job that that Pat Newton has
done with an individual team?
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Perhaps?
Speaker 3 (04:15):
I mean, it's it's tough to beat a trophy winning season,
and we were we were a point just short of that,
So I know we set really high expectations for ourselves.
Pat certainly does for himself but him and his staff
that did an incredible job again pulling all these pieces together, uh,
you know, figuring out different lineups, injuries. We've had some
injuries to some key contributors, and I think understanding how
(04:40):
to use the debts.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Those pieces have now played a lot of minutes so
that if they are called upon come playoff time, they
should be ready. So I think a great job managing
the group and has set us up for success, hopefully
over the next month and a half.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
I think if you asked, and your perspective may have
been different. I think if you asked the average FC
Cincinnati fan going into the postseason last year, it didn't
feel like your club was going into the postseason with
a ton of momentum. It feels a little bit different
this year, though. I think the Eastern Conference feels more
wide open, although last year it proved to be very
wide open once the postseason began. Do you feel like
(05:15):
your team is better positioned to make a run than
maybe it was a year ago.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
I think both things are true. I think we're well
positioned to make a run. I think we're in a
better place than we were at the end of last year.
Certainly a deeper group, kind of more tools in the
tool belt, but the East is a gauntlet. The bottom
of the East. I think the ninth place team was
(05:39):
like on fifty three points. I mean, I think that
was good for like fourth the last few years. So
I think as deep and as competitive as the East
has ever been, we're certainly up for the challenge. I
think that's what makes it. It's going to be a
really good product for MLS, for TV, for you know,
hopefully the fans to come out and see it live,
you know, especially with a matchup with like with US
(06:00):
in Columbus. But uh, we we're confident in our group,
confident in our in our top end talent and and
and sort of the bottom of the roster as well.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Is a playoff series with a rival more fun or less.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Fun, It's uh, it's it's more fun. It is it's
more you know, the stress and anxiety that comes with
rivalries and angst, you know, all that certainly bubbles to
the surface. And whether you enjoy that or not, I
guess that's how you kind of rate, you know, rate
the series. But like I said, it's it's I think
(06:33):
it's the best rivalry in MLS, which is really, you know,
great for the state of Ohio, great for for FC Cincinnati.
Uh and so I think it's gonna be a really
enjoyable series for for the average fan.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
FC Cincinnati general manager Chris Albright with us FC Cincinnati
is getting set for Game one of their best of
three series against Columbus at home on Monday night. The
length of the season is extraordinary for for folks who
follow other sports. If if you go all the way,
you're going to be playing in early December and then
like a week later the next you know, the twenty
(07:05):
twenty six season is going to begin CONCACAF Champions Cup
and all that. What what's on your plate right now? Like,
what is the general manager of a major league soccer
team that has a team in the postseason working on
at the moment?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
We right when the window closes, what we try to
do is kind of turn our eyes internally to the
rest of the organization. So whether that's SCC two, MLS,
next pro, you know, our second team, whether that's kind
of continuing to build out our academy and improve our academy,
you know, those kind of things right as the window closes,
and then shortly after you kind of address some of
(07:40):
those key items you're we're on the next season. You know,
we're already trying to make guesses on uh you know,
some some salary cap uh calculations and what pieces will
will be around, what pieces won't, what additions we need, uh.
You know, we have scouts internationally that are already out
watching games. So our at tension, you know, for sort
(08:01):
of me and my guys very quickly goes on to
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
What's match night like for you? What are you doing?
Speaker 3 (08:12):
What am I doing on match night? Angsting with all
the fans is what I would say. Basically, I'm like,
I'm like everybody in the bailey, biting theirl nails for
ninety minutes. No, MAT's day's that's day's great.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Now.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Look, I try to I try to be supportive to
the coaches. I try to have little conversations with players
here and there, but ultimately a lot of you know,
the work that we've done in my part of the
of the house is should be done come match day
and try to enjoy it. I'm enjoying it more as
the years go by, and maybe angsting left, so that's
probably good for my health.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, I can relate to that. It's been a terrific year.
Best of luck on Monday and over the course of
the next five or six weeks. It's been fun to
watch your team this year and a lot of moving parts,
a lot of drama, but it's been fun to watch,
and hopefully it continues until early December. I can't thank
you enough. Always awesome to have you. And again I
appreciate you adjusting your schedule.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Oh no, worries. Well, had you liked your knicks tonight
or no?
Speaker 1 (09:11):
I like my knicks, you know. Yeah, my teams are
Orange and Blue. So we got to.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Beat the Calves, get the season off to a good start,
and then you guys carry the Orange and Blue, you know,
thing moving forward on.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Monday, all right, and I like it. Good luck man,
all right?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Likewise, Chris Albright, general manager, FC Cincinnati, the Orange and Blue,
the soccer Orange and Blue home on Monday, Game one,
best of three series against Columbus at six forty five
on Monday evening at TQL Stadium. It's Quota Raph for four.
It is remarkable the job he is done, and he
and Pat nowt in both. I remember the first time
(09:49):
we had him on and look, man, take it, you know,
with a grain of salt when it comes to me
giving you the nuts and bolts of soccer. I've always
been transparent about that. But like the first few years
of play, it just it felt like instability. It didn't
always feel professional. It felt like there wasn't alignment. And
I remember the first time I talked to that guy going,
(10:09):
I think they have like a legitimate soccer executive. I
think they just became a real major league soccer franchise.
And job he has done, job Patten and has done
has been awesome and hope it continues.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
All month.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
A lot of folks got antsy when they saw, Man,
we're gonna play Columbus. We'll see should be fun. Should
be fun again? Monday night Game one, best of three?
Speaking of fun, is the UC basketball season gonna be fun? Because, frankly,
last year was not. Scott Springer's the Big twelve Media
Days in Kansas City. He joins us.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Next Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Traffic from the UC Health Traffic Center.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Mamma Grahams Save Lives.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Call five one three, five eighty four.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Pink to schedule your annual mammogram with UC Health's expert team.
That's five one, three, five eighty four pink on southbound
seventy one seventy five before Donaldson Road.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
It's an accident off onto the left shoulder. Traffic stop
and go from two seventy five and Erlanger.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Another accident on Dixie Highway at Buttermilk Pike, and police
activity on Winton Road at Dutch Colony Drive.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
I met Exelic with traffic. This report is sponsor
Mo Egger News
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