August 30, 2025 • 8 mins
Dax McCarty from Apple TV's MLS Season Pass joined us to discuss FC Cincinnati's showdown with Philadelphia.
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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
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I don't want to make our guest way. FC Cincinnati
and the Philadelphia Union have often this year felt like
they were on a collision course. That collision happens tomorrow,
the Orange and Blue hosting Philadelphia. FC Cincinnati trails at
Union by two in the hunt for the Supporter Shield
and for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. It's
(00:20):
a home game for FC Cincinnati. It starts at seven thirty.
You could watch it on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV,
which is where you'll find MLS. Great Dax McCarty. It's
awesome to have you, Dax.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
How are you doing great, guys, thanks for having me
excited for the game this weekend.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yeah, this is going to be fun, and I think
for me what's most interesting is, you know, FC Cincinnati
is coming off a loss that came at the end
of what for them was a very busy transfer window.
I'm kind of interested to see how their additions impact
the game tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah, I'm excited to see that as well.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Obviously, with Brenner, that's the big exciting one. He's the
difference maker. He's the one who has been at Cincinnati
before and had success. I really like the move for
Pat Noonan and Chris Albright. My one frustration I think
with FC Cincinnati is that with Evander, he's been in
(01:14):
MVP form the whole the entire season. He's fantastic, He's
a match winner. Kevin Denk very similar. He's a match winner,
but he's dealt with injury issues. I don't think they've
been able to find that that third option, that third
option you can rely on. You can put him in
the lineup and say he's going to be a threat
in a danger to score. I love what Kai Kamara
has brought to this team. I think he's been excellent
(01:36):
in terms of opening up space for others and holding
the ball up, but he hasn't scored. He's a striker
who has a scored and that's got to be frustrating
for him.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
I love Etchinike.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
He provides pace, but he's probably a little bit more
dynamic on the wing. And then you have Dato Valezuela,
who also is a very good player. I think he
has five or six goals this year. But Brenner just
gives you a little bit something different. He gives you
that killer instinct and that quality in the third I'm
really excited to see how he gets reintegrated to help
Sincy make this final season pushed.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
There have been so many moving parts to this season
since before it began. I know you're a huge Pat
Noonan fan. I'm not sure how you couldn't be. Does
does this season here in Cincinnati represent his best coaching job?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Oh that's a tough one. That's like kicking your favorite kid.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Right Uh, he's he's all you know, He's already won
the shield, and so I think anytime you win a
trophy you have to consider that as just an excellent
coaching performance top to bottom, and then excellent performance from
the team.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
But I think with all of the.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
All of the things that Cincinnati had to navigate in
the offseason with the Lucho Acosta stuff, I think for
sure this is right up there with one of Pat
Noonan's best years as a head coach. He is a
guy who never he never gets too high and he
never gets too low.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
That's what I love about it.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
He's so balanced, he's so even keel. I would I
played for a few managers like that, and it just
it just there was a there's a silent, quiet confidence
that comes along with playing for a manager like that
and that shows through in the way that FC Cincinnati plays,
and listen, I would say they haven't always gotten it perfect.
(03:20):
This year, they've lost three home games in a row
and all competitions, and if you want to challenge for trophies,
and if you want to win the Supporter Shield, well.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
That that can't happen.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
You have to make sure you take care of your
home games and then just see what you can get
on the road.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
So they've had a little bit of a dip lately
at FC Cincinnati.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Obviously Evander returning to Portland and having a masterclass performance,
you know, that was all just individual brilliance. But as
it relates to Pat Noonan, he's just had another great year.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
It's right up there with one of the best of them.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
I hope Cincinnati fans realize and understand how good they
have it after not so great of a start to
their MLS tenure.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
I think so, I think, And you could obviously fold
Chris Albright into the conversation, because it is it has
felt like, even when it seems like, you know what,
they're deficient on the back end or are you know
the way the whole thing with Lucho Acosta went out.
It feels like the front office always has an answer.
And you know, we talk a lot about Pat Noon,
and I think you're exactly right. I think to me
(04:15):
the mark of a great coach is one of the
marks of a great coach is at least when you know,
one loss does up a come two. This team has
always moved on from adversity. But I think the way
he and Chris kind of handled all the stuff that
was going on before the season speaks to the commonality,
the shared vision those two have, and just how it
feels like Chris Albright has a plan for everything that
(04:36):
goes wrong.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Chris Albright has been fantastics.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
He is the guy behind the scenes that's pulling all
the strings and making sure that everything runs smoothly. Pat
or Pat Nowton has a vision. Chris Albright executes that
vision and I love that about them. And I answered
this question on Saint Louis Radio the other day.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
They said, you.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Know, how much do you value now in a sporting
director and maybe a head coach? MLS experience, MLS know
how And I said, quite frankly, guys, I think we're
trending in a direction that that's not going to matter
as much. But you have to take every single individual
situation on its own.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
And for FC Cincinnati specifically, a.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Team that tried to go and hire foreign coaches. Initially,
they had a sporting director who didn't know the league. Initially,
I think it was the perfect decision for them to
go and say, hey, that's a really stable, successful club
in the Philadelphia Union, and we need to go and
figure out what they do so well and then we
(05:39):
need to copy that.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
And what did they do.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
They went and got a great coach that worked in
a successful team in Pat Noonan, and they got Chris Albright,
who had worked for one of the more successful front
offices in the Philadelphia Union. And for me, what I
look at is just sustainability. You have a sustainability with
Cincinnati now that four or five years ago I would
have never thought you could have got just merely because
(06:01):
of the lack of results and the turnover with the
coaching staff.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
It was just too much to handle.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
So every situation is unique, and I think Cincinnati ownership
knocked it out of the park with those.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Two Dax McCarty MLS season pass joining us FC Cincinnati
hosting the Philadelphia Union. There was a stretch in the
middle of the season where it felt like Philadelphia was
never going to lose. If you're pat Noonan and you're
trying to get three points and leapfrog them in the
race for the Supporter Shield, when you look at Philadelphia,
what's the first thing that gives you concern?
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Oh, guys, I got to say, this is my favorite
matchup of the MLS regular season up to this point.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
I mean, we're talking about two heavyweights here.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Two teams that I absolutely think have the chops to
go on and not just win the Shield, but also
win MLS Cup.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
And if you remember.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Back to early in the season, Philadelphia kicked the crap
out of Cinci. That was a big wake up call
for them. I believe it was a Ty Barribo trick.
The one thing you have to do if you're Cincinnati
right from the get go is realize that every time
you play Philadelphia you are going to be in for
a fight.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
And Philly, that's their floor is making.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Sure that they run, that they tackle, and that they
win second balls. Cincinnati hasn't always been able to do
that very well. This year, they've kind of gotten bullied
in midfield at times. Wobado is a great player, but
he's had his injury issues. I think Brian and Nounga,
one of my former teammates, has filled in for him admirably.
But there are times where with Pavel Buca and Evander
(07:33):
getting into the attack, that FC Cincinnati midfield gets overrun
at times. In Philly, they play a narrow formation, They've
got a ton of bodies in the middle of the field.
If you don't have bodies in the middle of the
field that can win duels, you're already in trouble. But
this Philly team has just as much attacking quality now
that FC Cincinnati has, so it's going to be a
(07:54):
big test for Pat Noonan and FC Cincinnati, especially this
back line where you have really informed strikers to go
along with a really solid midfield.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I absolutely love the matchup.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
I don't think there's a clear favorite here, just because
Cincinnati's home form makes me question if they're really going
to be able to go on and lift the shield.
This is kind of a statement of intent game, a
proverbial six pointer, if you will. I think if Cincinnati
doesn't take three points here, they don't go on to
win the shield because Philly's already two points ahead, and
Cincinnati needs this game more than Philly does.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
It's gonna be an absolute showdown. It's gonna be great, guys.
I can't wait.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah, I'm excited. Should be fun, Dax, I appreciate the time, man,
Thank you very much.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Always a pleasure anytime, guys,
I don't want to make our guest way. FC Cincinnati
and the Philadelphia Union have often this year felt like
they were on a collision course. That collision happens tomorrow,
the Orange and Blue hosting Philadelphia. FC Cincinnati trails at
Union by two in the hunt for the Supporter Shield
and for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. It's
(00:20):
a home game for FC Cincinnati. It starts at seven thirty.
You could watch it on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV,
which is where you'll find MLS. Great Dax McCarty. It's
awesome to have you, Dax.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
How are you doing great, guys, thanks for having me
excited for the game this weekend.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yeah, this is going to be fun, and I think
for me what's most interesting is, you know, FC Cincinnati
is coming off a loss that came at the end
of what for them was a very busy transfer window.
I'm kind of interested to see how their additions impact
the game tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah, I'm excited to see that as well.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Obviously, with Brenner, that's the big exciting one. He's the
difference maker. He's the one who has been at Cincinnati
before and had success. I really like the move for
Pat Noonan and Chris Albright. My one frustration I think
with FC Cincinnati is that with Evander, he's been in
(01:14):
MVP form the whole the entire season. He's fantastic, He's
a match winner. Kevin Denk very similar. He's a match winner,
but he's dealt with injury issues. I don't think they've
been able to find that that third option, that third
option you can rely on. You can put him in
the lineup and say he's going to be a threat
in a danger to score. I love what Kai Kamara
has brought to this team. I think he's been excellent
(01:36):
in terms of opening up space for others and holding
the ball up, but he hasn't scored. He's a striker
who has a scored and that's got to be frustrating
for him.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
I love Etchinike.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
He provides pace, but he's probably a little bit more
dynamic on the wing. And then you have Dato Valezuela,
who also is a very good player. I think he
has five or six goals this year. But Brenner just
gives you a little bit something different. He gives you
that killer instinct and that quality in the third I'm
really excited to see how he gets reintegrated to help
Sincy make this final season pushed.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
There have been so many moving parts to this season
since before it began. I know you're a huge Pat
Noonan fan. I'm not sure how you couldn't be. Does
does this season here in Cincinnati represent his best coaching job?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Oh that's a tough one. That's like kicking your favorite kid.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Right Uh, he's he's all you know, He's already won
the shield, and so I think anytime you win a
trophy you have to consider that as just an excellent
coaching performance top to bottom, and then excellent performance from
the team.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
But I think with all of the.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
All of the things that Cincinnati had to navigate in
the offseason with the Lucho Acosta stuff, I think for
sure this is right up there with one of Pat
Noonan's best years as a head coach. He is a
guy who never he never gets too high and he
never gets too low.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
That's what I love about it.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
He's so balanced, he's so even keel. I would I
played for a few managers like that, and it just
it just there was a there's a silent, quiet confidence
that comes along with playing for a manager like that
and that shows through in the way that FC Cincinnati plays,
and listen, I would say they haven't always gotten it perfect.
(03:20):
This year, they've lost three home games in a row
and all competitions, and if you want to challenge for trophies,
and if you want to win the Supporter Shield, well.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
That that can't happen.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
You have to make sure you take care of your
home games and then just see what you can get
on the road.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
So they've had a little bit of a dip lately
at FC Cincinnati.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Obviously Evander returning to Portland and having a masterclass performance,
you know, that was all just individual brilliance. But as
it relates to Pat Noonan, he's just had another great year.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
It's right up there with one of the best of them.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
I hope Cincinnati fans realize and understand how good they
have it after not so great of a start to
their MLS tenure.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
I think so, I think, And you could obviously fold
Chris Albright into the conversation, because it is it has
felt like, even when it seems like, you know what,
they're deficient on the back end or are you know
the way the whole thing with Lucho Acosta went out.
It feels like the front office always has an answer.
And you know, we talk a lot about Pat Noon,
and I think you're exactly right. I think to me
(04:15):
the mark of a great coach is one of the
marks of a great coach is at least when you know,
one loss does up a come two. This team has
always moved on from adversity. But I think the way
he and Chris kind of handled all the stuff that
was going on before the season speaks to the commonality,
the shared vision those two have, and just how it
feels like Chris Albright has a plan for everything that
(04:36):
goes wrong.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Chris Albright has been fantastics.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
He is the guy behind the scenes that's pulling all
the strings and making sure that everything runs smoothly. Pat
or Pat Nowton has a vision. Chris Albright executes that
vision and I love that about them. And I answered
this question on Saint Louis Radio the other day.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
They said, you.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Know, how much do you value now in a sporting
director and maybe a head coach? MLS experience, MLS know
how And I said, quite frankly, guys, I think we're
trending in a direction that that's not going to matter
as much. But you have to take every single individual
situation on its own.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
And for FC Cincinnati specifically, a.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Team that tried to go and hire foreign coaches. Initially,
they had a sporting director who didn't know the league. Initially,
I think it was the perfect decision for them to
go and say, hey, that's a really stable, successful club
in the Philadelphia Union, and we need to go and
figure out what they do so well and then we
(05:39):
need to copy that.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
And what did they do.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
They went and got a great coach that worked in
a successful team in Pat Noonan, and they got Chris Albright,
who had worked for one of the more successful front
offices in the Philadelphia Union. And for me, what I
look at is just sustainability. You have a sustainability with
Cincinnati now that four or five years ago I would
have never thought you could have got just merely because
(06:01):
of the lack of results and the turnover with the
coaching staff.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
It was just too much to handle.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
So every situation is unique, and I think Cincinnati ownership
knocked it out of the park with those.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Two Dax McCarty MLS season pass joining us FC Cincinnati
hosting the Philadelphia Union. There was a stretch in the
middle of the season where it felt like Philadelphia was
never going to lose. If you're pat Noonan and you're
trying to get three points and leapfrog them in the
race for the Supporter Shield, when you look at Philadelphia,
what's the first thing that gives you concern?
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Oh, guys, I got to say, this is my favorite
matchup of the MLS regular season up to this point.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
I mean, we're talking about two heavyweights here.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Two teams that I absolutely think have the chops to
go on and not just win the Shield, but also
win MLS Cup.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
And if you remember.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Back to early in the season, Philadelphia kicked the crap
out of Cinci. That was a big wake up call
for them. I believe it was a Ty Barribo trick.
The one thing you have to do if you're Cincinnati
right from the get go is realize that every time
you play Philadelphia you are going to be in for
a fight.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
And Philly, that's their floor is making.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Sure that they run, that they tackle, and that they
win second balls. Cincinnati hasn't always been able to do
that very well. This year, they've kind of gotten bullied
in midfield at times. Wobado is a great player, but
he's had his injury issues. I think Brian and Nounga,
one of my former teammates, has filled in for him admirably.
But there are times where with Pavel Buca and Evander
(07:33):
getting into the attack, that FC Cincinnati midfield gets overrun
at times. In Philly, they play a narrow formation, They've
got a ton of bodies in the middle of the field.
If you don't have bodies in the middle of the
field that can win duels, you're already in trouble. But
this Philly team has just as much attacking quality now
that FC Cincinnati has, so it's going to be a
(07:54):
big test for Pat Noonan and FC Cincinnati, especially this
back line where you have really informed strikers to go
along with a really solid midfield.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I absolutely love the matchup.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
I don't think there's a clear favorite here, just because
Cincinnati's home form makes me question if they're really going
to be able to go on and lift the shield.
This is kind of a statement of intent game, a
proverbial six pointer, if you will. I think if Cincinnati
doesn't take three points here, they don't go on to
win the shield because Philly's already two points ahead, and
Cincinnati needs this game more than Philly does.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
It's gonna be an absolute showdown. It's gonna be great, guys.
I can't wait.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah, I'm excited. Should be fun, Dax, I appreciate the time, man,
Thank you very much.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Always a pleasure anytime, guys,
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