FC Cincinnati endured a disastrous first season in Major League Soccer. They entered haughty on USL dominance. They boast a terrific fanbase, one of the more financially free and stable organisations, and were expectant of big things at an early stage, especially considering the recent expansion success of sides like Atlanta and LAFC.
Such hopes very quickly fell flat. They wasted money, fired their manager, rearranged the management systems behind the scenes, which should have been done before they even commenced MLS play, and produced one of the worst seasons in league history.
To start 2020, then, FC Cincinnati were keen to get off on the right foot.