Pat Noonan insists FC Cincinnati must improve defensively ahead of welcoming the New England Revolution to the TQL Stadium on Sunday.
Cincinnati edged a seven-goal thriller in their latest MLS fixture against the Philadelphia Union, with Luciano Acosta scoring in the 10th minute of injury time to secure a 4-3 win.
Noonan's side have now won nine of their last 10 league games and sit second in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Inter Miami.
But there were some concerns at the back, with Cincinnati having now conceded eight goals in their last four games, something Noonan is keen on addressing.
“Certainly, how we have gotten results has shifted to scoring goals and struggling defensively from an early stretch when defensively we were much stronger and didn’t need four goals to win a game,” Noonan said.
“We gave another set-piece goal which has been a little bit of a theme. Against Philadelphia, it was defending crosses.
“We will continue to look at the best combination of guys to help us from the frontline to the backline to be better defensively because I think right now, with how we are creating chances, that hasn’t been a concern. But we need to get better defensively.”
Meanwhile, New England continued their impressive recent form with a 3-2 win over Vancouver Whitecaps last Sunday and have now won three in a row.
The Revolution have closed the gap at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and are now two points behind Orlando City and the Chicago Fire.
Head coach Caleb Porter was pleased with his side's reaction to conceding late in their latest fixture and believes the mentality within his squad has significantly shifted.
“We have still got to score more though,” Porter said. “But I loved that we scored three goals and I loved that we responded after conceding to take the game to 1-1.
“That shows mentality is changing. I also loved that the guys were a little ticked off at the end of the game. We have won three in a row, and they were kind of mad that they didn’t score more and they conceded.
“That’s a great mentality to have. We’re not relieved to win; we’re expecting to win now. If we play like we did against Vancouver, we can beat anybody in this league.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
FC Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta
The Argentine took his assist tally to 13 in MLS this season during Cincinnati's win over Philadelphia, more than any other player in the division this season.
Acosta has now assisted 92 goals since arriving at Cincinnati in 2021, moving up to ninth in the all-time assist charts in MLS.
New England – Giacomo Vrioni
The Albanian scored his second goal in three games during New England's victory over Vancouver, taking his tally to 16 for the club since arriving in 2022.
Of his 10 goals scored in the MLS, Vrioni has scored against just seven sides, with Cincinnati being one of those.
MATCH PREDICTION: CINCINNATI WIN
The Revs should enter this game in high spirits, having won three straight matches after only collecting seven points from their first 13 games in MLS this year.
Their last four-game winning streak came in August 2021, and the fourth win in that run came against Cincinnati.
A repeat is not expected here, though, with Cincinnati winning nine of their last 10 matches (one defeat). No team in the post-shootout era has ever won 10 games in a span of 11 regular-season outings before.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Cincinnati – 64.6%
Draw – 18.9%
New England – 16.4%
'Privilege' of coaching Messi key to Inter Miami decision, says Mascherano
Javier Mascherano said the "privilege" of coaching former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi was a key factor in his decision to join Inter Miami as their new head coach.
Mascherano was appointed as the club's new boss days after Gerardo Martino resigned from his position following the Herons' early exit from the MLS playoffs.
Martino cited "personal reasons" after leaving the team, which he led to Leagues Cup glory shortly after his arrival last year, while also helping Miami set a new single-season MLS points record of 74 as they clinched the 2024 Supporters' Shield.
Mascherano played alongside Messi at Barcelona for eight years, winning 19 major honours including two Champions League titles, with the former midfielder citing a reunion with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner as key to his decision.
“The privilege of coaching Messi," Mascherano said when asked why he had joined the club.
"Obviously, players of the calibre of my former team-mates like Luis (Suarez), (Sergio) Busquets, Jordi (Alba), and others I’ve had the chance to know, especially the Argentines.
"And some young academy players like Noah Allen and David Ruiz, who have potential. Having worked with young players for a long time, I enjoy continuing to have this opportunity."
The 40-year-old, however, embarks on his first senior management role having only taken charge of Argentina's youth teams, most recently at the Paris Olympics when he led them to the quarter-finals of the competition before losing to beaten finalists France.
Many supporters have put Mascherano's arrival down to the influence of Messi, but the new boss is ready to silence the sceptics as he takes the reins with little managerial experience under his belt.
"People in the world can have their opinion, and it is valid, clearly, but I am convinced that I am capable of coaching the team," said Mascherano.
"I am very excited to be able to do it. I can do it. I have no doubt. Sometimes, in football, [talk of] 'experience' doesn't make much sense.
"Beyond the fact that I have been coaching for three years, coaching the youth teams of the Argentine national team, [where] I have always been under pressure.
"I am also supported by a playing career of almost 20 years and everything I’ve experienced."
Havertz: Arsenal 'ready for the fight' in Premier League title race
Kai Havertz says Arsenal are "ready for the fight" as they aim to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool.
The Gunners are in second place and nine points adrift of the Reds, who have only dropped five under Arne Slot after the opening 13 matches of this campaign.
Mikel Arteta's side will hope to reduce the deficit when they welcome Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, while Liverpool travel to St James' Park to face Newcastle United.
Arsenal have been runners-up to Manchester City in each of the last two Premier League seasons, and Havertz is confident they will be in contention once more this time around.
"It's still in the first part of the season and a lot can happen," he said. "For me personally, I think how much tougher the Premier League gets year by year.
"Liverpool, all of a sudden, are performing at the highest level week in, week out. I have to give credit to them, for sure. [There are] lots of games to play, points to get, so we will be ready for the fight.
"There are still a lot of things in the team that we can develop and be better at, and I'm sure the next couple of years are going to be great for us. I think everyone will be ready for it."
Arsenal are full of momentum, having won each of their last three matches across all competitions, while scoring 13 goals along the way.
The Gunners only managed 12 in their previous nine games, with Martin Odegaard missing seven of those, but Havertz believes he and his team-mates have enjoyed the benefits of the skipper's recent return from injury.
"For me, it's quite nice! He's just magic," the forward said. "He makes everything so calm and easy on the pitch, has the confidence to turn games around on his own.
"Even in bad moments, he takes the ball and does something with it. He never shies away. He's a very important player for us."
Tottenham must bolster attacking options in January, says Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou said that Tottenham must make signings during the transfer window to strengthen their attacking options.
Tottenham find themselves seventh in the Premier League after 13 games this season, but have been unable to find consistency with results thus far.
But their form has not been helped by injuries in the forward areas, with Richarlison and Wilson Odobert out of action until next year with respective hamstring issues.
Dominic Solanke, who missed Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Fulham on Sunday, is expected to feature against former side Bournemouth on Thursday, however.
Despite those injuries, Postecoglou's side top the scoring charts in the top-flight this term with 28 goals, but the Spurs boss said he is in need of attacking reinforcements.
"With Richy, it has been frustrating because I see the potential in him and, to be fair, when he’s been fit he’s always made an impact," Postecoglou said.
"That’s what you kind of hold on to, but there’s no doubt we need some bolstering in that front third over the next couple of transfer windows."
“Dom coming in has been great, but again we can’t overload him either, because ultimately, even if he stays fit and nothing happens, performance will invariably drop if his energy levels drop. So it’s something we’re aware of and need to plan for."
Cristian Romero is also unavailable for Thursday's game, adding to the absences of Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario and the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur.
Tottenham's squad is likely to be stretched once again during December, with eight games coming up this month.
Following their trip to Bournemouth, they take on Chelsea, Southampton, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Wolves in the Premier League.
In between those league games, they face Rangers in the Europa League as well as a quarter-final EFL Cup tie against Manchester United.
"It's a Thursday Sunday cycle for us pretty consistently," he added.
"Monday is recovery day for the lads and yesterday training with the guys who didn't play the majority of the game.
"They've all recovered well, no issues from [Fulham] and we're ready to go for a big game tomorrow."
But up first for Tottenham is a trip to the south coast against Andoni Iraola's in-form Bournemouth side, who beat Wolves 4-2 in their last Premier League encounter.
And Postecoglou will have confidence of returning to winning ways at the Vitality Stadium given their recent meetings with the Cherries.
Tottenham have won 10 of their 14 Premier League games against Bournemouth (D2 L2) – of the sides they’ve faced at least 10 times in the competition, only against Swansea (79%) do they have a higher win rate.
Along with that, each of their last five top-flight away wins have been to nil, including a 4-0 victory at reigning champions Manchester City last time out.
Spurs, however, haven’t won any of their last 14 when conceding on the road (D5 L9), since a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace in October 2023, and Postecoglou is expecting another difficult task away from home.
"A tough challenge, not just of late but from last year. They came here and were really aggressive with their football and especially at their place," Postecoglou concluded.
"They've beaten City and Arsenal at their place. They are one of those sides where they have real consistency in performance and approach, so you know that you're in for a battle. I'm really looking forward to it."
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