Barreal's Growth is FCC's Gain
Alvaro Barreal made his 100th appearance for FCC Saturday July 8th, in Charlotte, scoring the game-tying goal to complete a 2nd-half comeback after being down 2-0 at halftime. The young Argentine winger's growth mirrors the club’s ascendancy in MLS. After signing during the pandemic-shortened season in 2020, Barreal’s influence on this club has been expanding steadily and Cincinnati’s supporters should be excited about what is yet to come.
Coming to a new club and a new country at age 19 can be daunting for any person, not to mention coming to a last-place team after its 1st Year of MLS. This assignment for Barreal must have been difficult, not knowing teammates or the style of the league, or the language, let alone trying to adapt to a new situation during a global pandemic. Regardless, Barreal persisted.
The 2021 season saw Barreal come into his own as a regular player in the lineup. He appeared in 33 games and started in 26 of them. I remember watching him this season playing on the wing and being quite frustrated with some decisions he would make on the field and his lack of desire to track back on defense. Regardless, FCC was headed for another last-place season in the league despite Barreal’s inconsistent contribution.
The next season marks a significant jump in Barreal’s development with FCC. The addition of his fellow countrymate Lucho Acosta has been a very positive influence on his play. The appointment of a no-nonsense, tough-minded type of manager in Pat Noonan has inspired Barreal’s play as well. Alvaro played mostly midfielder/ winger during the beginning of his time here in Cincinnati, but Noonan had ideas of playing with a 5 defender formation. Thus necessitating the outside defenders to be capable of getting back on defense and participating on the offensive side of the ball as well. Not an easy task. Alvaro rose to the challenge and the results were great. Barreal helped the squad make the playoffs by scoring 5 goals and assisting 5 others in 32 games (25 starts). Things began to look promising for the young Argentine and FCC.
2023 was looked at as a season to build off of past success. The 2022 season saw the emergence of Roman Celentano and Brandon Vazquez plus a road playoff victory against NY Red Bulls. Most of all, FCC looks to have an identity as a team. The stability created by the coaching staff, plus the huge home-field advantage created at TQL stadium by the supporters in the Bailey, led to a 1st place start to the season. Barreal’s position in the team solidified in the 5 man backline as well. Coach Noonan noticed Alvaro’s noteworthy development in an interview after training last Thursday, “That has to do with the mentality of Álvaro. How he’s improved his maturity level, his professionalism, his hunger for helping the team win.” That hunger has been rewarded with an All-Star appearance later this month in D.C.
One of the many many highlights of the season so far has to be the All-Star Selections revealed for FCC. The obvious choice to represent the club in the showcase was the midfield maestro Lucho Acosta. He has shown to be the heart of the team and a creative force for the offense in the 2 seasons with the club. From the social media video posted by the team, Acosta was told ahead of time of his All-Star selection. So when the team had a team lunch before their match against DC United on June 24th, Barreal got everyone’s attention to celebrate Lucho’s participation to represent MLS versus Arsenal. Unbeknownst to Alvaro, Lucho took the mic to let him know he would be joining him in the All-Star Festivities. The soft spoken 22-year-old was quite grateful for the accolade and suffice to say, he definitely deserves the recognition to represent FCC.
In 4 years with the team, Alvaro has seen a lot of ups and downs. One thing that has been consistent is the growth and improvement of both Barreal and FCC in those four years. Barreal’s growth has been FCC’s gain. His contract is set to expire after this season and it would be bad business to not extend him. EXTEND ALVARO.