All stats from FBref unless otherwise noted

To say FC Cincinnati’s corners in 2024 were a point of contention among the club’s supporters is probably underselling it. However, general bad vibes about something do not necessarily equate to reality over the course of a season. Corners aren’t generally great chances, despite how much noise a crowd makes when the ball goes out for one. However, along with every other touch in the final third, they present the opportunity to threaten goal. In a game where attempts on goal are rare, every one of those chances are important.

Let’s look back at last season and see what went right and wrong for FCC’s corners. Then, let’s cast an eye towards 2025 and consider what FCC-watchers should be looking for in 2025 when the Orange and Blue set up for a corner kick.

First, Context

Let’s start by putting FCC’s record on corners in 2024 in the broader context of Major League Soccer. The numbers might surprise you.

Going into this, just based on my gut feeling, I expected FCC to rank near the bottom of the league in production off of attacking corners. In reality, the Orange and Blue ranked in the top half of the league in virtually all categories captured by American Soccer Analysis. The team’s eight goals during corner sequences1 were a top-five total and its 81 shots from corners ranked in the top-10.

In terms of chance creation, the numbers aren’t quite as good but both FCC’s expected goals and expected goals per shot ranked in the top half of the league.

Less surprising was that the Orange and Blue were also quite good defending corners, with the exception of one key area. FCC surrendered the 10th fewest shots off corners, the 7th lowest xG against, and the 10th lowest xGA/shot.

However, and ultimately most important, opponents managed to score seven goals off corners, ninth most in the league in 2024.

Year-Over-Year Improvement

Comparing FCC seasons is a valuable exercise as well. The Orange and Blue’s eight 2024 goals on corners were the highest total so far during Pat Noonan’s tenure as manager. The team posted its highest xG from corners in 2024, as well.

Part of the reason for that slight increase in goal scoring is just that FCC had more opportunities. The team generated more shots off corners in 2024, 81, than in 2022 or 2023, 62 and 64, respectively. That’s a good thing! However, the quality of those shots was worse, averaging just 0.07 expected goals per shot compared to 0.08 and 0.09 in the previous seasons. Which is not as good!

Those numbers bring to mind the team’s overall attacking record in 2024. FCC’s increased focus on possession resulted in more time spent in the final third and a higher number of shots, but only a slight improvement in overall attacking record. The Orange and Blue struggled to convert possession in more dangerous areas of the field into high quality attempts on goal. The same seems true of FCC’s attacking corners. Taking more shots is a good thing but taking better shots is more important. Finding a way to translate some of those corners into higher quality shots would help tremendously.

Though FCC’s conceded seven goals from corners in 2024, those goals came on just 4.06 xG, suggesting some element of bad luck. The team’s 0.06 xGA/shot was the lowest during the Noonan era and xG allowed from corners has been trending down since his first season in charge. Even though the team conceded seven goals, the fact that over the course of the season opponents generated lower quality shots suggests the team’s process for defending corners was solid.

Some part of the reason for the team’s improvement comes from the development of Roman Celentano. He appears to be more comfortable navigating crowded penalty boxes and 2024 was his best season so far in terms of cross claiming (7.8%, 4th in MLS). Celentano’s increased activity plus three centerbacks who are adept at winning the ball in the air should be able to maintain or better FCC’s defensive record on corners.

It should noted that these sample sizes are so small that one mistake can have an outsized impact on the raw numbers of an entire season. However, if FCC has some better luck and the same quality of corner kick defending in 2025, the team’s goal prevention could improve further.

What About 2025

It’s January 22 and the biggest question in FCC’s offseason remains unanswered: the presence of Luciano Acosta in 2025. For the narrow purposes of this post, Acosta’s uncertain status matters because he has been the Orange and Blue’s primary corner taker since his arrival in the Queen City. In 2024, Acosta took 108 of the team’s 172 corners.

Though there has been lots of consternation among FCC fans about Lucho’s corner taking, I have a feeling that if you asked pretty much any MLS fan, they wouldn’t feel very positive about their preferred team’s corner taking ability. I think the numbers bear this out too. Acosta might not be the most consistent or dangerous corner taker in the league but he’s not the worst, either.

If Acosta leaves, look for Luca Orellano to take more corners from both sides of the field. However, if the team and Acosta can patch things up, a more even split between Lucho and Orellano in 2025 could put FCC in position to be more dangerous.

Having Orellano take corners from the right with Acosta as an option short while Acosta takes corners from the left with Orellano short might be the most dangerous setup for the Orange and Blue. For one, it changes the math in the box, forcing an additional defender to leave the center of the penalty area to account for a dangerous option short. Having the option for the corner taker to hit an in-swinging corner or for the short option to play an out-swinger from a different angle should present headaches for defenders as they prepare to play against FCC.

Is there room for improvement? Absolutely. Right now the best (and smartest) teams in the world, are leveraging corners in an effort to maximize every possible advantage over their opponents. It’d be great to see the Orange and Blue follow suit. As demonstrated above, FCC’s corners were pretty effective in 2024 but in a game where the margins between winning and losing can be minuscule, finding even the smallest edges can make a huge difference.

Assuming Noonan continues to favor a starting lineup featuring three centerbacks, FCC should be able to find tactical advantages in the box on corners when a striker with the profile of Kévin Denkey is added to the mix. Designing a number of corner kick routines - and getting the requisite delivery - to take advantage of those advantages will be something that bears close watching in 2025.