Queen City Press Podcast

Laurel Pfahler and Tyler Snipes discuss the "Sunday Night Soccer" matchup between FC Cincinnati and Toronto FC with MLS on Apple TV's Jake Zivin. Plus, interviews with FCC forward Tom Barlow, MLS NEXT Pro President Ali Curtis and FC Cincinnati 2 coach Sammy Castellanos. This episode it brought to you in part by HOIST, IV‑level hydration, military‑grade electrolyte drinks that absorb fast and power...

Eric and Laurel discuss FC Cincinnati's 1-0 loss at Minnesota United FC on Saturday and why fans shouldn't be concerned about what might just be a one-off performance in frigid conditions. Plus, hear from the four players who scored their first goals for FCC last week in Champions Cup play -- Stefan Chirila, Stiven Jimenez, Ademar Chavez and Kenji Mboma Dem -- and a couple mailbag questions. This...

Laurel and Tyler sit down to discuss FC Cincinnati's 9-0 win over O&M FC in Champions Cup action before bringing in special guest, Kyndra de St. Aubin, from MLS on Apple TV's broadcast crew to break down the next match at Minnesota United. A Minnesota native and former MUFC television analyst, de St. Aubin brings a wealth of knowledge on FCC's opponent and an insightful perspective on the matc...

FC Cincinnati opened MLS play on a high note with a 2-0 win over Atlanta United on Saturday, and now the FCC 2 team prepares to play its MLS NEXT Pro opener this coming Sunday. In this episode, we recap FC Cincinnati's victory, rising above Evander's early exit due to a hamstring injury and more, along with interview clips with Dado Valenzuela and Pat Noonan. Then, FCC 2 coach Sammy Castellanos jo...

Apple TV play-by-play announcer Nate Bukaty joins Queen City Press Podcast to help Laurel and Tyler preview FC Cincinnati's MLS opener against Atlanta United. He shares his enjoyment of the TQL Stadium crowd, thoughts on both opponents and more. Before that conversation, we discuss FC Cincinnati's win at O&M FC in Champions Cup action Wednesday. In this episode, you'll also hear a clip of an i...

Kevin Denkey joins the Queen City Press Podcast Insider show to talk about his second preseason with FC Cincinnati, changes he made during the offseason, bicycle kicks, goal celebrations and more. Then, Laurel and Eric discuss the end of preseason, predictions and lineup projections (sort of), and we wrap up with some mailbag questions. You'll also hear the bulk of Pat Noonan's press conference fr...

Queen City Press Podcast now features a second show that will serve as a weekly preview and be available to the general public. The original show, hosted by Laurel and Eric Pfahler, is now called the "Insider," recapping matches, news and big trends, along with exclusive access to full interviews and bonus content (soon to include video clips of interviews as well). MLSSoccer.com 's Tyler Snipes j...

FC Cincinnati beat Detroit City FC in its third friendly and improved to 1-0-2, heading into the final week of the preseason. We discuss Pat Noonan's lineup change, Kevin Denkey's third goal in three games and more, before sharing a pre-recorded chat with special guest Roman Celentano. Topics covered with Celentano include his thoughts going into Year 5 of his MLS career, how the new 8-second rule...

FC Cincinnati is halfway through preseason and preparing for its last two exhibitions before the Concacaf Champions Cup opener Feb. 18 in the Dominican Republic. While Cincinnati continues to deal with cold and snow, the Orange and Blue are enjoying warmer weather in Clearwater, Fla. We discuss what we've learned from the first two closed-door matches, then dip into some season preview content bre...

FC Cincinnati opened preseason training last week in Milford and headed to Clearwater, Fla., for the remainder Monday. We discuss how the first week went, based on Laurel's observations at training and from interviews with Chris Albright and Pat Noonan, as well as some players. In this episode, you will also hear clips of the interviews with Noonan and newcomer Tom Barlow and answers to a couple m...

FC Cincinnati players are due to report back this weekend, and the club has been busy filling roster spots and making other moves. In this episode we break down the latest news, including the signing of former Orlando City SC defender Kyle Smith, the pending acquisition of Bryan Ramirez from LDU Quito and hiring of FCC 2 coach Sammy Castellanos. Laurel also clarifies where FCC stands with GAM conv...

FC Cincinnati general manager Chris Albright spoke to media Tuesday and said Year 5 is a good time to "refresh," after acknowledging things felt a little "stale" at times in 2025. We discuss his responses to questions about how the season went, areas for improvement, roster building and more. Plus, hear some of the highlights of his press conference, updates on possible movement with outside inter...

FC Cincinnati announced the end-of-year roster decisions last week, a day after club staff held individual 2025 exit meetings with players. In this episode, we discuss those decisions and what might happen with those players still waiting to learn what's next, plus some insight into what players had to say in interviews last week, and Laurel shares her best guess at what the 2026 lineup could look...

FC Cincinnati suffered a disappointing 4-0 loss to Inter Miami CF in the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday at TQL Stadium, and players said they lacked the energy and hunger needed to be successful. We discuss the concerns about the loss, why it looked so bad and what could have been different -- or was Miami just that much better? Hear postgame interviews with Miles Robinson, Kevin Denkey and...

Apple TV's MLS Season Pass lead analyst Taylor Twellman spoke with a handful of media members on Friday to preview the Eastern Conference semifinal between FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami CF. You'll hear the full media roundtable in this episode, after some of Laurel's and Eric's thoughts on the match. Plus, you'll hear a great clip from Taylor talking about his memories playing with Pat Noonan in a...

FC Cincinnati has been working through the international break, but Lukas Engel took some time to join Queen City Press Podcast for a bonus episode this week after a big win over Columbus Crew in the first round of the playoffs. Eric and Laurel kick off the episode with a discussion on the new MLS calendar, and then Engel takes stage for a 25-minute segment on the playoffs, what this loan opportun...

FC Cincinnati took a collective breath Saturday when the final whistle blew to seal a 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series. There was plenty of joy mixed with that relief after beating the biggest rival to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for a third time in four years. We discuss the significance, just how impressive the comeback was from a hist...

FC Cincinnati dropped a crushing 4-0 loss to the Columbus Crew on Sunday in Game 2 of the "Hell is Real" first-round playoff series, and now faces a decisive Game 3 on Saturday. We recap the loss, and then MLS Season Pass play-by-play announcer Steve Cangialosi joins Queen City Press Podcast to discuss the series, the ghosts of playoffs past and what's really on the line. Plus, hear Nick Hagglund...

Kevin Denkey delivered the game-winner and FC Cincinnati's defense held on for a 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew on Monday in a "Hell is Real" first-round playoff series opener at TQL Stadium. It was an electric environment and an encouraging start to the postseason, so we discuss that in this episode and then bring in MLS Season Pass studio analyst Dax McCarty for his takes on the match, what need...

No frills in this episode, just a great chat with MLS Season Pass play-by-play broadcaster Jake Zivin, who will be calling at least the first two games of the "Hell is Real" first-round playoff series between FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew. Eric and Laurel already broke down the Decision Day win over Montreal in our regular episode earlier this week, so this is some bonus content to help gear you...

FC Cincinnati cruised to a 3-0 win over CF Montreal on Decision Day and locked up the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and Supporters' Shield standings. Now the Orange and Blue face the Columbus Crew in a best-of-three "Hell is Real" derby for the first round of the playoffs. We discuss the win over Montreal and the significance, especially given a depleted squad, and what to expect looking fo...

FC Cincinnati was off from competition this past week but controls its own destiny for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. A win Saturday against CF Montreal guarantees home-field advantage through the conference semifinals, and if Vancouver drops points in the finale, the Orange and Blue could ensure home-field advantage in the MLS Cup final, should they get that far. In this sligh...

FC Cincinnati beat New York Red Bulls 1-0 on the road Saturday to secure a top 3 finish in the Eastern Conference, but the Supporters' Shield is now off the table after the Philadelphia Union also won to clinch. The Orange and Blue got an early goal on a wonder strike from Kevin Denkey and then managed to hold on over the final 78-plus minutes, though it didn't look pretty. We discuss the match, w...

Editor's note: This podcast was recorded prior to Chicago's win over Miami on Tuesday night. With this result, New York Red Bulls are eliminated from playoff contention, and FC Cincinnati can finish higher than Miami even if both teams win out (both would finish with 65 points, but FCC would have the tiebreaker on wins). FC Cincinnati conceded a goal in the 96th minute Sunday and settled for a 1-1...

FC Cincinnati headed West and came home with an important 3-2 win over the L.A. Galaxy on Saturday, becoming the first team to collect at least 10 road wins in consecutive seasons. Ender Echenique's speed paid off for the opening goal -- his first for FCC -- and Brenner recorded a brace, while Evander assisted all three goals on the night. We discuss the match, how expectations re-set with Brenner...