The hardest decisions in sports are often the ones you don't make.
FC Cincinnati entered the secondary transfer window with one glaring question. Was the defense good enough to win MLS Cup?
The front office answered that question by adding defender David Doudera and center back Julian Malatini, reinforcing the squad without making the blockbuster move many supporters had hoped to see.
Whether that proves to be enough won't be known for another couple of months. But it's a fair question to ask. When this team is clicking offensively, it can beat anyone in Major League Soccer—provided, of course, it holds up on the back end.
Evander is enjoying one of the best seasons in club history. Kévin Denkey has given opponents another elite scoring threat. Pavel Bucha continues doing the little things that often go unnoticed but make winning possible.
Goals have not been the issue. Keeping them out has. Too often this season, FC Cincinnati has played well enough to win, only to undo that work with defensive lapses. Sometimes it's a missed assignment. Sometimes it's poor marking on a cross. Sometimes it's failing to clear a dangerous ball.
Whatever the cause, the result has been the same. Goals that championship-caliber teams simply can't afford to concede. That's why I understood why so many supporters wanted Chris Albright to swing big before the transfer window closed.
Championship windows don't stay open forever. Evander is playing at an MVP level, and Roman Celentano remains one of the league's best goalkeepers. I mean, let's go!
This roster has enough talent to compete with anyone. Those opportunities don't come around every year. To Albright's credit, the club actually didn't stand pat.
Doudera should provide additional quality and versatility on the wing, while Malatini gives Pat Noonan another option in central defense. They're sensible additions that improve depth and offer flexibility over the final stretch of the season.
The question is whether they move the needle enough. I'm not convinced they do. That doesn't mean FC Cincinnati can't make a deep playoff run. It absolutely can.
MLS is unpredictable, and a club with Evander pulling the strings is capable of beating anyone in a one-game playoff. But if the Orange and Blue fall short this autumn, I suspect the conversation won't center on the attack. It'll center on whether the defense was ever truly championship caliber.
I hope I'm wrong.
Because if this back line finds another level over the final two months, FC Cincinnati has every reason to believe it can still lift MLS Cup.
We'll find out soon enough if it was enough.