U.S. men's national team defender Miles Robinson has signed with FC Cincinnati as a free agent, the MLS club announced on Wednesday. Robinson, 26, had drawn interest from multiple European clubs, sources confirmed to FOX Sports, but ultimately chose to remain stateside; the imposing center back heads to the Queen City after seven seasons with Atlanta United.
Robinson was on Atlanta's MLS Cup winning squad in 2018 and became a regular the following season. By the end of 2021, he was a full-time starter for the USMNT, helping the Americans qualify for the World Cup the following year. But Robinson, who Atlanta selected out of Syracuse University with the second overall SuperDraft pick in 2017, missed out on the main event in Qatar after rupturing the Achilles tendon in his left leg months before the planet's preeminent sporting event kicked off. He returned to the national team in 2023, appearing in seven games to bring his senior cap total to 27.
While FCC didn't disclose the terms of Robinson's contract, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that it's a one-year agreement with an option for the following season. Robinson earned a base salary of $1.4 million in 2023, according to figures released by the MLS Players' Association. He had been seeking a deal comparable to the $2 million-plus designated player deal that USMNT teammate Walker Zimmerman got from Nashville SC last year, multiple sources said. But according to The Athletic, Robinson will not count as one of Cincy's maxium three DPs — meaning the most he can earn this season is $1.65 million. Atlanta had offered a four-year pact worth at least that amount annually, a source with knowledge of the details confirmed to FOX Sports on Wednesday. But Robinson apparently had his heart set on leaving the Five Stripes this winter regardless.
Dutch power PSV Eindhoven had been considered the favorite to ink Robinson after his contract with Atlanta expired. PSV, which has qualified for the knockout stage of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League, boasts three of Robinson's international teammates in Sergiño Dest, Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman and USMNT great Earnie Stewart is PSV's director of football after leaving a similar role with U.S. Soccer early last year.
But FC Cincinnati — the 2023 MLS Supporters Shield winner as regular season champs — worked hard to lure Robinson, inviting him to tour the club's impressive stadium and training facilities as soon as the MLS free agency window opened last month. In the end, they landed their man.
"This is an amazing organization from top to bottom, and I will do everything in my power to win more trophies for the passionate fans and outstanding people of this city," Robinson said Wednesday in FCC's news release. "I'm ecstatic to play my first home game at TQL Stadium."
"We are proud that Miles chose to continue his career in Cincinnati," general manager Chris Albright added. "He is a defender with an elite skill set who already has an incredible amount of MLS and international experience. His personality and character are an immediate addition to our locker room and we're thrilled to welcome him to FC Cincinnati."
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men's and women's national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
