Watch: FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson reflects on World Cup

Miles, welcome back to Cincinnati. I mean, that has to have been some real life dream come true. What do you remember most about the World Cup? And what are you going to take away from it? I'm not sure what I'll remember most, maybe just the atmospheres, or kind of just you could feel like the country kind of uniting in that period of time, really coming together, you know. And I think those type of moments will last a long time. But also the group. I think the group was just amazing. There was a lot of great guys, lifelong friends and family, you know, that I'll definitely cherish forever. So a lot of great moments. You're back here in Cincinnati now. How are you feeling? Are you ready to kind of get back to the MLS season? Yeah, definitely. Yeah, it kind of seems like it's like three half seasons kind of coming back to back to back. So this is kind of the start of the second half season almost. So it's an interesting kind of period of time in MLS, but I'm definitely excited to be back here in Cincinnati. And hopefully we come out strong for the second half of the season. Hopefully I got some big moments in the future that I'll be, you know, kind of, you know, stamping some more memorable moments here for this club. But right now we're just kind of trying to work hard, you know, get better every day. It's definitely hot out here. We're definitely working hard. So hopefully that hard work kind of shows itself on Wednesday and moving forward. Definitely grateful for how Cincinnati handled me and just getting me, you know, fit and healthy for that World Cup. So I'm definitely grateful for them and, you know, all the staff to get me ready. But yeah, this team, I think when we're healthy, we're always, you know, one of the best teams in the league. I think we have so much quality on our roster. It's just about, you know, getting some type of consistency while playing, recognizing we're all, you know, the best when we're healthy, when we're fit. And if we can stay healthy, I like our chances moving forward. I think overall just that first game of the World Cup was, like, a very memorable moment. Just I think there was so much anticipation within U.S. soccer, even the country, kind of just preparing for one moment, one game. And I think that game was definitely electric, you know, from the first minute to the last. So that was definitely the game. But also, you know, being able to play 90 minutes in a World Cup game is something I'll definitely have in my back pocket forever. So I might pull that out when I'm like 85 and someone's trying to talk some trash or something like that. But it's definitely, you know, memorable moments that I'm going to, you know, take for a long time. So much had to align for me to be able to play in a World Cup, to represent the country. So much had to kind of work in my way, work my order in my favor. So I definitely recognize how blessed I am, how grateful I am. So it's just that type of mentality, I think, that's got me this far. So I'm just trying to, you know, count the roses and, you know, smell the roses or whatever they say. What's it been like arriving back here to Cincinnati with the guys getting ready for, you know, action with the club? Yeah, it's been great. These guys have been working hard. They've been telling me about the tough sessions they had while I was gone. And it's definitely hot out. We're definitely working hard. So it's just about translating that kind of effort and mentality into the game, Dave. How do you take what you experienced over the last, you know, month or two and transition that into getting back on the field here with the club in Cincinnati? Yeah, I think there's different types of mentalities and kind of thought processes that you have to have going into, you know, big stakes moments like the World Cup and stuff. So I think it's that type of mentality and recognizing how to handle different types of pressures and kind of, you know, push through difficult situations on and off the field rather than just kind of move forward in a positive direction. Obviously coming back, you know, to TQL Stadium, that's obviously going to be the atmosphere that we're going to have on Wednesday. And then leading up to that, and then we got Columbus away, I think. So just some big atmospheres and MLS that can really get, you know, me going as well as the team. Has it really hit you that you've now played in a World Cup? I know that's been a dream for so long, but talk to me about what that realization's been like now that it's over. Yeah, I don't think it's hit, to be fair. I'm kind of waiting for it to hit. But if I do, I might pass out or something. So I might have to wait a few years to really let it all sink in and to recognize it. And I think it might be one of those things like, you know, like wine or whatever. You got to rest, you got to wait, and then it kind of gets better with age type of thing. Overall, I think we had some great performances, you know. I think we got the country, you know, to really back us and to be proud and to be excited to be American and representing, you know, this great country. But I think, overall, we had a great showing. Obviously, the last game, I don't think it was our best. And you can't have games in the knockout round not be your best to survive tournaments like this. So I think, overall, it's just something we'll look back on and be proud, but recognizing there's still growth, which adds, you know, a different layer of excitement. You never know what the future's going to hold. But when you look at Tim Rehm and how he's still playing at that level at his age, like, does that give you hope that there's more World Cups in your future? Yeah, I mean, Tim's one of those guys. He's got a whole different type of mentality that I think a lot of people in this whole world don't recognize and don't understand what it takes. So that's obviously a mentality that I'd love to have one day. But right now, I'm not sure if I do have it. But I'm 100%, you know, willing to give it my all to, you know, keep pushing. You dealt with a few injuries in that 2022 cycle that kind of prevented you from being considered for that World Cup. So kind of in light of that, how fulfilling is it to play in this World Cup in 2026? Yeah, it just made this World Cup that much sweeter. Yeah, I just think, in general, a lot of ups and downs in my career, but that being definitely a down when I tore my achilles. But it just made this moment that much sweeter to be a part of this great group, one of the best teams, I think, in U.S. soccer history. So it's just a true honor. You've got a match this Wednesday against a teammate of yours, I guess, and Sebastian Berhalter coming into Vancouver. So you guys talk at all about this upcoming match and what will it take to kind of beat them this week? Yeah, I think we talked about it briefly, but obviously he's a great player, a great, you know, competitor. So it's going to be good seeing him again, saying what's up, saying hopefully we get the W so I can talk some trash after the game and stuff like that. But leading up to the game, it's probably just going to be all focus. How we're starting this second half of the season is pretty tough with some big opponents, big matchups, rivalry games. But those are the type of games that you want to be involved in as a player, and I think our entire team is really excited to get after it again. We've been off for so long, so it's about just really kind of starting off this second half of the season with a bang and then kind of using that momentum to kind of keep us going. I definitely felt the love and the support from all of Cincinnati when I was out there, so I'm definitely grateful for all of that. So it's just about trying to put on our best performance to give them something to cheer about, to scream and be excited about because I felt the love, so we're trying to return the favor. Yeah, I mean, I think overall the MLS season is so long. There's so many ups and downs of any MLS season. It's a tight standing so far. It seems pretty tight in terms of points and things like that, but the league's also getting so much better, so it's definitely a competitive league. Every game counts, especially towards the end of the season, but it's these next few games and then also the last few games of the season that are very important. So that's kind of the mentality we're going to have going into these games.