FC Cincinnati has started their 2025 season in style. They had a 4-1 win against Montagua in the away leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round-of-32, while their home opener against the New York Red Bulls was a meager 1-0 win. Tomorrow, they will be at the Fortress again for the second leg in CCC.
EL CICLÓN AZUL
Motagua won the Apertura in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional de Honduras this year. They’ve started the Clausura relatively balanced with a record at 3-2-3, not quite up to their last competition’s standards.
Nonetheless, they possess enough quality to disrupt any opposition. Their forward core of Rodrigo Auzmendi, Yeison Mejía, and Diego Ledesma is dynamic. Jonathan Rougier, their goalkeeper of eight years, is a tremendous shot stopper at 6’3”. Players of impressive quality fill their defense, like Honduran nationals Carlos Meléndez, Luis Vega, and captain Marcelo Santos, as well as Uruguayan national Sebastián Cardozo (who has been a journeyman across South America).
The scoreline does not reflect their performance in the last match. They may have gotten battered by Cincinnati’s near full-strength attack in the second half, but they were surprisingly assertive in the first.
Any draw for a Central American team against an MLS side is won in their home leg. Atmospheres there are known to be much harder to play in due to rowdy fans, conditions, and possible elevation. If they lose that leg where home advantage is amplified, winning away is a near impossibility.
That is the situation Montague is currently in; despite the winning quality they possess, the first half in the last match, and the home advantage, their Champions Cup dream is all but over.
THE ORANGE & BLUE
The Orange & Blue’s first match of the season was a star-studded success. The first half was shaky as Motagua had multiple chances on goal, and they would go into the break equalized. But they would leave Tegucigalpa with a 4-1 win that included a brace from Bucha, and debut goals from Denkey and Evander.
The city waited with bubbling excitement to watch Saturday’s home opener against the New York Red Bulls. It wasn’t a convincing performance, but a Denkey header would secure victory in the middle of the second half. Fans were dancing in the Bailey that night.
It is the first time in club history that a season has started with consecutive wins. But per Pat Noonan, they aren’t a finished product on the field: “Like I said after Wednesday, we’re nowhere near what we’re capable of, and most teams aren’t. They know in this moment, it’s a nice start, but nothing else.” This leaves more room for optimism as the team continues to gel and both Orellano and Miazga return from injury.
Tomorrow’s match is an opportunity to give players a rest. While it remains to be seen who will start, it is likely that at least some starters won’t play the majority of the match. With a 3-goal lead already, it won’t be worth risking.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Rodrigo Auzmendi is the obvious choice for Motagua’s players to watch. He has scored five goals in the past five matches, and his glancing header was the lone score for his side during the last meetup. But there were others who, at times, looked threatening: Rodrigo Gomez had the crossing assist, Carlos Meija had a few dribbles, and Jonathan Rougier had a few saves.
As for FCC, I am intrigued by the possibility that we see some depth players get minutes in this leg. Perhaps we’ll see Brian Anunga, Bret Halsey, Stefan Chirila, and Stiven Jimenez. There is also the possibility of some short-term loans from the reserves. They are who I’ll be watching for; matches like this are made for them.
WHAT TO EXPECT
This match is all but over. It would take a miracle straight from the chaos god of Concacaf for Motagua to overcome a three-goal deficit away from home against—with all due respect—a much stronger team. But it isn’t an impossibility; Cincinnati likely won’t be playing their full-strength XI, opting to rest for Saturday’s clash with Philadelphia.
You can expect a rotated team on the pitch, but don’t fret. There is still plenty of opportunity for a dominant performance from these players like we saw during the 2024 CCC match against Cavalier FC, when Alvas Powell, Aaron Boupendza, Isaiah Foster, and Dado Valenzuela all scored to lead FCC to a 4-0 victory.
MATCH INFO
WHERE: TQL Stadium
WHEN: 6:30
WATCH: FS2
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