When FC Cincinnati last met Los Rayados, it took everything just to survive the onslaught. This time around, a bit of Brazilian brilliance was the big difference.
Evander scored a goal and provided two second-half assists to guide the Orange & Blue to a statement win against CF Monterrey in the first phase of the 2025 Leagues Cup. The Brazilian midfielder dished key passes on goals by Luca Orellano and Pavel Bucha to give Cincinnati a 3-2 win and three points in this matchup between MLS and Liga MX titans.
“There are ways that you want to position your group to find success,” Pat Noonan addressed after the game. “I think you saw it tonight because we scored three goals against a very, very strong team with one of the best players to ever play the game–one of the best defenders to ever play the game. To be able to have a performance like that against an elite opponent is a credit to the guys in the preparation and then going out and being able to perform.”
The new Leagues Cup format puts added pressure on getting out of the gate with as many points as possible. Each MLS team plays three Liga MX teams of varying status on last season’s table, and vice versa. However, the top four teams in each league with the most points after tie breakers are factored will advance to an eight-team knockout round. This makes wins essential, as a team could win all three matches but still be unable to advance.
FC Cincinnati has advanced to the knockout stage the past two seasons with victories over Mexican and American squads. However, both times the Orange & Blue have stumbled against MLS competition, getting knocked out in 2023 by Nashville SC and in 2024 by Philadelphia Union.
CF Monterrey failed to qualify for the knockout round last year, but Los Rayados did advance far in the 2023 Leagues Cup, losing in the semifinals to Nashville SC and the third-place match to Philadelphia. Monterrey have started their 2025 Liga MX Apertura season with two wins and one loss, the last one being a 3-1 victory over Atlas.
Cincinnati rolled out a lineup slightly altered from Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Miami. Noonan opted to rest goalkeeper Roman Celentano, inserting Evan Louro in his place. Sergio Santos started atop the formation with Dado Valenzuela, giving Kei Kamara a spot on the bench. New transfer Ender Echenique started on the bench for his first appearance as a member of the Orange & Blue.
Monterrey made a few small changes of their own in goal and in the midfield, but their attack of Jesus Corona, Sergio Canales, and German Berterame remained unchanged. The roster was significantly different from the last time the two teams met in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, the biggest piece being the addition of captain Sergio Ramos on the back line.
In 2024, their only past matchup, Monterrey defeated Cincinnati in both legs of the CCC Round of 16, a 1-0 victory at TQL Stadium and a 2-1 victory at home.
First half
FC Cincinnati has often jumped out to the lead this season, and things were no different just because the tournament changed.
While early pressure in the first minute from Cincinnati only led to an empty attempt, the attack finally clicked thirty minutes later. Some heavy presence by Santos and Dado in previous plays freed Evander atop the box. His right-footed rocket in the 31st minute gave FC Cincinnati an early 1-0 lead.
The goal was Evander’s 18th over all competitions.
That lead would almost make it to halftime, if not for an unfortunate ricochet. On the edge of the 45th minute, Sergio Canales dribbled across the box and spritzed a light shot at net. The deflection off Matt Miazga was too far away from Louro to handle, and the ball glanced off the post to knot the score at 1-1.
Overall, both teams enjoyed crisp passing and movement, but the possession numbers favored Monterrey by halftime. Cincinnati enjoyed a majority of the attempts, but the high advance from Monterrey’s back line squeezed three offside calls out of the referee.
Second half
The second half almost started in disaster. Canales penetrated the box with the Cincinnati defense pulled back conservatively in the 50th minute. His shot evaded Louro, only to hit the post and get cleared.
With the Monterrey defense still playing high enough to challenge every attack, Cincinnati looked to thread the needle through Evander.
In the 56th minute, the Cincinnati offense crossed their patterns from side to side, ending with Evander chipping a pass to a charging Orellano. The Argentinian danced around goalkeeper Luis Cardenas to deposit a goal in net, only to be flagged offside. However, after an extended VAR check, the refereeing crew determined Orellano to be onside. Luca’s third goal of the year made it 2-1.
The Brazilian midfielder almost finished the job himself in the 79th minute. Evander’s free kick on target was parried away with one arm by Cardenas. Overall, three of Evander’s four shots were on target for the evening.
A play similar to the second goal appeared to shut the door on Monterrey in the dying minutes. Off of a throw-in in the 90th minute, Evander tapped another short lob to Bucha, who fired a shot past Cardenas. Bucha’s sixth goal over all competitions this year made it 3-1.
Six minutes of extra time were not enough to maintain that score. German Berterame, once a transfer target last season for FC Cincinnati, snuck in for a glancing header in the 94th minute to narrow the deficit. However, the Orange & Blue managed to salt away the remaining time to capture their first Leagues Cup win of the season.
Evander spoke after the match about the team culture to hunt for trophies. “The mentality is different, you know? You’re here to win. In pregame tonight Nick (Hagglund) was the one saying, like, six games to the final, so we are already thinking about going to the finals. We want to get this trophy. It’s a very important competition.”
The competition will require two more matches over the next seven days, but Noonan was ready to focus on the task at hand.
“We try to take it one game at a time and not think about what Sunday looks like. Because we knew tonight was going to be very difficult. So I’m pleased with the position we’re in after one game, and we have to go and play in a similar fashion if we want to see ourselves into the third game where we know what result we need to get to advance.”
While Cincinnati’s victory gives them all three points, they currently stand outside of qualification. Their goal differential currently puts them in fifth in Leagues Cup MLS standings. Monterrey stands in 11th out of 18 teams on the Liga MX side.
FC Cincinnati and CF Monterrey share the pitch at TQL Stadium Sunday for the next phase of play. Cincinnati takes on FC Juarez in the earlier match, who defeated Charlotte 4-1 on Thursday. CF Monterrey completes the double-header against New York Red Bulls later on Sunday.
Leagues Cup, Match #1
FC Cincinnati vs. CF Monterrey
TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Attendance: 24, 860
Result: FC Cincinnati 3, CF Monterrey 2.
BOX SCORE
FC Cincinnati Starting XI (5-2-1-2):
Evan Louro (GK); DeAndre Yedlin (Alvas Powell 90+4′), Miles Robinson, Matt Miazga (c), Lukas Engel, Luca Orellano (Brad Smith 85′); Tah Brian Anunga, Pavel Bucha; Evander; Gerardo Valenzuela (Teenage Hadebe 76′), Sergio Santos (Kei Kamara 46′).
Bench: Alec Kann, Nathan Crockford, Gilberto Flores, Nick Hagglund, Corey Baird, Kenji Mboma Dem, Stiven Jimenez, Ender Echenique.
CF Monterrey Starting XI (3-4-2-1):
Luis Cardenas (GK); Victor Guzman, Sergio Ramos (c), John Medina (Lucas Ocampos 67′); Erick Aguirre, Oliver Torres, Fidel Ambriz (Jorge Rodriguez), Gerardo Arteaga; Jesus Corona (Joaquin Moxica 88′), Sergio Canales; German Berterame.
Bench: Santiago Mele, Santiago Perez, Ricard Chavez, Jose Alvarado, Hector Moreno, Luis Reyes, Luis Sanchez, Iker Fimbres.
Scoring summary:
CIN – Evander 31′ (Valenzuela)
CFM – Sergio Canales 45′ (Medina)
CIN – Luca Orellano 56′ (Evander)
CIN – Pavel Bucha 90′ (Evander)
CFM – German Berterame 90+4′ (Moxica)
Discipline:
YC – Gerardo Arteaga 33′ (CFM, foul)
YC – Matt Miazga 79′ (CIN, foul)
YC – Lucas Ocampo 87′ (CFM, poor sportsmanship)
Next up:
Leagues Cup: vs. FC Juarez, 5:30 pm, Sunday August 3rd; Apple TV+
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