While the world has their eyeballs focused squarely on the best national teams fending for global supremacy, our local band has been busy strategizing for the long run. Friday’s non-competitive matchup gives the Orange & Blue a chance to examine all of the instruments before the orchestra plays.
FC Cincinnati returns to TQL Stadium to prepare for resumed MLS play with an off-schedule friendly against EFL Championship side Burnley FC on Friday night. The team still has almost a full two weeks before competition resumes against Vancouver Whitecaps. However, head coach Pat Noonan and general manager Chris Albright still have decisions to make for the second half of the 2026 season.
The extended break from the 2026 FIFA World Cup has given the Orange & Blue pause and a chance to reanalyze the previous 15 matches. “I would say it was more analyzing to see the big areas where we underperformed or where the data showed that it caused a lot of trouble,” Noonan addressed on Wednesday before the press. “The eye test typically tells you a lot, but sometimes you can dig a little bit and see the why and just how we piece things together and move things around to not have to change everything completely but address it and know how to improve it.”
Noonan stressed defensive set-pieces and turnovers as focus points for the future. However, he also views Friday’s friendly as more analysis of practice. “We want to see a lot of ideas over this first couple of weeks of training that we’ve been working on to see if the guys have improved in those areas and relationships. A lot of it is engagement and, in different phases of play, understanding how we connect the group and how we can be more efficient and more active with our movements on and off the ball. So hopefully we see that.”
FC Cincinnati (5-5-5, 20 pts.) gets a good opportunity to compare their current roster and match fitness against a Burnley squad that is retooling for another run at the English Premier League. The recently relegated squad from Lancashire County in England has bounced between the top two tiers of English football over the past few years and hope that Friday’s matchup–their first of three in the United States–prepare them for another run.
Those that are expecting to follow the match on televised outlets or radio broadcasts will be disappointed to hear that this will be a live event only. Tickets are still available through the FC Cincinnati ticket office.
BURNLEY FC
While the “Claret & Blue” have been a professional staple between the top EPL and EFL divisions for over 100 years, much of their honors have come from regional cups and secondary-tier success. Burnley last raised a cup in 2022-23 when they won the EFL Championship title, but further success has evaded them. The squad’s last two promotions to the EPL have resulted in immediate relegation the next season.
Starting with the club’s initial season in the English “Football League” in 1888, Burnley has been mostly a mainstay in professional football, never diving into non-League competition. However, the club did see the need to alter strategy from a locally operated club to an internationally owned one in 2020. The new strategy brought in former NFL defensive end J.J. Watt and his wife, former USWNT international Kealia Watt, as minority investors in 2023. It’s quite likely the Watts will be on the sidelines to watch their team in action.
The 2025-26 Burnley season was one that started with faint promise, as they scraped three wins and one draw in their first nine matches. However, the winless streak mounted in midseason, with the Clarets unable to claim victory in their next 16 matches. In both the FA Cup and EFL Cup competitions, Burnley crashed at home to third-tier sides Mansfield Town and Cardiff City, both 2-1 losses at Turf Moor. The season eventually wrapped up with a draw against last-place Wolverhampton, dooming Burnley to 19th place and relegation to the EFL Championship league.
Surprisingly, the Burnley roster has not been fully dismantled over the summer, only allowing goalkeeper Martin Dubravka to transfer to Tottenham and transferring winger Jaidon Anthony to Brentford. Captain midfielder Josh Cullen and vice-captain defenseman Kyle Walker have remained on the squad to bolster roster experience. Forward Zian Flemming led the team in scoring in his first full season at Burnley, potting 11 goals in 29 matches, but Burnley could be missing offensive firepower without other transfers in the pipeline–Anthony provided eight goals and four assists during his brief stint.
Burnley will likely be without Cullen in this tour of the Americas, as the midfielder recovers from a cruciate ligament tear halfway through the past season.
Burnley has made one major splash by permanently transferring Florentino from Benfica. The Portuguese defensive midfielder played last season at Burnley on loan from the Liga Portugal giants. The Clarets hope a full season with Florentino anchoring the midfield will prevent lapses in defense–Burnley gave up the most goals in the Premier League last season (75)
First-team coach Mike Jackson has been given the “interim” tag for the second time with Burnley after head coach Scott Parker’s departure. There is talk that Nicky Hayen, head coach for KRC Genk in Belgium, could soon be Parker’s permanent replacement for the 2026-27 season.
The Clarets will roam the country for their remaining two matches in the U.S., challenging Columbus Crew on Sunday, June 12th and Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, July 15th.
THE ORANGE AND BLUE
FC Cincinnati gets to test their rested squad with a few pieces unavailable and others perhaps getting their first minutes with the squad in some time. This match will be the first since Cincinnati’s 6-2 steamrolling over Orlando City SC in May.
It will also be the first since the announcement that Evander had been selected to his third-straight MLS All-Star Game. The Brazilian midfielder leads the team with 15 combined goals and assists (nine goals, six assists).
The squad also welcomes back forward Kevin Denkey after his work for the Togo national team, scoring two goals in friendlies against Central African Republic and Benin in June. The striker leads the team with 13 goals across all competitions in 2026.
Center back Miles Robinson, fresh off his stint with the U.S. Men’s National Team in the World Cup, will get some time to recover, according to Noonan. “He’ll get a week to go see family and decompress for a bit, then around our (CD) Olympia game, he’ll return and then be available for our prep for Vancouver.”
Wingback Bryan Ramirez will be unavailable for the friendly due to a knock picked up in practice. He is expected to see a specialist to guarantee a clean bill of health. Ramirez, along with center back Gilberto Flores, was also in the process of getting his green card, freeing up more international roster spots for the team.
Noonan did give good news regarding center back Teenage Hadebe and winger Kristian Fletcher. Hadebe has been back in full practice with the squad after rehabbing a reported hamstring injury from April’s 4-4 draw at NYCFC.
Fletcher has been working himself back to full health after an ACL tear back in June 2025 with D.C. United. The forward played 45 minutes with FC Cincinnati 2 last month against New England Revolution II for his first professional minutes in a year. Noonan did point out that Fletcher was expected to play three matches with the second team, but that groin tightness derailed the plan. However, Noonan did emphasize that Fletcher is sharp and ready to play.
FC Cincinnati is expected to use much of the roster on Friday’s friendly. The team is also planning to play Honduras squad CD Olimpia in a closed-door friendly on Wednesday, July 15th, before resuming MLS activities against Vancouver Whitecaps on July 22nd.
Match Info
Where: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
When: Friday, July 10th at 7:00 p.m.
Watch: N/A
Listen: N/A
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