Not a great sign to hear that Cincinnati had already matched its total 2025 goals-against by July of 2026. With the game-time temperature at 82°F — a textbook Midwest summer day — the only question was whether the match itself would bring more heat.
First Half
Opening Act
Columbus felt the pressure from the opening whistle, and it broke in Cincinnati’s favor in the 8th minute. Obi found Bucha with a beautiful ball, Bucha crossed into the box, Evander flicked it backward off his heel, and Denkey finished. 1-0, Cincinnati. The team seemed to pick up where they left off with Vancouver offensively, with great energy into the opposing third.
Act II
The usual post-goal letdown followed: a wrestling match in Cincinnati’s box left Gidi and Thiaré both on the ground with no call given. Columbus kept the pressure on but couldn’t finish — a shot in the 18th went wide, Jamal Thiaré tried again in a crowded box a minute later and missed again, and a corner-turned-long-throw produced a header chance for Mboma Dem off a Bucha cross. A pass from Evander found Bucha open in the box — echoing a similar look against Vancouver — but Zawadski read it well and forced a corner.
MLS announcer Taylor Twellman kept coming back to the same names: Shambo and Thiaré for Columbus, Nwobodo and Bucha for Cincinnati — the latter earning long, well-deserved praise for the energy he kept providing up the right channel. Denkey, meanwhile, made a couple of questionable choices of his own: a speculative shot from near midfield, then a forced, uncreative look in the box in the 39th.
Closing Act
Arfsten’s mishit shot in the 40th bounced awkwardly, and Celentano felt he had to push it over the bar — debatable whether he needed to touch it at all. Off the resulting corner, Jamal Thiaré scored to make it 1-1, with Cincinnati’s defense looking thoroughly dysfunctional on the set piece. They survived a second corner soon after. Evander then had a great look in the 44th, well saved by Patrick Schulte.
In the third of three stoppage minutes, Miazga appeared to take Arfsten down in the box with a slide tackle — Arfsten had eyes on Miazga rather than the ball, stepped in front of him, and left his feet. The play went to review, and the penalty stood. Gazdag stepped up and sent it confidently into the right side as Celentano dove left. Columbus 2-1. The score finally matched the run of play — Columbus had 62% possession through the half.
Second Half
Opening Act
After an Orissa Kelly halftime performance, Columbus made an early change, bringing on Gomes for Bangoura. A 58th-minute clearance attempt from Miazga cannoned off Dado and back to Celentano — a fitting snapshot of Cincinnati’s defensive struggles of late. At 64′, Barlow replaced Mboma Dem and Ramirez came on for Echenique. Miazga picked up his 5th yellow card of the season on a giveaway, meaning he’ll sit out the San Jose game.
Act II
Nwobodo worked a cross in the 66th that only produced a corner. Obi looked to be signaling for more movement from teammates in the box. Barlow tried a header off an Evander feed. Smith and Jabbari came on for Miazga and Denkey, sparking a burst of energy in the attacking third that ultimately came to nothing.
Evander sent a shot well over the bar in the 75th, followed by a strange decision to shoot from well beyond midfield at 78′, then another effort sailing over the goal at 79′. By this point both sides were showing real signs of fatigue — cramping, dead legs, the works.
Cincinnati couldn’t find a way to progress the ball, even sideways, as Columbus stepped up to meet every pass. A few flashes into the box came to nothing, including good crosses from Dado and Ramirez that found neither Barlow nor Jabbari in position. The energy was there in flashes; the connection wasn’t.
Closing
A scuffle broke out, words were exchanged, and Dado Valenzuela was shown a straight red — he’ll also miss the San Jose game. Farsi tried to charge at Dado after the final whistle. The match itself may not have delivered the intensity Hell Is Real usually brings, but the tunnel scene afterward will likely be the story that carries us to our next meeting on October 18th.
Final: Columbus 2-1.
FC Cincinnati will meet top Western Conference team, San Jose, next Saturday, August 1st at home. They fall to 7th in the crowded middle of the Eastern Conference.
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati at Columbus Crew
Date: July 25, 2026
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: ScottsMiracle-Gro Field | Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 20,307
Kickoff: 7:25 p.m. ET
Weather: 78 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT
CLB: 2-0-2
CIN: 1-0-1
CLB – Jamal Thiaré (Chambost) 42’, Dániel Gazdag – PK 45’+6
CIN – Kévin Denkey (Evander, Bucha) 9’
LINEUPS:
CIN: Roman Celentano, Ender Echenique (Bryan Ramirez 64’), Miles Robinson, Matt Miazga (Kyle Smith 70’), Samuel Gidi, Pavel Bucha, Obinna Nwobodo (Tah Brian Anunga 85’), Gerardo Valenzuela, Evander (C), Kenji Mboma Dem (Tom Barlow 64’), Kévin Denkey (Ayoub Jabbari 70’)
Substitutes not used: Evan Louro, Alvas Powell, Nick Hagglund, Teenage Hadebe
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
CLB: Patrick Schulte, Sean Zawadzki (C), Rudy Camacho, Steven Moreira (Malte Amundsen 85’), Mohamed Farsi, Dylan Chambost (Tarun Karumanchi 70’), Sekou Bangoura (André Gomes 46’), Taha Habroune, Max Arfsten, Dániel Gazdag (Chase Adams 85’), Jamal Thiaré (Hugo Picard 79’)
Substitutes not used: Nicholas Hagen, Cesar Ruvalcaba, Owen Presthus, Nariman Akhundzada
Interim Head Coach: Laurent Courtois
STATS SUMMARY: CLB/CIN
Shots: 13 / 12
Shots on Goal: 6 / 5
Saves: 4 / 4
Corner Kicks: 4 / 5
Fouls: 11 / 7
Offside: 1 / 2
Possession: 52.5 / 47.5
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Matt Miazga (Yellow Card) 66’
CIN – Gerardo Valenzuela (Red Card) 90’+4
OFFICIALS
Referee: Allen Chapman
Ast. Referees: Andrew Bigelow, Jeffrey Swarzel
Fourth Official: Chris Penso
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard
AVAR: Robert Schaap
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