The debate covering Saturday’s draw against Orlando may rage on, but the compressed schedule gives the Orange & Blue little time to reflect. The next challenges will come in waves at TQL Stadium.
FC Cincinnati (7-6-6, 27 pts.) hosts two home matches this week, the first being a Wednesday tilt against New York City FC (7-5-7, 26 pts.) Cincinnati need to figure out how to retain leads. They lost an early lead just after halftime against Orlando City on Saturday, ending with a 1-1 draw.
NYCFC blew their own lead against Philadelphia on Sunday and were unable to register a point, losing 3-2 at home. The result keeps New York City a point behind Cincinnati in the standings, but both teams stand in the lower half of the playoff window. A win on Wednesday would be a six-point flex during an essential part of the schedule.
Cincinnati is looking for their first win against the Pigeons since the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. However, the 2026 away leg between the two teams produced a barnburner at Yankee Stadium in April. The Orange & Blue trailed by two goals twice, despite Kevin Denkey’s brace. However, FCC shared the points with a late penalty kick by Evander.
NEW YORK CITY FC
While NYCFC are in a good position to make a run for a playoff home-pitch advantage, the wins and losses have come in distinct windows. New York City won three of their first four, only to then go on a seven-match winless streak. While they then lost only one of the next seven, their Leagues Cup exit and loss to the Union have plunged them into a three-match losing streak.
NYCFC’s two newest arrivals, Cote d’Ivoire winger Bénie Traoré and Brazilian striker Luighi, both scored penalty kicks in the first half against Philadelphia. However, conservative play in the second half led to three unanswered goals, as Philadelphia took eleven of the final 12 shots to snatch the win away from NYCFC.
The missing link in Saturday’s loss may have been Nico Fernandez. The Argentine striker has scored in four straight MLS matches, but he missed Saturday’s match due to yellow-card accumulation. He is currently second in MLS play with 13 goals, one behind FC Dallas striker Petar Musa.
While NYCFC have stayed afloat with just enough offense in front of a solid defense, the injuries may be catching up with them. The Pigeons are an incapacitated octopus, as eight players sat on Saturday with leg injuries. NYCFC lost midfielder Maxi Moralez to a torn ACL injury in May, one of the bigger blows on the injured list.
THE ORANGE AND BLUE
FC Cincinnati are looking to achieve a semblance of momentum on the road. However, the team has done better at TQL Stadium in recent memory. The Orange & Blue have lost only twice in nine MLS home matches this season. Their last MLS home match was an impressive 4-2 win over San Jose.
However, the home defense needs to help the home offense. While FCC have scored more than three goals a match at TQL, they have also let in 19 goals in nine home matches, more than two per game, the worst home statistic in MLS.
The uptick in offense can be felt outside of the typical Evander-Denkey duo. Pavel Bucha is enjoying his best season in offensive output for Cincinnati, scoring the lone goal on Saturday. His seven goals and four assists across all competitions are already a personal best with FCC. It is also possible that Bucha, Tom Barlow, and Kenji Mboma Dem all reach ten regular season goals. That would be the first time an MLS team ever had five 10-goal scorers in one season.
The defense still has work to do, but Saturday was a good start in Orlando. The 1-1 draw was the first time in six road attempts that FCC’s defense held the opponent under two goals. Counting the three Leagues Cup matches, the defense has allowed only four goals in the last four matches, a small achievement to build upon.
FC Cincinnati hope to restart a personal home winning streak against NYCFC. In the 2023 and 2024 seasons, FCC won five out of six home matches against NYCFC across all competitions. However, the sixth was the loss to NYCFC in penalties that knocked the Orange & Blue out of the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs. Since then, FCC lost both times to NYCFC in 2025 and drew 4-4 at Yankee Stadium earlier this season.
Predicted lineup:
The return of Dado Valenzuela (red card suspension) to the lineup may make the Starting XI decision a little harder for Pat Noonan. However, this may also be a blessing, as players will need rest and rotation during another busy week. While Samuel Gidi and Obi Nwobodo exited early against Orlando, neither appear to be injured or requiring long-term rest.
That being said, it may be time to stir the lineup. Gidi likely needs some rest, so perhaps Andrei Chirila starts against NYCFC again. The center back scored his first official MLS goal against NYCFC earlier this season.
Match Info
Where: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio.
When: Wednesday, August 19th at 7:30 p.m.
Watch: Apple+
Listen: ESPN 1530 iHeart Radio w/ Tommy Gelehrter and Kevin McCloskey
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