With a tide of momentum and good feelings persisting from Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Atlanta, the next step in the road to the playoffs rose before FC Cincinnati on Wednesday evening as they hosted New England Revolution at TQL Stadium.
Despite the earlier matchup with the Revs being one of the lowlights of the season, there was a clean mental slate going into the match. With new additions since, and that match’s rotation in consideration, Pat Noonan discounted that result as factoring into preparation for this one, “They (new additions) might not even know what that game looks like or looked like, so, it won’t be part of our preparation.”
Wednesday’s match not only held implications for FC Cincinnati’s playoff hopes, but for the visitors as well. A victory would all but punch the Revs’ ticket. Needless to say, one would be hard-pressed to find a midweek match with higher stakes.
A number of changes were made from Saturday’s starting XI. With Miles Robinson now out for the next few weeks with a leg injury, newcomer Julian Malatini made his first start on the backline for FCC. Out wide, Ender Echenique made a return to the starting lineup, partnered by Tyrell Malacia on the opposite side. In the midfield Pavel Bucha finally got a break, with Dado Valenzuela sliding into the #10 slot as Evander continues to return to starting fitness. No Evander nor Miles Robinson meant that Obinna Nwobodo started with the captain’s armband for the third time for the Orange and Blue in MLS play.
First Half:
There was not much separation between the opening kick and FC Cincinnati sitting their offensive tone for the match. Just three minutes in, Echenique burned up the far wing, providing an accurate service to a trailing Malacia that found its way into Matt Turner’s gloves. Despite the lack of a score from the chance, a feeling of hope in the offensive odds for the evening came forth.
That intensity would persist over the opening quarter hour and would hit a peak in the 13th minute. After winning a throw-in just in front of the home bench, Malacia lofted an ambitious throw into a vacant area that was summarily filled by a streaking Tom Barlow. The MLS veteran took a first-time attempt at goal, converting past Turner. His opening effort marks the third consecutive MLS match with a goal for Barlow, a career high.
Unfortunately, New England did not dim in the face of going down early. Just eight minutes later the visitors would equalize after Peyton Miller took advantage of a wide-open crossing lane to find forward Dor Turgeman. It was the eighth score of the campaign for the Israeli striker, and the product of a new-found vigor found from the early deficit.
The following 20 minutes saw the visitors further establish their foothold. The momentum never truly felt contested, nor were there any clear chances for FCC to wrest it back. Eventually this flow would result in a lead-taking score for the Revs.
Once again Miller played a critical role, as his through ball set up the clearance that surrendered the critical corner. In the 43rd minute, captain Carles Gil provided the service and defender Josh Wynder easily beat Barlow, heading past Evan Louro for the lead.
The first half came to a close shortly after, perhaps mercifully.
Second Half:
A trio of substitutions kicked off the second half, with Barlow, Malatini, and Nwobodo all exiting. In their places came Kenji Mboma-Dem, Pavel Bucha, and Sami Gidi.
However, these changes did little to curb the fervor built by the visitors in the first half. Just six minutes on from the whistle Miller and Turgeman once again connected. The goal was originally flagged for offsides, only to be overturned by VAR. The entire build-up looked particularly easy and a nifty move from Turgeman put the bow on it.
Despite the two-goal deficit, FCC continued clinging to life. A free-kick effort that clanged off the right post from Kevin Denkey at the hour mark imbued renewed life into the near sell-out crowd.
That moment marked a shift, and a sustained sequence in the 67th minute would be capped by a connection between Malacia and Denkey. The cross was sublime, but the positioning of FCC’s star striker truly breathed life into the play.
After the match, Malacia gave credit where it was due. “I know he’s going to be there in front of the goal, so I know sometimes when I get past my player, I can just whip it in front of the goal and Kevin will be there.”
Immediately following the score, reinforcement for the turning tide arrived in the form of Evander. Making his first appearance since Montreal in late September, the Brazilian magician’s presence sent TQL into a frenzy.
Alas, the evening was destined to end as a tale of “too little, too late”.
Despite a number of half chances, and a full-frontal push, an equalizer could not be found in the dying moments.
Postgame:
At night’s end, the Orange and Blue sit in eighth place in the East. While they are tied with Red Bull New York on points, FC Cincinnati hold the slight advantage where goal differential is concerned.
With the remaining span of the season steadily dwindling, chances to make any concrete progress in the table continues to ebb. A quick turnaround to Sunday, when FCC will welcome arch-rivals Columbus to TQL Stadium, will provide a hurdle in itself. Pat Noonan highlighted the importance of this turnaround following Wednesday’s result, “So, the mindset is [to] be disappointed, but then tomorrow, we have to start our preparation for Columbus.”
Stat Facts:
- Wednesday’s two goals push the season tally in all comps to 83, surpassing the previous mark of 81 (2018).
- The pair of scores also push the MLS tally to 60 on the season, four shy of the 2022 team-record mark of 64.
- Denkey’s 67th-minute score pulls him within one of tying both the MLS scoring club record and all-competitions scoring club record. The league mark held jointly between Brenner, Brandon Vazquez, and Evander at 18. The all-competitions mark held solely by Evander at 22.
Quick Recap:
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati vs New England Revolution
Date: October 14, 2026
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: TQL Stadium | Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 24,060
Kickoff: 7:40 p.m. ET
Weather: 72 degrees, cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT
CIN: 1-1-2
NE: 2-1-3
CIN – Tom Barlow (Malacia) 13’, Kévin Denkey (Malacia, Gidi) 67’
NE – Dor Turgeman (Miller, Wynder) 21’, Josh Wynder (Gil) 43’, Dor Turgeman (Miller, Raines) 51’
LINEUPS
CIN: Evan Louro, Tyrell Malacia (Evander 68’), Teenage Hadebe, Julián Malatini (Samuel Gidi 46’), Kyle Smith (Ayoub Jabbari 81’), Ender Echenique, Obinna Nwobodo (C) (Pavel Bucha 46’), Tah Brian Anunga, Gerardo Valenzuela, Tom Barlow (Kenji Mboma Dem 46’), Kévin Denkey
Substitutes not used: Roman Celentano, Nick Hagglund, Bryan Ramirez, David Douděra
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
NE: Matt Turner, Will Sands, Ethan Kohler, Josh Wynder, Ilay Feingold (Jackson Yueill 74’), Matthew Polster, Brooklyn Raines, Carles Gil (C), Dániel Gazdag (Luca Langioni 69’), Peyton Miller (Tanner Beason 89’), Dor Turgeman (Cody Baker 89’)
Substitutes not used: Donovan Parisian, Diego Fagúndez, Griffin Yow, Wilson Harris, Judah Siqueira
Head Coach: Marko Mitrović
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/NE
Shots: 23 / 10
Shots on Goal: 10 / 5
Saves: 2 / 8
Corner Kicks: 12 / 5
Fouls: 8 / 7
Offside: 2 / 4
Possession: 58.9 / 41.1
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
NE – Ilay Feingold (Yellow Card) 5’
CIN – Tyrell Malacia (Yellow Card) 31’
CIN – Tom Barlow (Yellow Card) 45’
CIN – Evander (Yellow Card) 84’
Next Match:
MLS Regular Season: vs. Columbus Crew, 5:00 PM, Sunday October 18th, AppleTV+
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