Ayoub Jabbari (right) of FC Cincinnati plays the ball as FC Cincinnati defeated Brooklyn FC 2-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 10, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida
FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan watches the action as FC Cincinnati defeated Brooklyn FC 2-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 10, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida
Alvas Powell (left) plays the ball as FC Cincinnati defeated Brooklyn FC 2-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 10, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida
FC Cincinnati's Brian Anunga as FC Cincinnati defeated Detroit City 1-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 7, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida.
Evander plays the ball for FC Cincinnati as FC Cincinnati defeated Detroit City 1-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 7, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida.
FC Cincinnati's Bryan Ramirez plays the ball as FC Cincinnati defeated Detroit City 1-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 7, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida.
FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan as FC Cincinnati defeated Detroit City 1-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 7, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida.
Miles Robinson surveys the field as FC Cincinnati drew 1-1 with Houston Dynamo in a preseason friendly Jan. 28, 2026 in Tampa, Florida.
Obinna Nwobodo passes the ball as FC Cincinnati drew 1-1 with Houston Dynamo in a preseason friendly Jan. 28, 2026 in Tampa, Florida.
Nick Hagglund surveys the field as FC Cincinnati drew 1-1 with Houston Dynamo in a preseason friendly Jan. 28, 2026 in Tampa, Florida.
Pavel Bucha passes the ball as FC Cincinnati drew 1-1 with Houston Dynamo in a preseason friendly Jan. 28, 2026 in Tampa, Florida.
Ayoub Jabbari plays the ball during FC Cincinnati's 2026 preseason opener against the New England Revolution Jan. 23, 2026 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Gilberto Flores plays the ball during FC Cincinnati's 2026 preseason opener against the New England Revolution Jan. 23, 2026 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Pavel Bucha plays the ball during FC Cincinnati's 2026 preseason opener against the New England Revolution Jan. 23, 2026 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 2026
FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 2026
FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 2026
FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 2026
FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 2026
FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 2026
Pavel Bucha as FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 2026
Matt Miazga as FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 2026
Nick Hagglund as FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 2026
Nick Hagglund as FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 2026
FC Cincinnati's Evander plays the ball as FC Cincinnati fell 3-2 to Orlando City SC in a preseason friendly Feb. 11, 2026 in Tampa, Florida
FC Cincinnati's Kyle Smith (24) surveys the defense as FC Cincinnati fell 3-2 to Orlando City SC in a preseason friendly Feb. 11, 2026 in Tampa, Florida
FC Cincinnati's Pavel Bucha (20) surveys the defense as FC Cincinnati fell 3-2 to Orlando City SC in a preseason friendly Feb. 11, 2026 in Tampa, Florida
FC Cincinnati forward Tom Barlow in an interview as FC Cincinnati fell 3-2 to Orlando City SC in a preseason friendly Feb. 11, 2026 in Tampa, Florida
FC Cincinnati's Kevin Denkey (9) plays the ball to Tom Barlow (16) as FC Cincinnati fell 3-2 to Orlando City SC in a preseason friendly Feb. 11, 2026 in Tampa, Florida1 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Ayoub Jabbari (right) of FC Cincinnati plays the ball as FC Cincinnati defeated Brooklyn FC 2-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 10, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida1 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Ayoub Jabbari (right) of FC Cincinnati plays the ball as FC Cincinnati defeated Brooklyn FC 2-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 10, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida2 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan watches the action as FC Cincinnati defeated Brooklyn FC 2-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 10, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida3 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Alvas Powell (left) plays the ball as FC Cincinnati defeated Brooklyn FC 2-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 10, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida4 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati's Brian Anunga as FC Cincinnati defeated Detroit City 1-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 7, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida.5 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Evander plays the ball for FC Cincinnati as FC Cincinnati defeated Detroit City 1-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 7, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida.6 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati's Bryan Ramirez plays the ball as FC Cincinnati defeated Detroit City 1-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 7, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida.7 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan as FC Cincinnati defeated Detroit City 1-0 in a preseason friendly Feb. 7, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida.8 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Miles Robinson surveys the field as FC Cincinnati drew 1-1 with Houston Dynamo in a preseason friendly Jan. 28, 2026 in Tampa, Florida.9 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Obinna Nwobodo passes the ball as FC Cincinnati drew 1-1 with Houston Dynamo in a preseason friendly Jan. 28, 2026 in Tampa, Florida.10 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Nick Hagglund surveys the field as FC Cincinnati drew 1-1 with Houston Dynamo in a preseason friendly Jan. 28, 2026 in Tampa, Florida.11 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Pavel Bucha passes the ball as FC Cincinnati drew 1-1 with Houston Dynamo in a preseason friendly Jan. 28, 2026 in Tampa, Florida.12 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Ayoub Jabbari plays the ball during FC Cincinnati's 2026 preseason opener against the New England Revolution Jan. 23, 2026 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.13 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Gilberto Flores plays the ball during FC Cincinnati's 2026 preseason opener against the New England Revolution Jan. 23, 2026 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.14 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Pavel Bucha plays the ball during FC Cincinnati's 2026 preseason opener against the New England Revolution Jan. 23, 2026 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.15 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 202616 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 202617 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 202618 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 202619 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 202620 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 202621 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Pavel Bucha as FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 202622 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Matt Miazga as FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 202623 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Nick Hagglund as FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 202624 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
Nick Hagglund as FC Cincinnati unveiled new kits for the 2026 season Feb. 11, 202625 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati's Evander plays the ball as FC Cincinnati fell 3-2 to Orlando City SC in a preseason friendly Feb. 11, 2026 in Tampa, Florida26 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati's Kyle Smith (24) surveys the defense as FC Cincinnati fell 3-2 to Orlando City SC in a preseason friendly Feb. 11, 2026 in Tampa, Florida27 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati's Pavel Bucha (20) surveys the defense as FC Cincinnati fell 3-2 to Orlando City SC in a preseason friendly Feb. 11, 2026 in Tampa, Florida28 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati forward Tom Barlow in an interview as FC Cincinnati fell 3-2 to Orlando City SC in a preseason friendly Feb. 11, 2026 in Tampa, Florida29 / 29Photos of FC Cincinnati's preseason games in Florida
FC Cincinnati's Kevin Denkey (9) plays the ball to Tom Barlow (16) as FC Cincinnati fell 3-2 to Orlando City SC in a preseason friendly Feb. 11, 2026 in Tampa, FloridaEven with a rotated lineup that included some younger potential stars, FC Cincinnati gave visiting Universidad Organización y Método FC no room for a miracle comeback in their first-round series in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Cincinnati blitzed the Dominican Republic side with four goals in the first half and routed O&M 9-0 Feb. 25 at TQL Stadium, setting a club record for goals in a game. They won the two-game aggregate series 13-0 after claiming a 4-0 win in the Dominican last week. Four young players from either the club academy or the second team scored their first goals for the first team.
Kenji Mboma Dem (35), shown last year, scored his first two goals for FC Cincinnati Feb. 25.“I was pleased with the professional approach,” said head coach Pat Noonan. “They didn’t overcomplicate things, played in a simple way. It was nice to see the young guys get some minutes and get their first goals. I’m pleased to see that. It was a collective, strong effort.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCincinnati will play Tigres UANL in the round of 16. The official schedule will be released later, but those games are likely to be March 12 and 19.
How FC Cincinnati scored its nine goals
Kenji Mboma Dem put Cincinnati on the board, scoring in the 18th minute from close range off a pass by Obi Nwobodo. Mboma Dem got himself wide open in the left side of the 18 and collected a pass from Nwobodo. Mboma Dem, who scored seven goals last year for FC Cincinnati’s second team, opened his goal-scoring account for the first team.
Mboma Dem, 24, was selected by FC Cincinnati in MLS SuperDraft 2024 out of the University of Dayton. He made his first team debut against FC Motagua in the opening round of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGerardo Valenzuela scored in the 26th minute to make it 2-0. He tapped in a pass from Nwobodo, redirecting the ball into the open net. Tom Barlow set up the play, working around an opponent on the endline, and passing back to Nwobodo, who grounded it towards the net, where “Dado” set up to redirect it.
Nwobodo picked up his second assist of the night. He added another in the second half, giving him five in the tourney and surpassing LAFC star Son Heung-Min (3 assists) for the most assists in the tournament so far this season. He has also become FC Cincinnati's all-time leader in Champions Cup assists.
Noonan said in postgame that a priority in the postseason was moving him up in the field of play and getting him more involved in the attack.
Tom Barlow, left, scored for FC Cincinnati Feb. 25 vs. O&M FC.Cincy took a 3-0 lead in the 33rd minute when La Salle grad Kyle Smith got a header on a corner kick from Mboma Dem. The ball deflected off Gabriel Castillo from O&M and into the net, and was ruled an own-goal.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBarlow followed moments later, scoring in open space in transition to score his second goal of the tournament.
Ademar Chavez, who turned 17 in January, came on to start the second half for Cincinnati and got his first goal for the first team in the opening minutes. He became the youngest goal scorer in club history, beating Andres Davila’s 2025 record of 18 years, 187 days.
Dem scored his second goal of the game to make it 6-0. Stefan Chirila and Stiven Jimenez scored late in the game for their first career goals for the first team, and Powell scored late in the game.
What lineup did FC Cincinnati use against O&M FC?
The club used a heavily rotated lineup, giving several younger players a chance in the TQL Stadium spotlight.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThey also used a “sword” formation to start, putting three central/defensive midfielders in the lineup and one striker, a combination they experimented with in the preseason.
Tom Barlow was the striker and Gerardo Valenzuela in the 10 spot in place of Evander.
Stiven Jimenez, Tah Brian Anunga and Obinna Nwobodo played central midfield. Kenji Mboma Dem and Alvas Powell played the wingbacks.
Andrei Chirila, Gilberto Flores and Kyle Smith played center back, with Flores in the middle. Evan Louro started in goal.
Alvas Powell, making his 145th appearance in all competitions for FC Cincinnati, captained the Orange and Blue for the first time in his career. Powell is the 16th player in FC Cincinnati’s MLS era (2019-present) to captain the club. Noonan said he earned the armband with his constant leadership in the locker room.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAyoub Lajhar, a defender and Cincinnati’s 2025 SuperDraft pick from UConn, came on late in the second half and assisted the final two goals.
What’s next for FC Cincinnati?
Cincinnati will play its second game of the Major League Soccer season against Minnesota United on the road. Kickoff is 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. Minnesota, which finished fourth in the Western Conference last year, drew with Austin FC 2-2 in last week’s season opener. Kelvin Yeboah scored in second-half stoppage time to earn the draw for Minnesota.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati advances past O&M FC in Concacaf Champions Cup
AdvertisementAdvertisement