2026 FC Cincinnati season

FC Cincinnati
2026 season
General managerChris Albright
Head coachPat Noonan
StadiumTQL Stadium

The 2026 FC Cincinnati season will be the 11th season for FC Cincinnati and their 8th in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of men's professional soccer in the United States. Their home stadium was TQL Stadium. It was the fourth season with the club for general manager Chris Albright and head coach Pat Noonan.[1]

Club

Roster

As of February 8, 2026[2]
No. Name Nationality Position Date of birth (age) Previous club
13Evan Louro United StatesGKJanuary 19, 1996United States Tampa Bay Rowdies
18Roman Celentano (GA) United StatesGKSeptember 14, 2000United States Indiana Hoosiers
2Alvas Powell JamaicaDFJuly 18, 1994United States Philadelphia Union
3Gilberto Flores ParaguayDFApril 1, 2003Paraguay Sportivo Trinidense
4Nick Hagglund United StatesDFSeptember 14, 1992Canada Toronto FC
12Miles Robinson United StatesDFMarch 14, 1997United States Atlanta United
15Teenage Hadebe (INTL) ZimbabweDFSeptember 17, 1995Turkey Konyaspor
21Matt Miazga United StatesDFJuly 19, 1995England Chelsea
24 Kyle Smith  United States DF January 9, 1992 United States Orlando City
– Félix Samson (HG, loan) Canada Canada DF October 26, 2007 Canada CF Montréal
5Obinna Nwobodo (INTL) NigeriaMFNovember 29, 1996Turkey Göztepe
11Samuel Gidi (INTL) GhanaMFApril 15, 2004Slovakia Žilina
20Pavel Bucha Czech RepublicMFMarch 11, 1998Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň
22Gerardo Valenzuela (HG) United StatesMFSeptember 28, 2004United States FC Cincinnati Academy
27Brian Anunga CameroonMFAugust 10, 1996United States Nashville SC
30 Ademar Chávez (HG) Mexico Mexico MF January 12, 2009 United States FC Cincinnati 2
37Stiven Jimenez (HG) United StatesMFJune 24, 2007United States FC Cincinnati Academy
66Ender Echenique VenezuelaFWApril 2, 2004Venezuela Caracas F.C.
9Kévin Denkey (DP) TogoFWNovember 30, 2000Belgium Cercle Brugge
10Evander (INTL, DP) BrazilFWJune 9, 1998United States Portland Timbers
14 Kristian Fletcher  United States FW August 6, 2005 United States D.C. United
16 Tom Barlow  United States FW July 8, 1995 United States Chicago Fire
17Kenji Mboma Dem FranceFWJanuary 22, 2002United States FC Cincinnati 2
19Ștefan Chirilă RomaniaFWJanuary 15, 2007United States FC Cincinnati 2
29 Bryan Ramírez Ecuador Ecuador FW August 6, 2000 Ecuador Liga de Quito
99 Ayoub Jabbari Morocco Morocco FW January 30, 2000 France Grenoble

Player movement

In

Date No. Pos Player Transferred/loaned from Fee/notes
January 1, 2026 99 FW Morocco Ayoub Jabbari France Grenoble Transfer[3]
January 5, 2026 30 MF Mexico Ademar Chávez United States FC Cincinnati 2 Homegrown player[4]
January 6, 2026 – DF Canada Félix Samson Canada CF Montréal Loan[5]
January 7, 2026 24 DF United States Kyle Smith United States Orlando City Free agent[6]
January 12, 2026 16 DF United States Tom Barlow United States Chicago Fire Free agent[7]
January 13, 2026 14 FW United States Kristian Fletcher United States D.C. United Trade[8]
January 15, 2026 29 FW Ecuador Bryan Ramírez Ecuador Liga de Quito Transfer[9]
January 22, 2026 – DF United States Brian Schaefer United States FC Cincinnati 2 Homegrown player[10]

Out

Date No. Pos Player Transferred to Fee/notes
December 17, 2025 31 FW Argentina Álvaro Barreal Brazil Santos Transfer[11]
January 11, 2026 23 MF Argentina Luca Orellano Mexico Monterrey Transfer[12]

Loans Out

No. Pos Player Loaned to Loan start date Loan end date Ref
25 GK Republic of Ireland Paul Walters Republic of Ireland Bohemians January 15, 2026 Through December 2026 [13]
– DF United States Brian Schaefer United States Tampa Bay Rowdies January 22, 2026 Through December 2026 [10]

2026 MLS SuperDraft picks

Round Pick # Player Pos College Notes
2 55 Libya Ayoub Lajhar DF UConn Huskies

Competitions

  Win   Draw   Loss

All matches are in Eastern Time

Preseason and Friendlies

Matches

  Win   Draw   Loss

January 23 Preseason FC Cincinnati 1–1 New England Revolution Bradenton, Florida
Denkey 51' Report
January 28 Preseason Houston Dynamo FC 1–1 FC Cincinnati Tampa, Florida
Report
Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
February 7 Preseason FC Cincinnati 1–0 Detroit City FC Clearwater, Florida
Report Stadium: Walter Campbell Sports Park
February 12 Preseason Orlando City SC 2–3 FC Cincinnati Clearwater, Florida
  • 49', 50', 53'
Report
Stadium: Walter Campbell Sports Park
July 10 Friendly Cincinnati United States 3–1 England Burnley Cincinnati, United States
19:30 EDT Denkey 15'
Jabbari 74'
Fletcher 90+4'
Report Laurent 30' Stadium: TQL Stadium
Referee: Chris Penson

Major League Soccer

League tables

Eastern Conference

MLS Eastern Conference table (2026)
Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
4 New England Revolution 21 10 7 4 33 26 +7 34 Qualification for round one
5 Charlotte FC 21 9 7 5 38 32 +6 32
6 FC Cincinnati 21 8 6 7 49 47 +2 31
7 New York City FC 21 7 8 6 35 30 +5 27
8 New York Red Bulls 21 7 9 5 31 43 −12 26 Qualification for the wild-card round
Updated to match(es) played on August 23, 2026. Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
Overall
Overall MLS standings table
Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
10 St. Louis City SC 21 9 6 6 30 27 +3 33
11 Charlotte FC 21 9 7 5 38 32 +6 32
12 FC Cincinnati 21 8 6 7 49 47 +2 31
13 Colorado Rapids 21 9 11 1 30 28 +2 28
14 Real Salt Lake 20 8 8 4 34 32 +2 28
Updated to match(es) played on August 23, 2026. Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)

Overview

Competition First match Last match Starting round Final position Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
Major League Soccer February 18, 2026 November 7, 2026 Matchday 1 TBD 15 5 5 5 36 37 −1 033.33
MLS Cup playoffs TBD TBD TBD TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
Leagues Cup August 4, 2026 TBD League Phase TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
CONCACAF Champions Cup February 18, 2026 March 19, 2026 Round One Round of 16 4 3 0 1 17 6 +11 075.00
Total 19 8 5 6 53 43 +10 042.11

Last updated: May 23, 2026
Source: Competitions

Results summary

OverallHomeAway
PldPtsWLTGFGAGDWLTGFGAGDWLTGFGAGD
21 31 8 6 7 49 47  +2 7 2 2 31 21  +10 1 4 5 18 26  −8

Last updated: August 22, 2026
Source: MLS Results
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Results by round

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334
StadiumHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAAAHHAAHH
ResultWLLLWLDDDWWDLDWWLWDWD
Points333366789111415151619222225262930
Position
(East)
25711910101011966897576656
Updated to match(es) played on August 22, 2026. Source: Match reports
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss;   = Conference leader;   = Playoffs berth;   = Wild card berth

Regular season

  Win   Draw   Loss   Void   Postponed

February 21 1 FC Cincinnati 2–0 Atlanta United FC Cincinnati, Ohio
4:45 p.m. EST
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 25,513
Referee: Rosendo Mendoza
February 28 2 Minnesota United FC 1–0 FC Cincinnati Saint Paul, Minnesota
4:30 p.m. EST
Report Stadium: Allianz Field
Attendance: 19,609
Referee: Marcos de Oliveira
March 8 3 FC Cincinnati 0–1 Toronto FC Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 25,513
Referee: Alexis Da Silva
March 15 4 New England Revolution 6–1 FC Cincinnati Foxborough, Massachusetts
2:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: Gillette Stadium
Attendance: 15,627
Referee: Lorenzo Hernandez
March 22 5 FC Cincinnati 4–3 CF Montréal Cincinnati, Ohio
1:00 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 25,513
Referee: Filip Dujic
April 4 6 New York Red Bulls 4–2 FC Cincinnati Harrison, New Jersey
7:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: Sports Illustrated Stadium
Attendance: 16,712
Referee: Victor Rivas
April 11 7 Toronto FC 1–1 FC Cincinnati Toronto, Ontario
1:00 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: BMO Field
Attendance: 15,770
Referee: Ricardo Fierro
April 18 8 FC Cincinnati 3–3 Chicago Fire FC Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 25,513
Referee: Malik Badawi
April 22 9 New York City FC 4–4 FC Cincinnati New York, New York
7:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: Yankee Stadium
Attendance: 17,847
Referee: Sergii Boiko
April 25 10 FC Cincinnati 2–0 New York Red Bulls Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 25,513
Referee: Fotis Bazakos
May 2 11 Chicago Fire FC 2–3 FC Cincinnati Chicago, Illinois
8:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 18,639
Referee: Joe Dickerson
May 9 12 Charlotte FC 2–2 FC Cincinnati Charlotte, North Carolina
7:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: Bank of America Stadium
Attendance: 26,252
Referee: Ismail Elfath
May 13 13 FC Cincinnati 3–5 Inter Miami CF Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 25,513
Referee: Alexis Da Silva
May 16 14 San Diego FC 3–3 FC Cincinnati San Diego, California
9:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: Snapdragon Stadium
Attendance: 24,984
Referee: Timothy Ford
May 23 15 FC Cincinnati 6–2 Orlando City SC Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 25,513
Referee: Rubiel Vazquez
July 22 16 FC Cincinnati 4–3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 25,513
Referee: Jon Freemon
July 25 17 Columbus Crew 2–1 FC Cincinnati Columbus, Ohio
7:00 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: ScottsMiracle-Gro Field
Attendance: 20,307
Referee: Allen Chapman
August 1 18 FC Cincinnati 4–2 San Jose Earthquakes Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 25,513
Referee: Victor Rivas
August 15 19 Orlando City SC 1–1 FC Cincinnati Orlando, Florida
7:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: Inter.co Stadium
Attendance: 19,015
Referee: Tori Penso
August 19 20 FC Cincinnati 2–1 New York City FC Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 23,317
Referee: Fotis Bazakos
August 22 21 FC Cincinnati 1–1 Seattle Sounders FC Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 25,513
Referee: Drew Fischer
August 29 22 Nashville SC v FC Cincinnati Nashville, Tennessee
8:30 p.m. EDT Report Stadium: Geodis Park
September 5 23 FC Cincinnati v D.C. United Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. EDT Report Stadium: TQL Stadium
September 9 24 Philadelphia Union v FC Cincinnati Chester, Pennsylvania
7:30 p.m. EDT Report Stadium: Subaru Park
September 12 25 FC Cincinnati v Charlotte FC Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. EDT Report Stadium: TQL Stadium
September 19 26 Houston Dynamo FC v FC Cincinnati Houston, Texas
8:30 p.m. EDT Report Stadium: Shell Energy Stadium
September 26 27 CF Montréal v FC Cincinnati Montreal, Quebec
7:30 p.m. EDT Report Stadium: Saputo Stadium
October 10 28 Atlanta United FC v FC Cincinnati Atlanta, Georgia
7:30 p.m. EDT Report Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
October 14 29 FC Cincinnati v New England Revolution Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. EDT Report Stadium: TQL Stadium
October 18 30 FC Cincinnati v Columbus Crew Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00 p.m. EDT Report Stadium: TQL Stadium
October 24 31 D.C. United v FC Cincinnati Washington, D.C.
7:30 p.m. EDT Report Stadium: Audi Field
October 28 32 Inter Miami CF v FC Cincinnati Miami, Florida
7:30 p.m. EDT Report Stadium: Nu Stadium
October 31 33 FC Cincinnati v Philadelphia Union Cincinnati, Ohio
2:00 p.m. EDT Report Stadium: TQL Stadium
November 7 34 FC Cincinnati v Nashville SC Cincinnati, Ohio
4:00 p.m. EST Report Stadium: TQL Stadium

U.S. Open Cup

Leagues Cup

August 4 1 FC Cincinnati United States 3–1 Mexico Pachuca Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 23,687
Referee: Oshane Nation
August 7 2 FC Cincinnati United States 2–0 Mexico UNAM Cincinnati, Ohio
8:00 p.m. EDT
Report Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 20,767
Referee: Oliver Vergara
August 11 3 FC Cincinnati United States 1–2 Mexico Atlas Cincinnati, Ohio
8:00 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 15,765
Referee: Fernando Gomez

CONCACAF Champions Cup

Round One

February 18 First leg O&M Dominican Republic 0–4 United States FC Cincinnati Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
8:00 p.m. EST
  • Trincado Yellow card 59'
  • Bello Yellow card 80'
Report
Stadium: Estadio Cibao FC
Attendance: 252
Referee: Steffon Dewar (Jamaica)
February 25 Second leg FC Cincinnati United States 9–0
(13–0 agg.)
Dominican Republic O&M Cincinnati, Ohio
7:00 p.m. EST
Report
  • Abreu Yellow card 83'
  • Ramírez Red card 82'
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 11,114
Referee: Katia Itzel García (Mexico)
Note: FC Cincinnati won 13–0 on aggregate.

Round of 16

March 12 First leg FC Cincinnati United States 3–0 Mexico UANL Cincinnati, Ohio
8:00 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 9,257
Referee: Steven Madrigal (Costa Rica)
March 19 Second leg UANL Mexico 5–1
(5–4 agg.)
United States FC Cincinnati San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico
9:00 p.m. EDT
Report
Stadium: Estadio Universitario
Referee: Mario Escobar (Guatemala)
Note: UANL won 5–4 on aggregate.

References

  1. ↑ "Club". FC Cincinnati. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Roster". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  3. ↑ "FC Cincinnati sign Ayoub Jabbari from French club". FC Cincinnati. December 12, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  4. ↑ "FC Cincinnati sign homegrown midfielder Ademar Chávez". FC Cincinnati. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Félix Samson loaned to FC Cincinnati". CF Montréal. January 6, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  6. ↑ "FC Cincinnati sign defender Kyle Smith". Major League Soccer. January 7, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  7. ↑ "FC Cincinnati sign forward Tom Barlow". FC Cincinnati. January 12, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  8. ↑ "FC Cincinnati sign Kristian Fletcher". FC Cincinnati. January 13, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  9. ↑ "FC Cincinnati acquire Bryan Ramirez from LDU Quito". FC Cincinnati. January 15, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "FC Cincinnati loan 2024 MLS SuperDraft selection Brian Schaefer to Tampa Bay Rowdies". FC Cincinnati. January 22, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  11. ↑ "FC Cincinnati transfer Álvaro Barreal to Santos FC". FC Cincinnati. December 17, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  12. ↑ "FC Cincinnati transfer Luca Orellano to CF Monterrey". FC Cincinnati. January 11, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  13. ↑ "FC Cincinnati loan goalkeeper Paul Walters to Irish side Bohemian FC". FC Cincinnati. January 15, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2026.