FC Cincinnati won a match it had absolutely no business winning last weekend in Chicago. Was it a one-off or a sign of shifting times? We’ll find out as the club’s manic month of May continues—more on that below—but for now the 3-2 victory over the Chicago Fire while playing down a man for nearly all of the second half qualifies as taking the W and running, stats be damned.
The final numbers weren’t pretty. Chicago logged 32 shots, 10 shots on target, and 3.5 expected goals, with FCC notching 11, 4, and 1.9 in the same categories. The back line shuffling continued, with midfielder Samuel Gidi, 17-year-old Andrei Chirilia, and wingback/fullback Kyle Smith starting once again. A bad-luck red chard—as opposed to a bad temper red or brain fart red—supplied sufficient grace and context for the shaky defensive showing.
Stars can dig a team out of holes, too. Roman Celentano (career-best eight saves) and Evander (first hat trick with Cincinnati) stepped up to deliver the mail in the Windy City. After a downtrodden beginning to 2026, Evander has been up to his usual tricks of late, scoring five times over the last four games. Just minutes after Celentano denied Hugo Cuypers’ penalty effort and bid for a hat trick, Evander coolly converted his own penalty.
The most heart-warming moment of the night goes to Ayjoub Lajhar, who gave away the penalty that Cuypers eventually missed. Chicago quickly fired the ball back into what looked like an open goal, only for Lajhar to outrun a Fire attacker and clear the ball off the line. After FCC finally cleared the danger, Celentano intensely congratulated Lajhar for his hustle.
Saturday also marked FCC’s third match nabbing points while playing with 10 men. Remember that later in the season. This team has been a mess at times strategically and injuries are clouding comprehensive judgement, but there’s ample spirit to go around.
With the triumph, FC Cincinnati are ever so quietly unbeaten in five straight forays. Next up is a road trip to Charlotte this weekend, the second of five matches over an average of just over four days through May 23. We’ll know more about the Orange and Blue after that … and then won’t see them play a match for two months due to the World Cup break.
Here’s a breakdown of the remaining matches ahead of the summer break.
May 9 at Charlotte
There’s no midweek match this week, so Cincinnati will gain a full week of rest to see if Matt Miazga and Nick Hagglund can provide more minutes and offer a bit more veteran stability and know-how to the back line. Charlotte has surrendered nine goals during its current three-match losing streak, so the time is right for FCC to finally prevail at Bank of America Stadium (winless in four tries.)
May 13 vs. Inter Miami
Boy, the vibes are strange in South Beach at the moment. Miami skipper Javier Mascherano stepped down for “personal reasons” in mid-April after an embarrassing early exit to Nashville in the Concacaf Champions League while also taking seven out of nine points in the league season. This stunning exit arrived four months after a blistering run through the MLS Cup field, including a 4-0 pasting of Cincinnati at TQL Stadium. There’s no guarantee Messi suits up here, though. The match takes place four days after a road trip to Toronto and just over a month until Argentina’s first group stage match. Messi still hasn’t committed to playing in the World Cup, which is also strange.
May 16 at San Diego
The 2025 expansion darlings have struggled to start 2026. Like FCC, San Diego suffered a humiliating Concacaf Champions Cup exit, blown away 4-0 in a second leg tilt with Mexican side Toluca after a 3-2 first leg win. Following a 2-2 draw over the weekend with LAFC, San Diego hasn’t won in league play in nearly two months. This will be the first-ever meeting between the sides.
May 23 vs. Orlando
The bottom fell out early in Orlando. Longtime skipper Oscar Pareja, who had led the Lions to six straight playoff appearances, was sacked just three tilts into 2026. Orlando has since recovered to win two out of three, notably a 4-3 win in Miami over the weekend after being down 3-0 in the first half. Still, it’s fair to wonder if Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann really knows what he’s getting himself into.
Grant Freking is in his eighth year of FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine.
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