Summer 2026 has been a curious one for the local pro sports franchises. The Bengals remain firmly in the Dexter Lawrence Honeymoon Phase, with excitement and disbelief lingering that the franchise acquired a defender of Lawrence’s metaphorical and literal stature.
The Reds are fully immersed in another summer of apathy. The front office and ownership are years into an attempt to model fiscally conservative perennial winners like the Brewers, Rays, and Guardians only to stack up losses, waste years of Elly De La Cruz, and further frustrate a passionate fanbase.
FC Cincinnati, at minimum, is exciting as hell. Saturday night’s 4-2 victory over San Jose pushed it atop the goals scored chart (with Inter Miami) and was the sixth time in its past eight matches that FCC scored at least three goals. (Stop and watch this Evander goal if you haven’t seen it. What. A. Player.) But the Orange and Blue had secured just 14 out of a possible 24 points during that stretch because it’s allowed the third-most goals in MLS. Frustrating for the fans and the club? Yes! Objectively exciting? Yes! Just look at these final scores since the start of April: 4-3 win, 6-2 win, two 3-3 draws, 5-3 loss, 4-4 draw, and 4-2 loss.
Leagues Cup, MLS’s annual in-season competition against Liga MX, presents Cincinnati with an opportunity to see if its attack-minded philosophy—which still feels weird to type after years of a 1-nil defense-first identity—can fuel a trophy run. Technically, the tournament is one of three remaining trophies for the Garys, but if we’re being realistic the Supporters’ Shield is already out of reach; the locals trail Nashville by 14 points with 16 league matches remaining. That leaves Leagues Cup and MLS Cup as the club’s sensible chances for hardware. I stand by my preseason statement that by going trophy-less—or at least not playing in a final with silverware on the line—2026 will have been a disappointment.
Leagues Cup has not been kind to FCC in previous years. After beating Sporting KC and Chivas in the 2023 group stage, Cincinnati took a penalty shootout loss to Nashville in the round of 32. A year later, FCC won group stage matches against New York City and Club Queretaro and topped Santos Laguna in penalties in the round of 32, then dropped a 4-2 decision to Philadelphia in the round of 16.
Rule changes made knockout stage advancement much tougher in 2025; only four MLS and Liga MX squads apiece qualified for the knockout rounds. The Orange and Blue notched an impressive 3-2 victory over Monterrey in their opener but fell to FC Juarez in penalties before losing 2-1 to Chivas. Zero quarterfinal appearances in three years is below standards for this club.
The 2026 League Cup points system is as follows: three points for a regulation win, two for a shootout win, one for a shootout loss. No draws. Last season, MLS sides needed at least seven points to be in the running for one of the four knockout slots, and no MLS team that lost outright advanced. So Tuesday night’s opener vs. Pachuca at TQL Stadium was a must-win match.
Head Coach Pat Noonan rotated his lineup, inserting Ayoub Jabbari and Tom Barlow at forward, Brian Anunga and Dado Valenzuela in midfield, Andrei Chirila and Matt Miazga at center back, and Evan Louro in goal. Despite trailing 5-2 in shots on target, FC Cincinnati carried a 2-1 advantage at half. A mature second half highlighted by Kenji Mboma Dem’s goal sealed the 3-1 victory despite a 2.1-to-0.6 disadvantage in expected goals. Even the computers couldn’t comprehend the latest bit of Evander magic.
So, much like last season, Cincinnati began Leagues Cup with a victory over a Liga MX power. The trick now is to carry the momentum over to Friday night’s battle vs. Pumas and then finish strong in the group-play finale vs. Atlas on August 11; both matches are also at TQL Stadium.
Grant Freking is in his eighth year of FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine.
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