Whether FC Cincinnati entered the postseason the No. 6, No. 7, No. 8, or No. 9 seed, any kind of Cinderella run faced long odds. The potential opponents were New England (outscored FCC 9-4 in 2026), Lionel Messi and Inter Miami (self-explanatory), or, after a victory in the winner-take-all Wild Card match, Nashville (the Supporters’ Shield winners). If the Orange and Blue’s glass slipper fits in 2026, the road will go through Orlando and then Nashville.
FC Cincinnati’s 2-0 Decision Day loss to Nashville, coupled with victories by Columbus and Orlando, dropped the club from the No. 7 seed to the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference. FCC will play in Orlando on November 19 in the Wild Card match. The locals actually finished with the same number of points (46) as Orlando, but the first tiebreaker was league victories—Orlando had 13, Cincinnati had 12. I’ll preview the match next week, but it’s a very winnable one.
A win in Florida sends FCC to a best-of-three first-round series against Nashville. Saturday’s setback to Nashville elevated the visitors into history, giving them a single-season record 77 points. FCC was wasteful in the first half, generating better chances but still entering the break 0-0. Nashville’s star striker Sam Surridge broke the deadlock in the 61st minute and then iced the proceedings by completing his brace in the 86th minute as the hosts were caught upfield chasing a goal.
The upside to the result is that the Orange and Blue looked like they belonged on the same pitch as Nashville, which couldn’t be said during the Music City Boys’ 4-0 blitzing of Cincinnati on August 29. On Saturday, the two sides finished level on shots (15) and shots on target (five), with Nashville leading in expected goals (1.5 to 0.9).
FCC’s defense has continued its stretch of improved play. Let’s not confuse “improved” with “good,” but “passable” will be good enough in Orlando if Evander (one goal in 11 matches) and/or Kevin Denkey (zero goals in six matches) snap out of their scoring droughts. Nashville finished the season as the East’s second-best scoring side—just ahead of the Orange and Blue—and Cincinnati’s starting back line of Samuel Gidi, Teenage Hadebe, and Kyle Smith gave the hosts a chance. That’s all you could ask for from that trio.
Miles Robinson started the second half in place of Hadebe, marking his first game action in a month. If Robinson, Hadebe, and Smith start along the backline vs. Nashville, that would be a good enough. Winger David Doudera, who sat out the playoff-clinching win over Philadelphia, started and played 66 minutes on Saturday. Two other newbies, winger Tyrell Malacia and defender Julian Malatini, were not in the matchday squad.
The international break means no playoff games this week. The U.S. Men’s National Team will play Haiti at TQL Stadium on November 17 as their home leg in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Denkey will be in action with Togo on November 14 and 17 for Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches. Maybe local Etsy witches can be repurposed for muscle health purposes?
FC Cincinnati could use a little magic of its own before it heads to the city made famous by Disney.
Grant Freking is in his eighth year of FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine.
