“You can feel the tension.” Yes, MLS Season Pass commentator Taylor Twellman was stating the obvious when summing up the sweaty, anxious setting at TQL Stadium on Saturday night. In fairness, he correctly described the atmosphere as FC Cincinnati were again without a goal at home. A fourth successive goal-less outing in the West End was in the cards.
Enter Evander. Enter Brenner. Enter … Evan Louro?! Yes, the shine should be spread among two of the Orange and Blue’s trident of high-profile attackers and its backup goalkeeper for their notable efforts in Saturday’s 2-1 triumph over fellow Eastern Conference power Nashville. Coupled with favorable results elsewhere, the locals moved within two points of both the East Conference and Supporters’ Shield lead. (Thomas Müller may have chosen Vancouver over Cincinnati, but his hat trick paced the Whitecaps’ 7-0 pounding of league frontrunner Philadelphia Saturday night, allowing the Garys to gain three points on Philly.)
FCC’s victory also clinched the franchise’s fourth straight playoff berth, a massive testament to the winning culture fostered by the players, Pat Noonan and his coaching staff, and a proactive front office/ownership group. The fact that FC Cincinnati just became the first MLS team to win 55 matches across a three-season span only reinforces the winning tradition that’s become commonplace here.
The club’s second triumph since July 31 was only seconds away being its 10th draw of the season. But Evander, who tallied an assist on Brenner’s goal in the 73rd minute, capped off a sweet give-and-go between Ender Echenique and Pavel Bucha with this 17th league score in the 98th minute. It was the Brazilian’s 21st goal in 2025, tying Lucho Acosta’s single-season club record from 2023.
After a turgid first half, FCC found its attacking footing as the second half wore on. The addition of Kevin Denkey, who was rested for the first half after international duty in Africa plus two weeks of training time, bore fruit with smoother and more cohesive patterns of play. It’s easy to dream about what increased time on the pitch together could mean for the efficacy of Cincy’s attack.
What Evander explained post-match hinted at how Brenner, whose link-up partnership with Acosta during his first FCC tenure was both prosperous and aesthetically-pleasing, can help unlock defenses and ease the burden on the No. 10. “I think it’s just the connection, how he likes to play, how he likes to receive the ball,” Evander said of Brenner. “It makes my job easier. You can see the goal that he scored. It’s a hard pass coming from me, and he takes a perfect touch of the ball to land in front of him, and he scored for his first goal. So it’s quality. Some players like that, they just know it’s natural. The understanding just comes natural.”
The space Brenner ran into on his goal was also a product of Denkey’s run, which pulled away a Nashville center back. As for Noonan, his evaluation of the evening indicated that the extra practice time—the Orange and Blue had been off since August 30—had paid off. “We’ve talked about more patience,” the skipper said. “We have to understand that chances are hard to come by. And Nashville’s a good team, they’re strong defensively. We’ve seen that with recent opponents or previous opponents, where you can’t rush the game, and if you do you find yourself getting frustrated.”
The unheralded star of the evening was Louro, who filled in for an injured Roman Celentano. Louro notched four saves overall, but it a pair of stand-out point-blank stops kept the match scoreless. Saturday also brought the debut of U21 midfielder Samuel Gidi, who arrived in Cincinnati from Slovakia just last week. I’m fascinated to see if he can provide the Garys with a bit more bite and technique in the midfield.
So the good vibes finally returned Saturday evening. I mean, look at this photo of Noonan and Brenner, the latter of whom appears genuinely thrilled to be back in the Queen City. Next up for FCC is a cross-country trip to take on the L.A. Galaxy.
Back in February, a September tilt at the defending MLS Cup champs looked like a brutal late-season test. And then the Galaxy went winless in a league-record 16 (!!!) matches to begin MLS play, torpedoing any chance at defending their title. And though L.A. has regained a bit of form and health since July, the champs still own a league-worst 21 points and are averaging two goals conceded per match.
After a Saturday in SoCal, the Garys face just one more team currently in the playoff picture over their final three matches. Instead of the usual fall stumble, could Saturday mark the onset of a fall flourish?
Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on X at @GrantFreking.
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