With a weekend win in their sails, FC Cincinnati enter a double-match week with confidence and momentum as they welcome the New England Revolution to TQL Stadium this Wednesday for a midweek matchup. Looking to build on an already respectable 7-2-3 home record in MLS this season, The Orange and Blue kick off the first of three consecutive home matches over the next ten days with one goal in mind.
Win.
Entering this match, FC Cincinnati sit on 36 points and are ninth in the Eastern Conference, but they still have their playoff destiny in their own hands, as continuing to win would be enough to punch their ticket. By winning over the weekend in Atlanta and securing just their second three-point road result of the season, FCC have now positioned themselves to go on a run at home. Heading into this game, FCC are looking to carry the resolve and confidence they gained over the weekend into a tough New England Revolution side, who are also in the midst of their own playoff positioning battle.
“Winning is important at this stage. There's always stuff that you can look at and say, 'this is a positive that we can take moving forward'. Wins help with confidence, with momentum, so that's a positive from this one game,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Monday heading into the midweek match. “But it's a quick turnaround, and we have a tough New England team that's coming off of a couple poor results that is going to be motivated to right the ship from those recent results I would say. But they're in a very favorable position, they've been strong all year, and so if we can carry some momentum into this game and perform at home, that's something I would say that I hope we take away from it and help us move forward.”
FC Cincinnati have been on the road for quite a while, with over a month since the club last played in front of its supporters. September 12 was the last time FCC played at TQL Stadium, making it 32 days since everyone gathered to see The Orange and Blue play. Over that stretch, FCC went 1-1-1, picking up four points and getting a week off for the international break.
But after that road swing, FC Cincinnati now get an extended stay of their own, and with the weather turning to fall, Head Coach Pat Noonan is looking forward to playing in front of the fans he says always energizes them and brings the noise.
“It's exciting because it has been a while, and we have important games…a three-game homestand here now with that D.C. game that got moved. So, it's an important stretch and we have a clear objective of performing at home and picking up points in this stretch and it's going to be a difficult starting point against New England,” Noonan said. “So, that's the focus, but it's nice to be in front of these fans again as the temperatures start to drop a little bit. I think I saw game day was probably the coolest…you start to see these temperatures for game day not so drastic, not so warm. So it will be, I think, favorable for the fans as well to fill the building and bring the energy like they always do.
“So, now it's our job to go and perform.”
FC Cincinnati kick off with New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m. at TQL Stadium. With a win, FCC could climb all the way to 7th place in the Eastern Conference and inch closer to securing a playoff spot for the fifth year in a row.
FC Cincinnati vs New England Revolution – Wednesday, October 14, 2026 – 7:30 p.m. ET – TQL Stadium
Watch/Stream (English/Spanish): Apple TV
English Local Radio: ESPN 1530
Spanish Local Radio: La Mega 101.5 FM
History vs New England Revolution
FC Cincinnati fell to New England earlier this season at Gillette Stadium, and now host them for the second and final game of the regular season series looking to level the score. All-Time the Revs have owned the better record in this matchup, handing FCC a 4-6-3 record in the 13 matches played between the two sides.
Prior to the match back in March, FCC had won the previous two meetings with New England, and under Pat Noonan the club is a far more respectable 3-4-3 in MLS games.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
(Courtesy of FC Cincinnati Communications)
Record Setting – Across all competitions this season, FC Cincinnati have scored 81 goals, which is tied with 2018 (when the club was in USL) for the all-time club record for goals scored in a season across all competitions. FCC have scored 58 goals in MLS play, six shy of the club record in MLS competition (64, 2022).
Home Sweet Home – FC Cincinnati return to TQL Stadium for the first time since September 12, with five home dates still on the schedule in 2026 as FC Cincinnati have played the fewest home matches in MLS this season (12). FCC are 7-2-3 (.667) at home this season, which is tied for the fifth-best home win percentage in the league this season.
Kévin’s on Fire (your defense is terrified) – FC Cincinnati forward Kévin Denkey has scored five goals in his last three appearances for The Orange and Blue to shoot up the club record books. He is two goals shy of matching the all-time club records for goals scored in all competitions (22 - Evander, 2025) and in MLS play (18 - Brandon Vazquez & Brenner, 2022; Evander, 2025).
Momentum – FC Cincinnati defeated Atlanta United FC on Saturday, 3-1 to start off a busy stretch of seven matches in 22 days as October brings the final full month of the 2026 MLS Regular Season. Four of the remaining seven matches come against teams currently above the Eastern Conference playoff line, starting with Wednesday’s opponent in the New England Revolution.
Scouting New England Revolution (7-14-6, 27 Points, 14th in the Eastern Conference, D-W-D-L-D)
The New England Revolution are in the midst of a breakout season, but have had their ups and downs like any team. Entering Wednesday night's matchup at TQL Stadium, they are in a bit of a down position, as the charter MLS club has lost its last two matches and slipped to fourth in the Eastern Conference after spending time as high as second.
After missing the playoffs for the last two years, the Revs are firmly in the playoff picture with 46 points and are on the brink of clinching that spot with just a few more results. New Head Coach Marko Mitrović has led the side to success by balancing up-and-coming youngsters, MLS veterans and league stars.
Mitrović, 48, first came to American soccer as an assistant coach with the Chicago Fire in 2016. Still, he made his name as a very successful youth national team Head Coach with the United States, coaching their U19, U20 and U23 sides before being named manager of New England. With the USYNT, the Serbian gaffer led the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, a team which included FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson.
In their last match, a 3-0 defeat to Seattle Sounders FC, New England started with a 4-3-3 formation, with star DP goalkeeper and two-time United States World Cup selection Matt Turner in net. Turner, 32, has started all 28 league matches this season, earning five clean sheets and making 106 saves, the sixth-most in Major League Soccer.
As a collective, New England does not leap off the stat sheet in any specific category, positively or negatively. They rank near the middle, usually on the upper half, in just about every measure. They rank seventh in goals conceded, but 14th in goals for. They rank 11th in goal differential, 12th in xG generated and 16th in opponent xG generated.
So while they don’t leap off the page, their balance is their strength. They have very few weaknesses to exploit.
“Sometimes you have certain aspects of a team that separate them from everybody else. That they do very, very well, and some teams that are towards the top all year, it's because they do a lot of things consistently well,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said ahead of this match. “New England's been one of those teams for me that defend in a good way, attack in a good way. They can score with set pieces. They can score with individual talent.”
This season, New England have had 15 different players contribute goals, nine of whom have scored just one. Similarly, 15 players have provided assists for the side, but 13 of them have provided multiple assists, showcasing the depth of contributors New England have had this season.
“It's a strong group. Good physical presence on the back line, on the flanks,” Noonan said. “I think good technical players, again, I could go through a lot of different things on why they're in the position they are. They’re well coached, he's doing an excellent job. So that's a factor as well.”
The headliner for New England is 2021 MLS MVP Carles Gil, who has continued his reign of dominance since arriving in 2019. This season, the Spanish native is on the cusp of another career season in MLS; through 28 games the 33-year-old has tallied 12 goals and nine assists for 21 goal contributions, nearing his 2023 career high of 26.
Gil is the engine of the New England attack and a key leader in the defense, and his sustained success since arriving in the league eight seasons ago has earned him the respect of teammates and competitors alike across Major League Soccer.
“For me, one of the best players in this league for the last decade, and ever, with Carlos [Gil]. I have so much respect for his play, his leadership,” Noonan said of his opponent this week. “He's been outstanding and so he kind of dictates a lot of the success of their group as far as the flow of the game and that's something that we need to be prepared for and try to limit.”
Other key players for New England include recent USMNT debutants, Peyton Miller and Brooklyn Raines. Miller, a winger, has scored seven goals this season at 18. He has started 19 games this season and added four assists. Raines, a U22 player, is a midfielder with the fifth-most minutes played for the side this season and typically operates in central midfield.
Another young forward to watch is Dor Turgeman, a U22 striker who typically plays center forward. In 2026, he’s had a career-high 14 goal contributions, scoring seven and assisting seven in 27 starts.
On the defensive side, the back four have been steady for New England, with Matt Polster, Will Sands, Ethan Kohler and Mamadou Fofana all slotting into the lineup with regularity. Polster, 33, and Fofana, 28, are the veterans in that line, while Sands, 26, and Kohler, 21, are the younger options.
Newcomer Daniel Gazdag, who previously plied his trade in Philadelphia and Columbus, is another name FC Cincinnati will remember. The Hungarian forward with 67 career MLS goals has started three times and come on as a reserve three times since joining the club in September. He has scored once in those six games with New England.
