FC CINCINNATI 2 vs TORONTO FC II – SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 2025 – 6 P.M. ET – SCUDAMORE FIELD AT NKU SOCCER STADIUM
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Tickets for Sunday’s match, and all FCC 2 home matches at NKU Soccer Stadium, will once again be available to be claimed through the FC Cincinnati App or online through SeatGeek.
Sunday’s match will stream live on MLSNEXTPro.com.
FC Cincinnati 2 are set to begin their fourth season in MLS NEXT Pro Sunday evening when the Orange and Blue take on Toronto FC II at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium. FCC 2 finished the 2024 MLSNP Regular Season as the top team in the Eastern Conference, qualifying for postseason competition for the first time in what was the club’s best single season to date.
And while the Orange and Blue are back to their matchday training schedule, preparations to defend the club’s Regular Season Eastern Conference title began at the end of January with most of the FCC 2 roster joining the first team down in Clearwater, Florida for the first time.
“I think being down in Florida was big for our group after the accomplishments of last season,” said Head Coach of FCC 2, Tyrone Marshall who enters his fourth season with the club. “Us being down with the first team showed the confidence to bring our guys in, knowing that they have gone through a year of growth and development to give them the opportunity this preseason.”
The Orange and Blue played a part in all of the first team’s four preseason matches, with FCC 2 and FC Cincinnati Academy defender Andrei Chirila scoring against CF Montréal in a 1-0 win back on January 24. Defender Brian Schaefer and midfielder Ben Augee started in that match and seven FCC 2 players started the second half, playing all 45 minutes.
“Our guys were being rotated in and out throughout preseason,” said Marshall. “But whenever they got the opportunity, they performed, and that was the most important thing for us I would say. We we’re getting really good feedback in terms of their performances and their attitude and what they brought to training. I’m really pleased with how that part of preseason went.”
Outside of preseason matches played alongside the first team, FCC 2 played an additional four matches, including three against USL Championship sides Louisville City, Lexington SC and Indy Eleven; matches against more tested competition.
“For players in this age range, it’s best when the training is harder than games, and preseason matches are essentially training sessions,” said Jeff Larentowicz, Director of Player Pathway for FC Cincinnati. “We want them to be challenged against older, more experienced guys. Louisville, Lexington, Louisville – they are professional players with 10-year careers behind them and we’ve got 15-year-olds, 16-year-olds playing against them. I think that’s an important part of their exposure to pro soccer and development.”
With just two days until the club’s season opener, a number of key starters return for a second season in Cincinnati, including forward Kenji Mboma Dem and the aforementioned Brian Schaefer. Mboma Dem led the Orange and Blue attack in 2024, scoring seven goals and adding five assists, both tied for team highs, while Schaefer played and started 27 regular season matches, leading the backline and helping hold opponents scoreless in seven matches.
Attacking wingback Amir Daley re-signed with FCC 2 in February after a breakout first-year campaign with the Orange and Blue. Daley, who made his FC Cincinnati debut against FC Motagua in the second leg of the opening round of the Concacaf Champions Cup last week, scored five goals and tallied four assists in 2024, but will miss the opening match of the season while recovering from a shoulder injury.
Ben Augee, selected by FC Cincinnati in the third round of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft, is one of eight first year players joining the Orange and Blue this season. Monsuru Opeyemi adds a new attacking threat for FCC 2 out of midfield, while 19-year-old Xhosa Manyana adds depth at the position since arriving on loan from South African Premiership side Cape Town City FC.
Former D.C. United SuperDraft pick Nathan Crockford joins the goalkeeping corps, while Stanford standout Noah Adnan and wingbacks Yorkaeff Caicedo and Dilan Hurtado add defensive reinforcements to one of MLSNP’s best defensive sides. In 2024, the Orange and Blue allowed just 34 goals, the third fewest in the league.
Up front, the Orange and Blue add Tega Ikoba and Andrés Dávila. Ikoba scored 13 goals for Timbers2 in MLSNP from 2022-2024 and scored seven goals last season, which tied for a team lead in the category. Dávila joins FCC 2 from Colombian side Independiente Medellín and was named to The Guardian’s ‘Next Generation’ list for 2024.
As in years past, FCC 2 will rely on key contributions from the FC Cincinnati Academy.
“I think we can get a bit younger and make sure we have a larger influence from within the academy this season,” said Larentowicz. “Last year we relied on the former college player to, sort of, build an atmosphere, within the group. If we can get younger players into our system sooner, mold them, hopefully over not just one year but multiple years, they will be ready for the first team.”
Last season, the Orange and Blue signed academy defender Andrei Chirila and watched now first team forward Stefan Chirila score seven goals across all competitions, including the club’s first postseason goal.
“We see FCC 2, really, as an extension of the academy and a bridge to the first team,” said Larentowicz. “We’ll continue to put an emphasis on players that are closest to the first team, but now we want to see consistency out of our top players from the academy, no matter the age group”
Head Coach Tyrone Marshall returns for his fourth season after being named the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Coach of the Year, while Assistant Coach Shavar Thomas and Goalkeeper Coach Ryan Coulter also return for their fourth seasons. Alejandro Guido, who signed with the Orange and Blue as a player coach prior to the start of last season, joins the coaching staff full time with a focus on individual development in his first professional coaching role. The Orange and Blue set single-season records under Marshall and his staff in 2024 and will look to improve on last year’s successes.
“What success looks like for me in 2025 is getting guys signed to the first team,” said Marshall. “Success is making the playoffs once again and advancing in the playoffs. Maybe we get to the finals and see what happens there. Having more academy guys contribute on a consistent basis and having our guys here guide them. But, having guys sign to the first team, that is what is going to define success for our group this season.”
SCOUTING TORONTO FC II (0-0-0, 0 PTS., T-1ST IN EASTERN CONFERENCE)
Toronto FC II finished 12th in the Eastern Conference in 2024, earning 37 points with 10 wins. The Young Reds missed out on the MLS NEXT Pro postseason for the second consecutive season after finishing second in the Eastern Conference in MLSNP’s inaugural season.
Eight players return for the Young Reds, including midfielders Hassan Ayari, Mark Fisher and Lucas Olguin. Ayari finished his first season in Toronto with six goals, the second highest team total, and two assists. Fisher and Olguin made a combined 52 appearances for the Young Reds.
Toronto recently signed three MLS SuperDraft picks to their MLSNP roster. Reid Fisher, selected by Toronto FC in the first round of the 2025 draft, and Michael Sullivan, selected in the second round join from San Diego State University and the University of Pittsburgh, respectively.
Toronto’s 2024 third round SuperDraft pick Patrick McDonald joins the Young Reds from Indiana University.
The Young Reds also rewarded three academy players with MLS NEXT Pro contracts at the end of February signing defender Stefan Kapor, forward Joshua Nugent and defender Theo Rigopoulos.
However, Toronto will have to navigate the upcoming season without Julian Altobelli, last year’s leading goal scorer for the Young Reds, after the forward joined Canadian Premier League side York United FC at the end of January.
