The Orange and Blue head to Canada this weekend, with their eyes on all three points in their matchup with CF Montréal.
In their last two matches, FC Cincinnati have taken draws but have felt, given their performance in the games, that a victory was on the table for them. In both situations, a 3-3 draw with Charlotte and a 2-2 draw with Houston, FCC had to come from behind to earn those results. So heading into this Saturday’s showdown with Montréal, FC Cincinnati will be looking to build on the positives from those performances, while recognizing that time is running out in the season.
“I won't message ‘must win,’ because it's not the last game and it's not whether we're in or out. But what I think is important is recognizing points and what we're trying to accomplish, because it is so tight. There's playoff positioning, one, we're trying to get in the playoffs. That's just our reality, and the guys understand the urgency to pick up points,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of the Saturday road match. “I think our attacking ideas have consistently been pretty strong. The chance creation in the Charlotte game and in the Houston game, we scored five goals, and there were more out there, and against two very stingy defensive groups. So that part I'm pleased with. We've shown we can attack strong teams and cause them problems.”
Another area FC Cincinnati have excelled in, and feel strong about, is their mentality late in games. This season, FCC have regularly found ways to steal and rescue extra points late in games, and their mental strength to never give up on a game and push for more has been a shining light for the club amid some of the struggles they’ve faced.
Ideally, the goal is to improve on the performances so they don’t have to use late-game heroics to earn points, but that mentality is still something to be proud of and to build on.
“Obviously, the fight, we could talk about mentality and continuing to push when things aren't going our way, which seems to have been more so than usual. There's been a lot of late goals, which show that the guys continue to push and believe that they can get something out of a game, which is always a positive,” Noonan added to that point. “So, hopefully, we can take away that type of ending because of being in a better position going into the end of games. But we've gotten points in moments where even if we've performed well and had chances prior to that, whatever's led up to it, we've ended the game in a way where not only I think the play has been strong and pushing for more, but the guys that have come into the game have done a good job."
The challenge FC Cincinnati will face this weekend is the same as the rest of Major League Soccer: this Saturday’s matches fall during the FIFA International Competition window. FC Cincinnati will have five first-team players away for this match after being called up for international duty, with a sixth departing after the match. Those away will include Miles Robinson (United States), Pavel Bucha (Czechia), Kévin Denkey (Togo), Andrei Chirila (United States U19) and newly signed homegrown goalkeeper Connor Dale (United States U17), with Sami Gidi (Slovakia U21) joining his side after the match.
CF Montréal will be missing 10 players for this match due to international duty, but that doesn't change the stakes or how FCC needs to judge itself. With just nine matches to go in the regular season, every match matters.
“Every game and week is an evaluation of where we're at. The circumstances for the league right now is we're playing during the window, and there's a lot of absences,” Noonan said of the circumstances. “So, what does the depth look like for teams? How many players, and they're missing more than us, and key pieces, just like we are. So, some teams are suffering more than others, and with injuries for teams, you see very quickly how depleted you can be. So it's a chance for guys that aren't consistently in the 11 to go out and perform and help their team, and that's what we expect from our group is not to have a drop off. Try to understand what kind of game we're getting into and how we fill some of those holes of the guys that have left for international duty."
After this trip to Montréal, The Orange and Blue have a bye week as the remainder of the international window plays out, but the following weekend they will continue their road swing by visiting Atlanta United FC on October 10. FC Cincinnati will then return home for the first time in over a month to host New England on October 14.
FC Cincinnati at CF Montréal – Saturday, September 26, 2026 – 7:30 p.m. ET – Stade Saputo
Watch/Stream (English/Spanish): Apple TV
English Local Radio: FOX SPORTS 1360
Spanish Local Radio: La Mega 101.5 FM
History vs CF Montréal
FC Cincinnati have won four consecutive matches against CF Montréal, outscoring CFM 14-5
in the four wins. Cincinnati’s eight all-time wins against Montréal are the club’s second-most MLS wins against any one opponent (Toronto FC, 9). FCC have scored 34 goals against Montréal and hold an all-time +11 goal differential against the club, both of which are bests for FCC in MLS play, all-time.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
(Courtesy of *FC Cincinnati Communications*)
La Belle Provence – Saturday marks the 15th all-time meeting between FC Cincinnati and CF Montréal. Only three of the 14 all-time meetings between the clubs have featured fewer than three combined goals.
Three matches in the head-to-head have featured a final scoreline of 4-3, including the first meeting of 2026 on March 22 at TQL Stadium. FC Cincinnati’s wild 4-3 win over CF Montréal in March marked FCC’s first win in club history when trailing and going down to 10 men. After Miles Robinson was shown a red card in the 60th minute, but FCC would erase a 3-2 deficit and score twice afterwards (Barlow 80’, Denkey 90’+4). In total on the day, FCC trailed on three separate occasions but came back to win, marking a first in club history.
Les Habitants – Six FC Cincinnati first-team players will represent their country during the FIFA September/ October window: Miles Robinson (United States), Pavel Bucha (Czechia), Kévin Denkey (Togo), Andrei Chirila (United States U19), Connor Dale (United States U17) and Samuel Gidi (Slovakia U21), although Gidi will be available for selection Saturday before departing.
Les rois du retournement de situation – FC Cincinnati have been the kings of rescuing points from dire situations this season:
- 21 of FC Cincinnati’s 33 points this season have come in matches in which FC Cincinnati trailed at some point in the match.
- FC Cincinnati’s 16 points in matches when conceding the first goal lead MLS.
- Three times FC Cincinnati scored a game-winning goal in stoppage time (March 22 vs MTL; May 2 at CHI; August 19 vs NYC), and in two of those games, Cincinnati were down to 10 men when scoring the go-ahead goal (March 22 vs MTL; May 2 at CHI).
- Five other times this season FC Cincinnati have equalized in stoppage time to earn a draw (April 11 at TOR; April 22 at NYC – scored twice; May 16 at SD; September 12 vs CLT; September 19 at HOU). The five stoppage-time equalizers are the most by a team in a single season in MLS history.
- FC Cincinnati’s have gained 14 points this season from goals scored in stoppage time. Per Elias Sports, the 14 points earned in such games are the second-most in a season in MLS history behind the 2012 San Jose Earthquakes (18 points).
Ahoj David – For the first time, Czech international David Douděra is available for selection Saturday after obtaining his P-1 Visa. Acquired at the summer transfer window from SK Slavia Prague, Douděra made nearly 350 professional appearances over the past 10 seasons in Europe and started one match for the Czech National Team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Scouting CF Montréal (5-15-6, 21 Points, 15th in the Eastern Conference, L-L-L-L-L)
CF Montréal host this weekend's match desperate for a result and to find some form after losing their last five regular-season matches and not winning at home since May 9th.
Though CF Montréal sits in last place in the Eastern Conference and are on the verge of elimination from the MLS Cup Playoffs, their season is far from over. Last week, CFM advanced to the final of the Canadian Championships with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Vancouver Whitecaps, punching their ticket to the cup final in about three weeks. They will face Canadian Premier League side Forge FC in the final for the right to lift the Voyageurs Cup for the sixth time and earn their first Canadian Championship since 2021.
The advancement proves that while they have had struggles this season, they are more than capable of rising to the moment and earning a result.
Their core man has led the French-Canadian side in the middle of the attack in 2026, and while the team has struggled to score this season, potting only 31 goals (fifth fewest in MLS), when they do score, it’s likely because of him. Towering forward Prince Owusu leads CF Montréal this season with 13 goals and has added five assists to his tally, meaning 58 percent of all goals scored this season have flowed through him.
“Prince has been very, very consistent and very strong for their team for a long stretch. We saw it earlier in the year; he's a handful,” said FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan. “How he can be the highest attacking threat and have multiple defenders in the vicinity and find ways to control the ball and get his team up the field is impressive. In the final third, how they get service into the box with him being the primary target, how he attacks in front of goal, wide service, runs behind, timing of it. There's a reason he has that goal production. So he's certainly an important piece and somebody we have to have a strong plan for and performances because it won't be you know just one of the center backs.”
“It'll be different responsibilities where we need to make sure that we take away his strengths.”
The other notable name in the attack is recent addition and Chilean veteran star Alexis Sánchez, who has now made seven appearances and three starts for the side since joining as a free agent. The star winger, nicknamed “El Niño Maravilla” (The Wonderboy), is a global superstar who has played at the highest levels, making his name known with Arsenal, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Barcelona, and is the highest-scoring player in the history of Chilean football. But at 37 now, Sanchez is in the twilight of his career.
After Owusu, the team's attacking output comes more from the collective. The next two leading scorers, Wikelman Carmona and Daniel Rios, have scored four goals each – though Carmona will be unavailable for this match due to International Duty with Venezuela – and midfielder Matty Longstaff is the only other multiple goal scorer for the club with two on the season. Eight different players have scored one goal for CF Montreal.
On the defensive side, Montréal have conceded 53 goals this season, the third-most in Major League Soccer, but have conceded more than two goals in a game only once in their last 12 matches. A 7-1 rout in Miami last month was the only exception.
Luca Petrasso, a left back, is a key figure in the Montreal defense, leading the side in minutes played with 2086 and co-leading in assists this year with five. Montréal also boasts a pair of promising young center backs to fill out their back line, starting Jalen Neal, 23, and Effrain Morales, 22, in their recent matches. Both Neal and Morales came from other MLS clubs in good bits of business, allowing Montréal to invest in their future.
The midfield features a trio of notable players for a variety of reasons. Long-time steward and captain of CF Montréal Samual Petie still roams the middle for the club, but will be unavailable after being called into the Canadian National Team camp this international window. Former Chicago Fire player Fabiann Herber also works the midfield, and Canadian midfielder Victor Loturi joins them and is second on the team in minutes played.
In net most often this season has been Chilean goalkeeper Thomas Gillier, on loan at CF Montréal from Italian side Bologna. Still, he has been out with an upper-body injury of late, and Sébastian Breza has been in goal for the club. Breza is a Canadian keeper who started his career in Italy, and is now in his second stint with CF Montréal after a loan there earlier in his career. He has started the last six matches for Montréal, including four league matches and the two legs of the Canadian Championships against Vancouver.
CF Montréal is currently managed by interim Head Coach Philippe Eullaffroy, who took over as manager in April after the dismissal of Marco Donadel. Eullaffroy was an assistant on the staff before his interim appointment. The squad most often deploys itself in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
