FC Cincinnati return to TQL Stadium on Saturday night for a showdown with one of the original MLS clubs, looking to get back in the win column and add to their strong home record. Undefeated in their last five at home in league play, The Orange and Blue will look to add to their 7-2-2 overall record at TQL Stadium this season.
D.C. United comes to town similarly desperate for a win, as despite an improved year so far after a last-place finish in 2025, DCU find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture entering matchday 24…but only by three points. This is the first time this season D.C. United and FC Cincinnati have faced off, but what many other clubs this year will tell you is that while D.C. may not have many wins, they are one of the tougher teams in MLS to beat outright, owning a league-high 10 draws already this season.
“The intensity of their play,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Friday of what stands out to him about D.C. United. “With the ball, they get to goal fast and are very tough to deal with. They’ve got willing runners all over the field, and guys that know how to stretch the game, little counter movements that can challenge the back line and are very good with getting into crossing moments and getting service into the box with good numbers.
“So when you see the results and the way they play, the results maybe don't match how they're performing, because we've certainly been impressed with it.”
The Orange and Blue are coming off a disappointing result in their last match one week ago in Nashville, where they were shut out in a road loss to an in-conference foe. In the aftermath of that game, FCC are looking forward to being back at home and giving a strong performance in front of their home fans to reset and move forward.
“Looking back at the game, there were things that you see even after the fact that were even more frustrating,” Noonan added on Friday. “Hopefully tomorrow can help with a better performance in front of our fans.
“What (we talked) about is that it's not at the level that we would like it to be…and I think those conversations can be very helpful to help move us forward, where it's not always pointing out everything that went wrong on the video, because sometimes maybe that doesn't help the the confidence of a player group. So we try to be mindful of those things when we analyze the games and make sure we get the message right, so guys are motivated to turn it around.”
FC Cincinnati continue to fight for playoff positioning as they enter this game in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, but are still very much in striking distance of a top-four finish, which would guarantee them home-field advantage in the opening round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
The home match this weekend opens a triple-match week, with FCC traveling to Philadelphia midweek before returning home to face Charlotte FC on September 12.
FC Cincinnati vs D.C. United – Saturday, September, 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 D.C. United
As the calendar turns to September, FC Cincinnati and D.C. United just now meet for the first
time in 2026. Saturday marks the 15th all-time meeting between The Orange and Blue and
the Black-and-Red, with D.C. holding a 6-4-4 advantage.
Cincinnati have only once beaten D.C. United at home, a 2-1 win at TQL Stadium in May 2023.
D.C. United marks one of just two Eastern Conference clubs which FC Cincinnati have never
beaten more than once at home.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
(Courtesy of *FC Cincinnati Communications*)
Stay Strong at Home – FC Cincinnati have made TQL Stadium a fortress in 2026, posting a 7-2-2 MLS record and 11-3-2 record in all competitions. Unbeaten in five straight home MLS matches (4-0-1), FCC are currently amidst their fifth all-time MLS home unbeaten run of five or more games.
Match 250 – Saturday marks FC Cincinnati’s 250th MLS Regular Season match since joining the league ahead of the 2019 season. The Orange and Blue are 92-100-57 all-time in MLS play.
Welcome to Cincy! – FC Cincinnati made two additions to the roster with the closing of the MLS Secondary Transfer Window, adding Czech midfielder David Douděra [DOE-dyeh-rah] – who was on the Czech roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and made seven UEFA Champions League appearances last season – from Slavia Prague and Argentine defender Julián Malatini on loan from German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.
Evander’s MVP Case – Among all MLS players in 2026, Evander ranks first in: Goal Contributions (24), Assists (11) and Goals scored outside the box (6). He has scored 21 goals from outside the penalty area since 2024, which is the most in MLS over that span (2nd: Lionel Messi, 17).
Evander is also just six goals shy of matching Brandon Vazquez’s 43 goals in all competitions for FC Cincinnati for second place in club history.
Scouting D.C. United (5-7-10, 25 Points, 11th in the Eastern Conference, D-L-L-D-D)
D.C. United have been a tough beat this season, and in comparison to recent campaigns, they have been stronger than years past. After earning 26 points in all of the 2025 season, they have already earned 25 points this season and are in the thick of a playoff chase as they look to qualify for the postseason for the first time since the 2019 season.
Last weekend DCU kept a clean sheet against LAFC in a 0-0 draw at home.
With 10 draws the season, D.C. United lead MLS in split games and have shown great ability to scratch and claw out results both at home and on the road. In road games this season, DCU have earned points in 8 of 11 matches and, in much part thanks to that, are tied for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The squad is led by 2026 free agent acquisition Tai Baribo, a forward who prior to joining D.C. plied his trade with east coast corridor rivals Philadelphia Union. Baribo, 28, leads the team in goal scoring this year despite missing some time due to injury, and is the primary threat on offense, earning 12 goals in 17 matches.
Of late though Baribo has been injured, missing their most recent match after being listed as questionable in the official match report due to a knee injury.
“He is a very strong player. We certainly look at the games where he's involved because, without knowing, you anticipate that he could be back,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of Baribo. “When he's on the field, especially when they have the ball, the timing of his movements, the change of speed to attack behind to run in the box is very strong. There's a reason he’s scored so many goals and had success in Philly and now in D.C. He's, I think, an excellent attacker and certainly brings an element of competitiveness, experience and quality to their front line.”
The alternative offensive option for the side has been their other DP forward, Louis Munteanu, a Romanian attacker who joined the side this season as well, and has scored six goals in 18 games.
Other key contributors to the side include veteran defenders like Keisuke Kurokawa, a Japanese center back who leads all outfield players in minutes played this season, and Lucas Bartlett, an American who is in his third season with the club, is second in minutes played and wears the armband for the team.
Goalkeeper Sean Johnson is another steadfast member of the starting XI this season after joining the club last winter. A member of the 2022 USMNT at the World Cup, Johnson joined D.C. United after three prior seasons with Toronto FC and has started every match this season, earning five clean sheets and making 75 saves.
D.C. United also features a collection of younger contributors who, they hope, will grow into the foundation of success in future seasons. Jackson Hopkins, a homegrown midfielder, has appeared in every match this season and has three goal contributions. Nathan Ordaz, 22, is another young and new addition to the side, with the club investing a ton into a trade for the El Salvador national team member to bring him to the club from LAFC in July.
The club is managed by Head Coach René Weiler, who took over in July 2025 and had previous tenures as head coach at clubs in Switzerland, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Belgium. D.C. United typically utilize a 4-3-3 formation, and while Baribo is typically the talisman at the top and center of that formation, but with his recent injury spell – a knee injury that has held him out since his last appearance on August 19 – Hopkins has stepped in at that spot in the attack.
