The Orange and Blue hit the road for the first time this MLS season, jetting North for the inter-conference matchup of 2026. FC Cincinnati take on Minnesota United FC this Saturday, looking to continue their strong start to the year and keep their three-game-winning-streak across all competitions going.
“Tough game, tough atmosphere. Obviously their (home) opener, so small sample size of what you can look at with the regular season game and a couple preseason games, but personnel wise, a lot of similarities,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of the match on Friday. “Obviously a new coach, and looks to have some new ideas. So it'll be, I think early on, a lot of seeing if what we saw in the opener for them is going to translate into game two, or if there's going to be different ideas, you know, based on a different opponent, different structure for us.”
FC Cincinnati is coming off a historic night at TQL Stadium earlier this week, scoring nine goals and setting a record for the largest margin of victory in MLS history with a 9-0 victory in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Now, moving back into MLS action, FC Cincinnati are looking to keep that same professional attitude going into this road match and build on an already strong start to the year.
“Like any team, what are their strengths? What are they dominant at? And how do you have to try to take away some of those strengths? They've been excellent with their attacking set pieces and so we've taken a look at it and tried to give the right information but not overwhelm our guys to have an approach that we can't step on the field and have success in that phase of the game,” Noonan said of how they are approaching Minnesota. “They're still very strong with attacking set pieces. Again, it's a new coach, it's early in a new season, so my guess is they still have a lot of confidence and belief that they can be dominant in that phase of play. So hopefully we can have a good approach and limit their strengths there.”
With temperatures expected to be below freezing, FCC will have to brave not only their opponents and their fans this weekend, but also the frigid Minnesota weather. Forecasts expect the temperature at kickoff to be in the low 20’s, and should it dip below 22 degrees for the first touch of the game, that would set a new club record for the coldest match in club history.
Expecting this, Head Coach Pat Noonan says they will be prepared to handle those realities and will be working to ensure their side is fit and best positioned for success, no matter the climate.
“I think, sure, they're a little bit more extreme as far as being cold,” Noonan said of the expected conditions, “but the guys that are out there that are moving around, I think, will be okay.
“It's just managing the guys that are going to be coming into the game because you don't want them sitting around too long. They've got to be moving, they've got to be active. So just how we look at our warm up, and then, you know, after halftime, keeping guys moving and warm and ready I think is important in conditions like that.”
FC CINCINNATI at Minnesota United FC – Saturday, February 28, 2026 – 4:30 p.m. ET – Allianz Field
Watch/Stream (English/Spanish): Apple TV
English Local Radio: iHeart Media: The Project 100.7
Spanish Local Radio: La Mega 101.5 FM
FC Cincinnati Social Media: X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook FC Cincinnati Official Mobile App: iOS and Android
History vs Minnesota United FC
This will be the sixth match in club history against Minnesota United FC, and the first since 2024. In five previous visits to Minnesota, four of which game on the road, FC Cincinnati is 2-3-0 against the Loons, but have won in each of the two most recent meetings with Minnesota.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
Record Start? – With a 2-0 win over Atlanta United in Matchday 1, FC Cincinnati improved to 3-3-2 all-time in MLS season openers. FC Cincinnati enter Saturday having never started 2-0-0 in MLS play.
Road Warriors – FC Cincinnati’s 29 road wins are the most in MLS since the start of the 2023 season. In the MLS post-shootout era, only five clubs have won 11+ road games in a season: FC Cincinnati are two of those five after going 11-4-2 on the road in both 2024 and 2025.
Bundle Up! – On the final day of February on Saturday, FC Cincinnati wrap up the busiest February in club history with the fourth official match of the month. In all competitions, FC Cincinnati are 7-1-2 all-time in February thanks to a 3-0-0 start.
Historic night! – Sandwiched around FC Cincinnati’s MLS opening win over Atlanta, the Orange and Blue dominated Dominican club O&M FC in Round One of the Concacaf Champions Cup, winning on aggregate 13-0. In Wednesday’s historic 9-0 win at TQL Stadium in Leg Two:
- FCC set a club record for goals scored in a match (9), goal contributions (17) and margin of victory.
- Three FC Cincinnati players, all FC Cincinnati Academy graduates, scored their first-career goals for FC Cincinnati (Ademar Chávez, Stiven Jimenez Stefan Chirila).
SCOUTING Minnesota United FC (0-0-1, 1 Points, T9 Western Conference)
After an offseason of great change at Allianz Field, Minnesota United FC is looking to follow up on their club-record-breaking 2025 season, when they earned 58 points.
Head Coach Eric Ramsey departed the club after two seasons at the helm, leading The Loons to unprecedented success. The English manager quickly established a team culture, but his success drew the attention of EFL Championship side West Brom this offseason. Just days before the opening of preseason in 2026, Ramsey departed for his new job, but left his culture of set-piece tactics and success in his wake with MNUFC.
Cameron Knowles, an assistant under Ramsey, has taken over the head coaching job for the season and is looking to continue the success they found the past two years, even with some key departures and additions to shake up the team.
The Loons became known last season for the set-piece dominance, scoring a league high 20 goals in 2025 and have continued that trend in 2026 with a goal off a corner kick in their season-opening draw against Austin FC.
In that match, Knowles lined his side up in a 3-4-2-1 formation.
Minnesota United FC is led by captain and defender Michael Boxall and striker Kelvin Yeboah, who both return from the 2025 squad. Yeboah scored nine goals in 2025 and opened his account in 2026 with a goal on opening day as well.
In terms of newcomers, Drake Callender joins the squad and is expected to be their locked-on starting keeper. Callender, 28, has made 93 MLS appearances since making his league debut in 2020, including stops in Miami and Charlotte before being traded to Minnesota.
Minnesota also acquired winger Tomás Chancalay from New England Revolution in a trade and Peter Stroud from New York Red Bulls in a trade.
Gone now from the Loons roster though, are Hassani Dotson, Robin Lod, Joseph Rosales and Dayne St. Clair.
The biggest addition this offseason, though, is the bombshell signing of Colombian International and attacking midfielder James Rodríguez to a loan through the summer. The attacker, who has led his national team side to three FIFA World Cups and scored six times for them. He has played for Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Everton, Porto, and, most recently, Club Leon in Liga MX.
Rodríguez, 34, has not yet appeared for The Loons in MLS action, only confirming his signing with the club earlier this month. But he could make his debut in this match and would provide an experienced star to the Minnesota attack.
“Well, you get a top player that's played at a very high level and is going to bring a level of knowledge, experience, confidence to their group, especially early on,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of the newcomer to the Minnesota squad. “There's going to be some buzz and excitement around that. What the involvement looks like, whether he's a starter, whether he's coming in reserve, it'll be a boost for them, because he's played at a very high level.
“So (that is) somebody that we're aware of. As far as how you look at him within their group, there's nothing to really analyze. It's where you expect him to slot into the group, and how we manage that. So relatively unfamiliar, I guess, conversations, but just the awareness of if this player is on the field, what do we think it looks like, and how do we position our guys? But certainly a nice pickup."
