FC Cincinnati dropped a 2-1 result to the Columbus Crew Saturday night at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus.
The Orange and Blue (6-6-5, 23 points) had a five-match road unbeaten run snapped in the loss. The Crew improved to 5-8-4 (19 points).
Kévin Denkey opened the scoring in the 9th minute, scoring his 15th goal in all competitions this season. His goal marked his 33rd career goal for FCC, moving into a tie for third all time in club history with Brenner.
The Crew would score twice on a set piece in the final 10 minutes of the first half, with Jamal Thiaré’s header off a corner kick equalizing in the 42nd minute and Dániel Gazdag converting a penalty kick six minutes into first-half stoppage time.
FC Cincinnati return home Saturday, August 1 to take on San Jose Earthquakes. Kickoff from TQL Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and tickets are available at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or by calling 513-977-KICK. The match airs on Apple TV and over the radio locally in English on iHeart Media ESPN 1530 and Spanish on La Mega 101.5 FM.
AS IT HAPPENED
CIN: Kévin Denkey, GOAL – 9’ (0-1) – FC Cincinnati scored in the 9th minute for a second consecutive game, with Pavel Bucha playing provider this time. The Czech international drove down the right side and put in a cross for Evander whose sublime touch left a perfect assist for Kévin Denkey to finish home his 15th goal in all competitions in 2026.
CLB: Jamal Thiaré, GOAL – 42’ (1-1) – Off an in-swinging corner kick, Jamal Thiaré equalized for the Crew on a header off the cross.
CLB: Dániel Gazdag, PENALTY KICK GOAL – 45’+6 (2-1) – Following a foul in the box, Dániel Gazdag converted a penalty kick right before halftime.
GAME NOTES
- Kévin Denkey’s 9th minute goal marked his 33rd career goal for FC Cincinnati, which moves him into a tie with Brenner for the third-most career goals in club history.
- Denkey’s goal marked his 15th of the season in all competitions, which moves him into the top-10 for goals scored in a single season.
- With his assist, Evander extended his goal contribution streak to seven consecutive games, tying the second-longest streak in club history.
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati at Columbus Crew
Date: July 25, 2026
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: ScottsMiracle-Gro Field | Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 20,307
Kickoff: 7:25 p.m. ET
Weather: 78 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT
CLB: 2-0-2
CIN: 1-0-1
CLB – Jamal Thiaré (Chambost) 42’, Dániel Gazdag – PK 45’+6
CIN – Kévin Denkey (Evander, Bucha) 9’
LINEUPS:
CIN: Roman Celentano, Ender Echenique (Bryan Ramirez 64’), Miles Robinson, Matt Miazga (Kyle Smith 70’), Samuel Gidi, Pavel Bucha, Obinna Nwobodo (Tah Brian Anunga 85’), Gerardo Valenzuela, Evander (C), Kenji Mboma Dem (Tom Barlow 64’), Kévin Denkey (Ayoub Jabbari 70’)
Substitutes not used: Evan Louro, Alvas Powell, Nick Hagglund, Teenage Hadebe
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
CLB: Patrick Schulte, Sean Zawadzki (C), Rudy Camacho, Steven Moreira (Malte Amundsen 85’), Mohamed Farsi, Dylan Chambost (Tarun Karumanchi 70’), Sekou Bangoura (André Gomes 46’), Taha Habroune, Max Arfsten, Dániel Gazdag (Chase Adams 85’), Jamal Thiaré (Hugo Picard 79’)
Substitutes not used: Nicholas Hagen, Cesar Ruvalcaba, Owen Presthus, Nariman Akhundzada
Interim Head Coach: Laurent Courtois
STATS SUMMARY: CLB/CIN
Shots: 13 / 12
Shots on Goal: 6 / 5
Saves: 4 / 4
Corner Kicks: 4 / 5
Fouls: 11 / 7
Offside: 1 / 2
Possession: 52.5 / 47.5
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Matt Miazga (Yellow Card) 66’
CIN – Gerardo Valenzuela (Red Card) 90’+4
OFFICIALS
Referee: Allen Chapman
Ast. Referees: Andrew Bigelow, Jeffrey Swarzel
Fourth Official: Chris Penso
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard
AVAR: Robert Schaap
