Sports
By Katy Korstange, Staff Writer
FC Cincinnati (FCC) opened their 2026 Major League Soccer season with a 2-0 victory against Atlanta United FC at TQL Stadium this Saturday.
In the 80th minute, forward Kevin Denkey scored FCC’s first goal of the regular season, breaking the scoreless deadlock. Ender Echenique crossed Denkey the ball as he was running up the field. Atlanta United keeper Lucas Hoyos dove in an attempt to stop it leaving the goal unattended. Denkey was able to get around Hoyos to score his 20th goal for Cincinnati.
Shortly after, in the 90th minute, defender Nick Hagglund scored the second goal for FCC just before the onset of stoppage time. Hagglund headed the ball into the goal thanks to a corner kick from wing-back Bryan Ramirez.
The last time FCC played against Atlanta United, Hagglund sustained two broken ribs and a collapsed lung and Cincinnati lost 4-2. He came back in late August of last season to start seven of Cincinnati’s last eight games. Hagglund is a Cincinnati native who played for the Xavier’s men’s soccer team and graduated in 2014.
The start of the game was rough for Cincinnati. In the 10th minute, star midfielder Evander left the field due to a hamstring injury. This forced head coach Pat Noonan to sub in midfielder Gerardo Valenzuela in the 13th minute.
Evander has been a crucial player for FCC since he joined the team in February 2025. Last season he scored 18 goals and had multiple assists starting in 35 of his 36 games. He is one of only three players in MLS history who has 15 assists and 15 goals for multiple seasons.
There was no word on the severity of Evander’s injury initially. However, Noonan has recently stated in a press conference that it did not seem too severe.
Throughout the game, possession was fairly even. FCC had the advantage by a small margin. Cincinnati had 10 shot attempts with three of them being on target. Atlanta United had eight shot attempts and three on target attempts saved by FCC keeper Roman Celentano. This earned Celentano his 45th career clean sheet.
FCC debuted their new orange and white uniform kit designed to pay homage to Cincinnati’s unique cultural identity and geographics. The Seven Hills kit will be worn primarily at away games in the 2026 season.
Cincinnati takes the field again at home tonight against O&M FC for their second game in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. FCC already defeated them 4-0 in the first round of the series in the Dominican Republic.
FCC’s next MLS regular season game is scheduled for this Saturday against Minnesota United FC in Minnesota, who tied their first game against Austin FC.
With the result, FCC begins its 2026 MLS campaign on a high note with three points as the team turns its focus to a busy week ahead. After a hard-fought opener, FCC now shifts its attention to maintaining their momentum as the early stretch of the season continues.
