Defense, continuity remain problems for FC Cincinnati

Players work on their ball skills during FC Cincinnati training Feb. 20, 2026 at Mercy Health Training Center in Milford.

New players for the 2026 season, from left, Bryan Ramirez, Tom Barlow and Kyle Smith warm up during FC Cincinnati training Feb. 20, 2026 at Mercy Health Training Center in Milford.

Kevin Denkey with the ball as FC Cincinnati beat O&M FC 4-0 in the first game of the Concacaf Champions Cup Feb. 18, 2026 in the Dominican Republic.

Tom Barlow passes the ball as FC Cincinnati beat O&M FC 4-0 in the first game of the Concacaf Champions Cup Feb. 18, 2026 in the Dominican Republic.

La Salle graduate Kyle Smith plays the ball in his first game with the club as FC Cincinnati beat O&M FC 4-0 in the first game of the Concacaf Champions Cup Feb. 18, 2026 in the Dominican Republic.

FC Cincinnati's TQL Stadium previewed it's 2026 food selections under Executive Chef Sheldon and local affiliates. President and Co-CEO of FC Cincinnati, Jeff Berding, speaks at the event.

Bryan Ramirez of FC Cincinnati passes the ball as FC Cincinnati lost 1-0 at Minnesota United in Major League Soccer action Feb. 28, 2026

Miles Robinson surveys the field as FC Cincinnati lost 1-0 at Minnesota United in Major League Soccer action Feb. 28, 2026

Mar 15, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; FC Cincinnati forward Ayoub Jabbari (99) keeps his eye on the ball as New England Revolution defender Mamadou Fofana (2) comes from behind during the first half at Gillette Stadium.

Mar 15, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Revolution defender Brayan Ceballos (3) celebrates his first goal during the first half on FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano (18) at Gillette Stadium.

Mar 15, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Revolution defender William Sands (23) and FC Cincinnati midfielder Obinna Nwobodo (5) go for a loose ball during the first half at Gillette Stadium.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

FC Cincinnati defender Nick Hagglund (right) heads the ball on goal during the first half against Atlanta United FC at TQL Stadium Feb. 21.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

FC Cincinnati defender Nick Hagglund (right) heads the ball on goal during the first half against Atlanta United FC at TQL Stadium Feb. 21.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

FC Cincinnati fans in The Bailey section wave flags and cheer on the team during the first half against Atlanta United FC at TQL Stadium Feb. 21.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

FC Cincinnati midfielder Evander (10) reaches for his calf after suffering an injury during the first half against Atlanta United FC at TQL Stadium Feb. 21.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

FC Cincinnati defender Nick Hagglund (4) passes forward during the first half of their MLS season opener against Atlanta United FC at TQL Stadium Feb. 21.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

Players warm up during FC Cincinnati training Feb. 20, 2026 at Mercy Health Training Center in Milford.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

Players work on their ball skills during FC Cincinnati training Feb. 20, 2026 at Mercy Health Training Center in Milford.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

New players for the 2026 season, from left, Bryan Ramirez, Tom Barlow and Kyle Smith warm up during FC Cincinnati training Feb. 20, 2026 at Mercy Health Training Center in Milford.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

Kevin Denkey with the ball as FC Cincinnati beat O&M FC 4-0 in the first game of the Concacaf Champions Cup Feb. 18, 2026 in the Dominican Republic.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

Tom Barlow passes the ball as FC Cincinnati beat O&M FC 4-0 in the first game of the Concacaf Champions Cup Feb. 18, 2026 in the Dominican Republic.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

La Salle graduate Kyle Smith plays the ball in his first game with the club as FC Cincinnati beat O&M FC 4-0 in the first game of the Concacaf Champions Cup Feb. 18, 2026 in the Dominican Republic.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

FC Cincinnati's TQL Stadium previewed it's 2026 food selections under Executive Chef Sheldon and local affiliates. President and Co-CEO of FC Cincinnati, Jeff Berding, speaks at the event.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

Bryan Ramirez of FC Cincinnati passes the ball as FC Cincinnati lost 1-0 at Minnesota United in Major League Soccer action Feb. 28, 2026

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

Miles Robinson surveys the field as FC Cincinnati lost 1-0 at Minnesota United in Major League Soccer action Feb. 28, 2026

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

Mar 15, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; FC Cincinnati forward Ayoub Jabbari (99) keeps his eye on the ball as New England Revolution defender Mamadou Fofana (2) comes from behind during the first half at Gillette Stadium.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

Mar 15, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Revolution defender Brayan Ceballos (3) celebrates his first goal during the first half on FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano (18) at Gillette Stadium.

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FC Cincinnati images from the 2026 season

Mar 15, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Revolution defender William Sands (23) and FC Cincinnati midfielder Obinna Nwobodo (5) go for a loose ball during the first half at Gillette Stadium.

In FC Cincinnati’s 5-3 home loss to Inter Miami, head coach Pat Noonan decided to take out his two most skilled and experienced center backs, Matt Miazga and Miles Robinson, with less than 20 minutes to go in the second half.

Cincinnati was leading 3-2 at the time. Miami scored three goals from the 79th minute on and went back to Florida with a 5-3 win. FC Cincinnati, 4-5-4, will look to regroup as it heads to California to play San Diego FC. Kickoff is 9:30 p.m. May 16.

Both Miazga and Robinson have been battling injuries during the season. It was the first time both of them had started together since March 22 against Montreal.

Robinson, the highest-paid center back in MLS, is in line to be a key member of the roster for the United States in the World Cup, and a potential starter.

Against Miami, Robinson and Miazga were replaced with veteran Nick Hagglund and 17-year old Andrei Chirila, who has had an impressive start to his MLS career. Obinna Nwobodo also came in to help preserve the lead. MLS veteran Kyle Smith switched from the right side to the left in the back line.

Miazga said after the game that he could have played all 90 minutes if it was later in the season or a playoff game.

“It was my decision but I’m happy I got this far again and to continue pushing my minutes,” Miazga said. “I got to keep pushing myself and keeping fit and the medical staff does a good job of watching over guys that have been injured."

The moves in the back line changed the look for the Miami offense, and they tied the game soon after. But head coach Pat Noonan said there were a lot of reasons Cincy lost the lead. All season, the club has had to rotate different lineups in the back line. Teenage Hadebe missed the Miami game with injury, and the consistency in the lineup has been an issue.

“It's not ideal that we take center backs off the way we've had to. Part of that was just where Matt and Miles are at,” said FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan. “They're experienced players, and we have success when they're on the field for a reason. So that's no disrespect to Nick and Andrei in those moments, because we trust them, and they've been playing meaningful minutes, but it's hard to change the back line consistently, and that's kind of where we're at.”

Lionel Messi gets his shot past FC Cincinnati goaltender Roman Celentano in the first half of the May 13 match at TQL Stadium on May 13, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Noonan said there were a lot of reasons Cincinnati lost the game at the end to Miami, and that game management and decision making needed to be better throughout the lineup.

“We probably could have pushed both of those players,” he said. “But if there's a setback, then I'm taking responsibility, because that wasn't necessarily a part of the plan for those two. And I think that's easy to say that it wasn't good enough for the last 20 minutes. So, I have to take responsibility."

Miami’s first two goals were from Lionel Messi. He took advantage of a subpar clearance by Miazga to score the first goal, but Noonan said there was poor ball movement by others to put Miazga in that position. On the second, Messi did some brilliant maneuvering to find open space in the goal box and knocked in a perfect cross from fellow Argentine superstar Rodrigo De Paul, a play Messi regularly makes against any defense.

The third goal to tie the game, he found 20-year old Mateo Silvetti in transition after a sloppy Cincy turnover at midfield. The fourth goal, he made a free kick from 35 yards that Roman Celentano had control of but dropped when he collided with Chirila near the goal line. Chirila was overaggressive going after the ball, which Noonan admitted was a youthful mistake.

Chirila left the game, is in concussion protocol and will not make the trip to San Diego. Noonan said, which will further test the back line.

Matt Miazga has been battling injury and was replaced late in FC Cincinnati's loss to Inter Miami.

Cincinnati still looking for answers on defense

Cincinnati has conceded 32 goals in 13 MLS games, which is only fewer than Orlando (37), which is 4-8-1 but has been playing better lately, and Kansas City (2-8-2), which has allowed 33 and has some pundits predicting they will be one of the worst teams in MLS history.

Noonan said the continuity in the lineup has hurt, but also mistakes in ball movement that give the opponent transition opportunities and leave the back of their formation out of position.

"Yeah, it's not an identity of our team right now,” Noonan said. “There are reasons where you can understand a dropoff, but I can't accept the dropoff being at the level that it is, and I don't think the guys can either. So hopefully we can make the right marginal gains to improve, and sometimes you have the complete performance. But if it's not complete, we just need to eliminate some of those things. The mistake that costs us a goal, costs us momentum, doesn't allow us to manage critical moments. And if we can get that better, I think you'll see improvements in other areas.”

After a slow start scoring goals, Cincinnati has become of the best offenses in MLS. They are second in the Eastern Conference to Miami in goals scored with 27 (Miami has 31), and fourth in the league behind Western Conference leaders Vancouver (30) and San Jose (29). Nashville has 26 in one less game than Cincy.

Cincinnati has had 11 different players score for them, led by two of the best attackers in the league, Kevin Denkey (eight) and Evander (seven). After an early injury and a slow start, Evander has seven goals in his last five games.

Evander, shown playing during a 2-2 draw against Charlotte last week, is second on FC Cincinnati with seven goals. Kevin Denkey leads with eight.

“Relationships on the field are improving with the group that we've had out there,” Noonan said. “I think we're seeing better attacking play. We're scoring goals. And I think that's probably seven or eight games where we've had multi-goal games, at a minimum. So that side of it's been pretty solid, and chance creation has been pretty good.”

Miazga noted that the Eastern Conference table is tight. Cincinnati is four points out of fourth place in the East, and six points separate fifth place and 13th. So a big win streak like the club had multiple times in 2025 can make a big difference.

“We want to obviously improve defensively and keep pushing ourselves because you can't dwell too much and feel bad about yourself,” Miazga said. “I think this is the first time we've been in a situation like this since I've been with the club. We were always fighting at first place in the beginning of the season. And now we're kind of middle of the table, so we need to keep pushing. There are a lot of pluses. There are a few negatives that we can improve on, but that's football, that's soccer. It’s not going to be perfect right away. I think we saw flashes (against Miami) that we showed that we're a good team and you got to realize that they’re also a top team.”

About San Diego FC

Anders Dreyer is a well-decorated player for San Diego. Dreyer was an MLS All-Star, Best XI selection and finalist for MLS MVP in 2025 and is second on the team this season with six goals.

San Diego has the same record as Cincinnati, 4-5-4, and is tied for ninth in the deep Western Conference. They have scored 25 goals, two fewer than Cincy, but has conceded only 20.

San Diego is in its second year and this is the first meeting with Cincinnati. Last year, they had an impressive expansion season, tying for first in the Western Conference with a 19-9-6 record, just two points behind Cincinnati, and reaching the conference final.

This season, they started off well but went 0-5 in April. They also reached the round of 16 in the Champions Cup, losing to Mexican power Toluca. They have righted the ship lately, with draws against Western Conference contenders LAFC and Seattle, and a 5-0 romp over Austin May 13.

The Austin win was their first clean sheet since March 7, when they posted shutouts in their first three MLS games. The Austin game was at home, so they don’t have travel to worry about as they await the Orange and Blue.

Head Coach Mikey Varas was an Interim Head Coach with the U.S. Men’s National Team prior to taking over San Diego.

Denmark natives lead the offense. Marcus Ingvarsten has nine goals. Anders Dreyer has six. Dreyer was an MLS All-Star, Best XI selection and finalist for MLS MVP in 2025. He and Evander were teammates together in Denmark with FC Midtjylland from 2020 to 2022, appearing in 81 matches together

"For me, the best players are consistent in their play,” Noonan said of Dreyer. “And game-to-game, you know what you're getting from him. He is very good at moving with the play, finding space to impact the game. Decision making of playing in behind, playing the next pass to benefit his teammates, and then when he gets close to goal, very creative player, good deception, good vision. The passing, the shooting, all of it. He's got just a wide range of attacking qualities that you know are tough to match up against. So, a very, very strong player."

San Diego is 3-2-2 at home, playing in Snapdragon Stadium at San Diego State University. Noonan has seen them play a lot because they usually play on the West Coast after Cincinnati’s games are over.

“They’re a strong team,” he said. “They've been a strong team all the way to last year, and they were in Champions Cup this year, and all the teams that are part Champions Cup experience the challenges of league play and Champions Cup and so I think (the Austin win) was a good indication of really who they are. So a good challenge ahead of us."

Under Noonan, FC Cincinnati is 17-5-5 against Western Conference opponents in MLS play. Cincinnati has won three straight matches in the Pacific time zone.

Noonan is still able to become the fastest coach in the MLS post-shootout era (since 2000) to reach 75 regular season wins, besting the previous mark by Seattle Sounders’ Brian Schmetzer (151 games to reach 75 wins). This will be Noonan’s 150th MLS match with Cincy. Also under Noonan, FCC is 22-11-10 in 43 matches playing a game just three days following another, across all competitions.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati, Evander look to get back on track at San Diego FC