In the shadow of a tree tifo created impromptu by FC Cincinnati supporters to celebrate the Concacaf Champions Cup that hung high and proud in The Bailey, The Orange and Blue got the job done and made the wise (not so) old tree proud.
FC Cincinnati began the night with a four goal lead but performed as if it was like any other match. From the first kick to the final whistle, The Orange and Blue put in a professional performance and secured their advancement to the Round of 16 in the Concacaf Champions Cup with a 9-0 victory and ended the Round One aggregate series with a 13-0 scoreline.
With a rotated squad coming off a weekend league match, FC Cincinnati showed the quality of their youth ranks and depth by rotating all eleven players from the starting lineup over the weekend.
Of note in that starting XI, the FC Cincinnati Academy was featured heavily as three graduates from the system were named to the starting group. Gerardo “Dado” Valenzuela and Stiven Jimenez each made their first starts of the 2026 season while Andrei Chirila – who was added to the roster prior to the match via Short Term Agreement from FC Cincinnati 2 – also started for the second time after making his debut in the first leg of the series a week earlier.
Team leaders had made clear their intention prior to this match, saying with no uncertain terms the objective in this match was to play in a serious, intense manner despite already owning a 4-0 lead. At worst this match was an opportunity for everyone to get minutes and prove themselves as worthy of more minutes in the future, and at best it was an important team experience to set the tone for the way they prepare for all matches, no matter the opponent.
By all accounts, they achieved both opportunities and put on a performance they could be proud of.
“I was just pleased with the professional approach and guys not overcomplicating things,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said postmatch from his official Concacaf press conference. “Playing the game in a simple way and scoring some good goals.
“It's nice to see some of those young kids get the spotlight with their minutes, a lot of firsts with the goals with Stiven (Jimenez), Kenji (Mboma Dom), Stefan (Chirila) and Ademar (Chavez). Pleased for those guys, a couple assists and then a debut for Ayoub (Lajhar)...with Ademar, I think you see his range and passing with the ball. There were some really impressive moments where he got us running to the goal with the timing and the way he passed. That highlights a few of them, but it was a collective strong effort.”
With this rotation heavy lineup, it was also an opportunity for players to operate in new roles and capacities. Alvas Powell, for example, was given the captains armband to start the game for the first time in his FC Cincinnati career. Displaying the leadership to the public that his teammates and coaches were already well aware of.
“In my time here, Alvas has been a steady, positive influence in the locker room for our club,” Noonan said of Powell. “Forget performances, whether he's out there, whether he's not, whether he performs, whether he doesn't, he's just a strong character for the locker room, and I think leads by example and has a lot of respect for and from his teammates. So tonight, there were a couple options and we decided to give him the captain's armband. I think he took a lot of pride in it and it was certainly a bonus to see him score as the captain for this team.”
FC Cincinnati needed some time to open the scoring but once they did the floodgates were open. Kenji Mboma Dem scored his first goal for the club in the 18, finishing off a well timed pass from Obinna Nwobodo. Nine minutes later Gerardo “Dado” Valenzuela redirected in a shot – initially taken by Obinna Nwobodo – past the keeper for a second goal. Six minutes after that Kyle Smith got a corner kick with his head that found its way to the back of the net but was ruled an own goal to make it 3-0. Then, finally, two minutes after that Tom Barlow received a line breaking pass from Brian Anunga and secured a fourth goal of the night.
That ended the first half of the action…
The onslaught continued in the second half.
Ademar Chavez, the newest homegrown signing from the FC Cincinnati Academy, came on at halftime and instantly made an impression. Just three minutes into his debut performance the 17-year-old blazed in from the wing to finish off a pass across the box from Mboma Dem, becoming the youngest FC Cincinnati player in club history to score for the club.
Ten minutes later, Kenji Mboma Dem cut in from the wing and dribbled his way to the top of the box and ripped a grass burning low shot that pinged off the post and in for the sixth goal of the night and a brace for the French attacker.
Ten minutes after that it was another FC Cincinnati Academy graduate in Stiven Jimenez who got his moment, scoring in the 68th minute to extend the lead to 7-0 on the night and 11-0 in the aggregate.
Again, ten minutes later an eighth goal came when Alvas Powell ran to the far post and headed home a floating cross from Ayoub Lajhar.
Finally, the FC Cincinnati offense had its last goal of the night when, just for good measure, Stefan Chirila joined the goal scoring party by slamming home the ninth goal of the game.
And so, at exactly the 90 minute mark, the referee blew her whistle and called for full time. Ending the night and confirming FC Cincinnati’s victory and advancement in the tournament.
“No initial thoughts. What I will say is we have an important game on Saturday, and so, we won't talk about Tigres until it's necessary,” Pat Noonan said of advancing to face Tigres UANL. “We understand that we had a matchup against them last year, and when the time's right, we'll address that.
On the defensive side of the ball, The Orange and Blue kept their opponents at bay and away from starting goalkeeper Evan Louro, who did not have to make a save all night and earned the clean sheet. The back line of Chirila, Gilberto Flores and Kyle Smith dealt with any danger and managed the O&M FC attack with very little issue.
Obinna Nwobodo – who typically dominates more on the defensive side of the ball, and continued to do that on Wednesday night – continued to flash his offensive prowess in this series. He tallied assists on the first two goals of the match and added a third in the second half, bringing his tournament total to five and setting a new all-time club record for Concacaf Champions Cup assists.
“I think he's done a really good job in finding more advanced positions in the end product,” Noonan said of Nwobodo. “We've utilized the preseason, and these first couple games, to try to find different answers and certainly I think it's been promising as far as his output and some of the things we've seen with our midfield.”
FC Cincinnati have now advanced to the Round of 16 all three times they’ve entered the Concacaf Champions Cup and turn their attention to breaking through that round, where, in each of the last three seasons they've been eliminated from the tournament. Their next opponent is the same as their Round of 16 opponent in 2025, Tigres UANL from Mexico’s Liga MX.
First though, they return to MLS action as the busy opening to the season continues. The Orange and Blue first jet north to take on Minnesota United FC on Saturday, February 28 then return home to face Toronto FC before picking back up for Concacaf Champions Cup action.
“As far as what we need to focus on now, it's turning it around quickly for what will be a tough game and a tough atmosphere and conditions on Saturday,” Noonan said of where the team goes next. “We can revisit (the Concacaf Champions Cup) in a week or two. Let's get through a couple league games.”
