If it’s all about getting hot at the right time, FC Cincinnati are exactly where they need to be after a hearty 3-0 home win over CF Montréal to close out the regular season on Saturday night.
Goals from hometown hero Nick Hagglund, MVP shortlister Evander, and cult hero Brenner made for the comfortable victory, which gives the momentum of a five-game unbeaten streak heading into the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs as the second seed in the East.
“Good end to the season,” head coach Pat Noonan said postgame. “Nice to win in front of these fans and send them off in a good way as far as regular season play, and hopefully carry that over into the playoffs.
I was pleased with how the guys got through a challenging first half and some frustration.”
Hagglund, the Cincinnati kid, was the one to cut through the first-half frustration. In the 33rd minute, the Lakota West and Xavier University product headed a corner from Evander home for his first goal in two seasons; much of the time in between had been mired by injuries.
“It was great, honestly, on fan appreciation night,” Hagglund said. “I feel like this is a goal for them. I appreciate all the things that they have done and supported us this year, and it helped get the team a win in the game before playoffs…our last dress rehearsal.”
Fittingly, Hagglund had a signature celebration paying homage to his home, striking the pose of the Genius of Water, the centerpiece of the iconic Tyler Davidson statue at Fountain Square.
“I had that planned out, I mean, usually I have a token one goal a year,” Hagglund laughed. “I mean, it's been 12 seasons and I have 11 goals. So, I missed it last year.”
Obviously, there was plenty for FC Cincinnati to smile about in Saturday’s celebrations, but the biggest winner? Potentially, Evander, who dropped the last pages of his 2025 MLS Landon Donovan MVP evidence in his case.
The newcomer has lived up to his billing and more in his debut season in Orange and Blue, adding a goal that brought his all-competition tally to 22, the most all-time in a single season in club history.
“He does what we saw over the course of this season in all competitions,” Noonan said of his No.10. “How he's at times carrying the attack, how he's improved on the defensive side of the ball, his engagement, his understanding of certain moments, and being able to be a difference maker.
“So we push him, we challenge him, and he's always open to those conversations. And we'll continue to push him, because he's a special player,”
Evander’s 56th-minute goal, an acrobatic turn-and-shoot from distance to skip past a subdued Montréal defensive line and goalkeeper, is the latest example of the Brazilian making the guile look routine.
“I think a player that you can count on when the team is not playing their best,” Hagglund answered when asked what an MVP profile is. “To just pull something out of their hat and will the team to win.
“I think it's a person that you can depend on every game to do something special. And I think that is the player that deserves MVP … I think the teams that win are the ones that on a day where they're not their best, their best player comes and pulls them out, and I think you've seen that consistently over the year with Evander.”
There’s also the little things, like occupying two Montréal defenders in transition to give Brenner space to dance into the box for the final goal, a combination Noonan and Co. will be hoping can hit stride as they size up this year’s playoff bracket.
Another item on their wishlist: getting as close to full strength as possible. Lingering injuries to goalkeeper Roman Celentano and midfielder Obinna Nwobodo are seemingly in the rearview as Celentano went all 90-plus minutes, handling three saves in open play comfortably.
Nwobodo, injured in the reverse fixture at Montréal in June, was good for a 100% passing rate in 15 attempts as a 45-minute starter.
“It feels good to finally be on the pitch,” Nwobodo explained postgame. “I've always been with the team, but it's different when you're on the pitch, and it's good to have this feeling and feel the atmosphere being on the pitch and wearing the jersey again.”
With 2023 MLS Defender of the Year Matt Miazga headlining a host of FC Cincinnati players hoping to get off the shelf come playoff time, it’s not unthinkable for fans to hope for a full-strength MLS Cup bid.
For now, a five-game unbeaten streak headlined by four wins is more than enough to have an optimistic, if not realistic, outlook.
“I think the characteristic of this team and a lot of the guys that have been a part of this together over the last few years, you always see them seem to step up,” explained Noonan. “And we're not perfect in that. We're not batting 1.000, but the majority of the time, when these guys are dealing with some adversity, or we're not at our best, and we challenge them, and they challenge each other, you see how we get through it.
“Was it perfect, these last five games unbeaten? No, but it positioned us to be a second seed when we had to go on the road to Red Bulls and LA (Galaxy) and find a way to get results.
“And it's hard to do in this league. So, we win 20 games, that's hard, and these guys should be applauded for that, because it might not always be pretty, but they're doing it, and you have to appreciate that.”
And for the elephant in the room? It all adds up to FC Cincinnati and I-71 rival Columbus Crew facing off in a best-of-three series to open the playoffs after a wild Decision Day tilted Columbus above the Wild Card line.
“It's great,” Noonan said. “What a great opportunity we get to play a rival in the playoffs and meaningful games in a best-of-three. If you don't get excited about that and those opportunities, on top of being a playoff team, and playing in front of our fans… there's something missing there.
“So we'll take a night to enjoy this, and then we turn our focus to Columbus.”