Major League Soccer action is BACK for the 2026 season and is kicking off in the Queen City as FC Cincinnati open the new year against an Eastern Conference foe. Atlanta United FC come to town and kickoff is set for 4:45 p.m. at TQL Stadium.
The Orange and Blue want to get off to a strong start to the season and set the tone at home for 2026. Let’s look at a few key factors to success that FC Cincinnati may need to come out on top in this season opening clash!
Feel the Energy
FC Cincinnati is back at TQL Stadium where the Cincy faithful always bring the noise. While TQL Stadium has always been praised by fans, visitors and neutrals alike, FCC struggled to be as dominant at home last season as they would like to be.
With a 9-5-3 record at home last season compared to an 11-4-2 record on the road, FCC is looking to better capitalize on the home environment that the supporters give them in 2026. So, according to defender Miles Robinson, finding ways to feel that energy and use it is a key to success for this match.
“I think it's important that we get our press right. Make sure we're on the front foot, start the game strong. Use the crowd to our advantage,” Robinson said Friday before the match. “I'm excited just to get back out there in front of the fans at TQL Stadium. Just excited to compete again, to show ourselves, show the league what we have to offer in terms of our quality and how we like to play, and I think we're just excited to get out there and compete.”
“I think if we do all those things, we'll definitely be in a good spot.”
FCC improved their home record in 2025 from their 2024 record, picking up two additional wins. But with how tight the margins are for trophies, winning at home is paramount and using the crowd to your advantage is key.
“We want to have a better home record than we had last year, and I think that starts with tomorrow,” Nick Hagglund added on Friday. “Look, last year you lose the Supporters’ Shield supportership by one point, and three points are up for grabs. Every point matters. So it's important to get off on the right foot.”
Manage transition moments
Atlanta United FC had a disappointing 2025 season, but their talent is clear and dangerous. The expected front three for the 5 Stripes returns from last season with a combined 19 goals and are looking to build on that.
One place that FCC have identified Atlanta as particularly dangerous, and a place where their attack group can thrive, is in transition opportunities.
“The front three, very dynamic in one-v-one situations. A lot of speed. So I think in transition, what we've seen from a couple of the preseason games was a group that can really hurt you, with runs behind, and with isolation moments.” Pat Noonan explained of Atlanta United’s attack. “They have some technical players, they do want to play. You can see that in the games that we've analyzed. How they move off the ball, the comfort level they have on the ball, that's evident.”
That group, which consists of Emmanuel Latte Lath, Miguel Almiron and Alexey Miranchuck. They are expected to form the front three in a 4-3-3 formation. That being said, with new Head Coach Tata Martino at the helm, Noonan also expects the structure and dependability of the defense to be strong for Atlanta, so limiting opportunities to give them a chance to transition will be just as key when FCC have the ball.
“If pressure is broken, they do a good job of getting behind the ball and getting organized,” Noonan added. “So again, it's a small sample size of a couple preseason games, but still enough to let you know of their strengths.”
Play your game
Speaking of sample sizes, this early in the season it can be hard to decipher exactly how each team is preparing or what they are focusing on heading into these matches. FCC, for example, only was able to begin planning for Atlanta on Thursday after their Concacaf Champions Cup match Wednesday night in the Dominican Republic. Atlanta though had no such schedule overlap so they could begin planning for FC Cincinnati earlier.
Similarly, with it being still so easy in the preseason, how do you strike a balance between improving yourselves or your game and preparing for an opponent and what they do.
Fortunately, FC Cincinnati seems clear on this and says they will be approaching this game with an eye on themselves, while also doing what they can to provide information for the players to know what to expect.
“The focus is on our progress. The games always give you a lot of the answers, but it was a good preseason. We were away for a long time, and had a lot to work on. But we had consistency in the player availability to work on a lot of things in a familiar way,” Noonan explained. “So with the nature of the schedule, you have a shorter amount of time in a lot of these early games to get familiar with the opponent, because we're not going to jump ahead. That doesn't do us any good for what's in front of us.”
“A lot of it's going to be a focus on what we're doing and what we're trying to do,” defender Nick Hagglund added. “They have a lot of the same players from last year, so we have a good idea of how they're going to play. Obviously, they have a different coach this year with Tata, but I think you're going to ultimately know what their strengths are with the players that they have. So focusing on the things that we can do well and things that we worked on in preseason is important. Hopefully we can implement those things.”
FC Cincinnati kicks off with Atlanta United at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, starting a busy opening phase of the season where The Orange and Blue will play as many as 10 games in a 5 week stretch. For information on how to watch FC Cincinnati play Saturday and all season, click here.
