Welcome Back! - 10:37 a.m. - About 83 Minutes from Kick-Off
Hello and welcome back to the preseason Live Blog! We are once again live from Florida and FC Cincinnati is back in action for some friendly football! I am your friendly neighborhood Staff-Writer (respect the hyphen!) Carter Chapley and I am posted up pitchside with my laptop, beach chair, backup battery and sunscreen armed and ready to keep you updated from kickoff to final whistle of FCC’s first game of 2026.
Today we have travelled from Clearwater, Florida – the preseason home of FC Cincinnati and over 35 miles of sand beaches – to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for a 100+ minute affair with the New England Revolution. This matchup marks the first of four preseason friendlies for The Orange and Blue and gets us to another milestone on our path to opening the 2026 season.
In this 105 minute match, it is yet known how either side intends to utilize or deploy their squads, and lineups will only become available closer to the match, but what we do know right now is how the clock will be organized. FCC and the Revs will open with a 45 minute ‘half,’ and follow that with two 30-minute sessions with a short intermission between those as well. These kinds of preseason clock alterations are very typical, especially in the opening weeks of preseason, with both sides looking to maximize their opportunities in competition.
With some of those details out of the way, I can get now to some of the typical disclaimers of the Live Blog. For those of you familiar with these Live Blogs, welcome back! I value your repeated patronage. For the newcomers, I hope this experience can be informative and entertaining!
I will be updating this page as frequently as possible with match updates, commentary, color and information as frequently as I can with timestamps so as to keep things organized, so refresh this page to stay as current as possible. That said, and I ask that this consideration apply on multiple fronts, these preseason games take place far outside the typical viewing experience of a Major League Soccer game. I am sitting at field level, with no clock, no replay or stream to watch and trying to track the game all while typing furiously into this blog. If you need even more visual descriptors to help understand where my perspective is coming from in this game, I'll tell you I'm sitting just off the corner flag on the end line, so my view is looking more up the field than side to side at it like most press box seating. I have recruited some helpers to give me extra eyes so I don't miss any action or need confirmation, but it's still a unique situation from where my usual viewing experiance is.
Nontheless! Every effort for accuracy will be made, and should there need to be corrections they will be made as promptly as possible with clarity as to those corrections when needed. The same goes with any sort of typo, corrections and edits will be made on the fly but I appreciate your patience and understanding. The speed of updates are valuable, but correct information is paramount! So I appriciate you reading along and understanding that as we go today.
Lineups will be provided as they become available, and once we kick off I will update as best I can from what I can see. I have also learned in prior years that visiting fans often find their way to us here at FCCincinnati.com, and welcome! I am more than happy to have you! Unfortunately though, for those curious about updates on the Revolution today, I am not in contact with their communications representatives and therefore can’t promise prompt or 100 percent accurate information. Therefore, unless passed along information I will refrain from speculation or guesswork. But should observations be made that you find informative or entertaining, so be it
Kickoff is set for noon and the next time this blog will be updated is when lineups, or if any other new pertinent information, becomes available. So check back in and thank you again for reading! New information will be at the bottom of this page so as to have a chronological reading experience.
FC Cincinnati is back in action!
Nearing the opening whistle– 11:40 a.m. – 20 minutes to kickoff
We are inching closer to getting this game underway as both teams are well into their warmups on an adjacent field.
I missed New England arriving at first but it looks like they are already kitted up and will be wearing full white kits this afternoon (shorts, tops and socks alike). FC Cincinnati looks to be wearing a full blue get up, with blue shorts, socks and training tops. The keepers for FCC look to be wearing a black kit set, I think they are the same black training tops I've seen in the past but they're too far away right now to know for sure. I will circle back on that later.
So at the very least the two sides will be easily (and uniquely) identifiable.
Relocating, stand by - 11:55 a.m.
I've been soaked by a surprise sprinkler head as they water the field...need to find a safer spot...and dry off.
Lineups are in! – 11:58 a.m.
Firstly, scratch that note on the FCC kit situation, they are in fact in their Legacy Kit blues.
Secondly, thank you for the patience as I relocate but we have a lineup!
The following is the XI players set to open today's preseason friendly, arranged in alphabetical order.
- Pavel Bucha
- Roman Celentano
- Kévin Denkey
- Ender Echenique
- Evander
- Gilberto Flores
- Nick Hagglund
- Ayoub Jabbari
- Obinna Nwobodo
- Miles Robinson
- Trialist
It is a breezy 73 degrees here as we approach kickoff, and there isn’t a cloud in the sky – kinda like St. Pete, Florida when they set a Guinness World Record of 768 consecutive sunny days. Though it is just shy of the annual average temperature of 81 degrees…so I guess we can’t have it all today.
Kickoff! - 12:03 p.m. - 1'
We are underway here with FCC action! FC Cincinnati roll things back as Kévin Denkey gets us started. I am sitting on the FC Cincinnati "end" to open things, with Roman Celentano in net near me. So FCC's attack is on the far end from me.
Another note of correction, Roman is not in those black training kits -- clearly I jumped the gun on guessing costume changes -- and he's in...red? Pink? I'll say light red to split the difference.
FCC get a quick chance early with Ayoub Jabbari running forward, but it's off the post and out for a goal kick.
8'
Both sides get a chance in quick succession but neither find a finish. FCC gets the first, their second real look of the game, when Obi Nwobodo slides a pass across the box from out wide, but it's just out of the reach of Kévin Denkey and it rolls on by. Ayoub Jabbari had a second chance at it, but it's just to far for him as well as his lunge gets a piece of the pass but not enough for a solid shot and it's collected by the NE keeper.
New England turns it around with a long pass up the sideline from the keeper, and they play a whipped cross in, but Nick Hagglund is there and clears it up and out for a corner. Hagglund then clears the corner as well with his head and it gets out of the FCC zone.
14'
Quick note of reminder as I go here, these times are approximate as there is no "official" clock in site to reference. My handy dandy Casio watch and it's stop watch function serves me well here, but even with a well timed start to the whistle, I am assuming it is off slightly. So
New Endland is getting a little bit of pressure here as they press FCC into their own corners, but Roman Celentano has yet to need to make an actual save. One shot from just outside the box went wide, and the other 1-2 chances have been cleared by Flores.
20'
Best chance of the game for either side as FC Cincinnati break out QUICK with a pair of passes to give Jabbari a good look on net. Miles Robinson strung a long pass up the middle to Nwobodo, who turned, took one touch, then threaded an equally pacey pass along the ground to a running Jabbari who split the line and was off to the races.
The defender who ran with him made it a tough shot, he had the inside line, but Jabbari got a strong shot off that the keeper could only block. A rebound shot is taken from the other side as well but the keeper recovers to save that too and sends it out for a corner. Would have been tough to beat the keeper from that rebound angle though, was really tight to begin with and the keeper had closed the space.
That pair of passes up the middle though were really crisp.
27'
Preseason is such a unique oppertunity to watch...well any team really, because away from all the sounds of a typical game you can really hear the commnication the players talk about.
For example, hearing guys like Roman Celentano and Miles Robinson hollering instructions in multiple languages and keeping guys connected that way. Sometimes it's just single words, but other times it's full sentences or phrases. Just a facsinating thing you really don't get a change to fully appricate in a packed TQL Stadium.
36'
New England get their best look so far when FCC get dispossed at midfield and are slow to turn back on defense. The Revs push forward quickly and get numbers in the box, but Nick Hagglund and Miles Robinson work in tandum to effectively turn the ball carrier away and then snuff out the possesion at the edge of the box.
On the other end, with some build up in between, Ender Echenique dribbles to space out wide and sends a high floating cross into the box where Ayoub Jabbari LEAPS to head it but the keeper reads it the whole way and snags it into his chest.
43'
FC Cincinnati win a free kick from a dangerous spot outside the New England box and just off to the right side. Evander steps up and curls a shot that beats the keeper, but goes just wide into the outside netting of the goal.
Revs try to break out from that quick, but Miles Robinson tracks back and wins the ball before midfield and settles things down.
End of first 45
We have reached our first intermission of the game as FCC pressures New England in the final few minutes of the half, but it ends at what I'd imagine is almost exactly 45 minutes.
Unclear how long this break will be, but if there are updates I'll be sure to let you know!
I personally felt like that first half went by at 170 MPH...which happens to be the maximum speed of IndyCar racing at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Pete!
46'
A very quick break as both teams are back out for this second session. A reminder, we will be playing two 30 minute periods to close out today's friendly.
It is the same group that played the first 45 minutes that is back out to start action again. But they've flipped sides, so I'm now on the end The Orange and Blue are attacking towards.
49'
Took me a minute to report this as I again had to quickly scurry away as spinklers came for me, but FC Cincinnati have hemmed in New England here. They get a very similar look to one from the first half where Ayoub Jabbari leaps for a header, but it was far to high (even for him) so he can't get enough to it.
After that, another dangerous free kick is won but Evander shot is sent away by the diving New England keeper.
51' GOAL KÉVIN DENKEY
FC Cincinnati get on the board first when Kévin Denkey slips loose in the box and Pavel Bucha finds him. Denkey takes the shot from a thin angle but beats the keeper far post for the first goal of 2026 preseason action!
1-0
52'
That goal marks the end of that group's time on the field. FCC make a full line change of XI. The group on the field now is the following:
Brian Anunga
Tom Barlow
Andrei Chirila
Stefan Chirila
Samuel Gidi
Ayoub Lajhar
Evan Louro
Kenji Mboma Dem
Alvas Powell
Kyle Smith
Gerardo Valenzuela
66'
It's been a fairly quiet start to this group time, but FCC nearly break that stretch with a really well taken cross from Kenji Mboma Dem on the end line and a tap by Tom Barlow but the Revs keeper dives to get a hand and sweeps it off the line.
FCC players think it was in, and I did too, but I admittedly don't have a clean angle. But I will say, that ball had at least some part of it over the line, and probably more than just some.
73'
We're getting close to the end of this 30 minute session and I should say as a kind of follow up to my earlier note on being a quiet stretch, it's become really apperentthat as thing go on that almost all of this 30 minutes has been in the New England half. Which, I think speaks to some strong play on the defensive end.
There have been two moments in a 20 or so minute stretch that have been challanging, but Evan Louro dealt with each. The first was a very nice save that he was able to punch well from danger, the other had the shot go well over the bar.
End of first 30 minute session
We are in the homestretch now as we take another quick pause, hydrate and come back out for the final 30 minutes of this game. It looks like no changes as the guys start to head back to their positions
76'
In true preseason fashion, the start of the third session of the day begins with goal kick from Evan Louro rather than a kickoff from midfield. Play is back underway now.
82' Goal Revolution, 1-1
Revs get one back on FC Cincinnati after Sami Gidi is tackled, dispossesed and stays down. Refs allow play to go on for a while as FCC play down a man, and in the following actions they sneak a shot past to level the score. Trainers come out to tend to Gidi in the aftermath, he's treated quickly and back out there. Unfortunate sequence, but it's one all with about 23 minutes to go.
91'
Things are getting a tad more physical as we get to the end of this game, and the chatter from players to officials has ramped up. Dado Valenzuela gets tangled up with a defender on the edge of the New England box both sides make cases to the ref why the other deserves a card. No one does in the end, fairly unsurprisingly.
Brian Anunga and a delegate from New England (they're not wearing numbers so it's really hard to decipher from here) seem to be trying to cool things down with their respective teammates.
96'
FC Cincinnati make their first change that is not a total XI swap, as Stef Chirila comes off and Stivin Jiminez comes on. The change happens while Ayoub Lajhar is checked by the trainers. I missed what happened there but he seems to be all good and returns to action quickly.
101'
We've past the centruy mark here and are nearing a conclusion. Dado Valenzuela gives FCC one of its better offensive looks off the last 60 minutes, dribbling into the box from the end line and cutting through defenders before he's bumped and loses possesion. He was hoping for the penalty call, but it doesn't come. The Revs players seem to give him some props for the dribbles as they help him back to his feet.
FULL TIME
Evan Louro makes one more OUTRAGOUS save to keep this game level in the final seconds, and that's the final action of the game as the ref calls for full time.
It ends a 1-1 draw.
Thank you all for reading along! FC Cincinnati will be back in training later this weekend and back in friendly action next week when they take on Houston Dynamo FC for game two of preseason.
I spoke with Kévin Denkey postgame, and Pat Noonan will speak to the media later today.
But until we Live Blog together again, I'm Carter Chapley. Signing off.
