FC Cincinnati kick off their third Phase One Leagues Cup game of this year’s tournament with a chance to earn their spot in the knockout stages with a winning result. The Orange and Blue, fresh off two key wins to open the tournament over CF Pachuca and Pumas UNAM, now welcome Atlas FC to TQL Stadium, needing a win to help secure their spot in the quarterfinals.
Given the unusual structure of Leagues Cup, only the top four clubs from each league advance out of Phase One and into the knockout stages. FCC, who have earned six points and secured a plus-four goal differential, currently rank 4th in the table after two full rounds of play but are one of six MLS clubs to have earned all six available points, meaning only a victory and three points can make you feel the most positive with teams still left to play. Meaning, there is everything to still play for.
The visiting side, Liga MX’s Atlas FC, though, are in the opposite situation. After losses in their first two games of the tournament, Atlas have already been officially eliminated from the competition as they can’t advance. So with Atlas moving their attention back to Liga MX play, there is a degree of mystery as to the roster and approach the Guadalajara team will take to the match.
That being said, for FC Cincinnati, the vision and mission are still very clear.
“Our focus, and what I said to the guys, was it doesn't matter outside of what we do,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of the plan ahead of this match. “We have to be ready to perform and position ourselves with three points and if we're able to do that, we'll see. But, certainly, with respect and anticipation of a very strong Atlas side.”
FC Cincinnati have continued their strong run of form of late in Leagues Cup, winning each of their last five matches at home and earning a clean sheet for the first time in a long while on Friday in the 2-0 win over Pumas UNAM.
“We're definitely just looking for a win. We know if we go out there and win in regulation, it looks good for us,” defender Miles Robinson said of the approach to this match. “So that's definitely the mindset that we have: go out and perform well and win the game. I think if you just look at the last two games that we played in the League Cup, we have to have that same type of mentality and mindset. The importance of every play, both offensively and defensively, recognizing you know any moment can shift the game.”
Given the potential mystery about what to expect from their opponent on Tuesday night, there is a balance that Head Coach Pat Noonan is trying to strike. FC Cincinnati need to win, and want to win big to give themselves as strong a goal differential as possible. But what they are expecting is a strong defensive side based on their form and the quality of play Atlas has. So being prepared for the defensive strengths of their opponent is key, but it’s also important to keep on the same approach the team has been playing at of late and stay true to themselves.
“What we can be prepared for is, I think, a team defensively that has shown to be aggressive, certainly,” Noonan explained. “I think they step up to the ball in a good way. They have different looks with their structure that can cause us problems if we don't get the defensive organization right. So, it's just trying to paint the picture of a few of those things and be ready to give (the team) information in real time to adjust if necessary.
“But, I also want our guys thinking about the things that have brought us success recently with the ball, with different ideas about how we can move up the field, control space and then defensively, when's the right moment to be ready to go to the ball and if we can't, how do we recover.”
With a win, FC Cincinnati will have done all they can to qualify for the next round of Leagues Cup, but, given all six teams still need to play, FCC may have to wait until the end of the round to secure their spot in the quarterfinals and know who their next opponent in the tournament may be.
But after this game, FC Cincinnati return to MLS action this weekend when they travel to Orlando City SC for a match on the road. The Orange and Blue return to TQL Stadium next in a midweek tilt on Wednesday, August 19 when they host NYCFC.
FC Cincinnati vs Atlas FC – Tuesday, August 11, 2026 – 8 p.m. ET – TQL Stadium
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Leagues Cup Explained
For the second year, Leagues Cup 2026 brings its new format and table to the competition, providing one of the most challenging and punitive setups to a tournament that FC Cincinnati will play in this season.
Leagues Cup pits 18 clubs from both Major League Soccer and Liga MX against each other in a battle to earn a trophy as the top of the two most competitive leagues in Concacaf. The winner of the tournament earns an automatic bye to the Round of 16 in the Concacaf Champions Cup, with the second- and third-place finishers also qualifying for the initial round of that event.
To win Leagues Cup, a club must play six matches, which includes three “group” games and three knockout stage matches.
The action starts with Phase One, which resembles more of a group stage. MLS and Liga MX are split into two tables, one for each league, with the top four teams from each side advancing to the knockout rounds. All matches will be played against interleague competition, so while you will be competing on the field against new foes, the pathway to advancing is based on your results as compared to your in-league compatriots. That means every match contributes to the table and who could advance.
It is also worth noting that there are no draws in Leagues Cup; all matches will end with a winner and a loser. Should teams be level after 90 minutes plus stoppage time, the match will move to a penalty kick shootout. For the table, a win outright will give a team three points, a win in the shootout will award two points, a loss in the shootout will give one point, and a loss outright will, as normal, give zero points.
Last year, in the first iteration of this tournament under these rules, an MLS side needed seven points (meaning no outright losses) and a goal differential of +6 to advance out of Phase One – meaning every match is important.
After Phase One, the top four teams from each league are sorted into a bracket for a single-elimination knockout stage. Only in the semifinal will it begin being possible for there to be in-league matchups. Should a team lose in the semifinals, they would still play in the third-place game.
History in Leagues Cup Play
FC Cincinnati have been off to a great start in Leagues Cup 2026, earning three points in their first two matches with a 3-1 win over CF Pachuca and a 2-0 win over Pumas. Now the Orange and Blue shift attention to Atlas FC, where a win would secure 9 points and strong odds of advancing to the Leagues Cup Quarterfinals for the first time in club history.
Atlas marks the ninth different Liga MX opponent the Orange and Blue have faced in club history. FC Cincinnati will have now faced half of the 18 current Liga MX clubs.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
(Courtesy of *FC Cincinnati Communications*)
Home Cooking – FC Cincinnati have won five consecutive home matches in all competitions dating back to a May 23 win over Orlando City SC before the World Cup break. The win streak is the third home win streak in club history of five matches or more, in all competitions, dating to the club’s inception in 2016.
Bucha Banging in Goals – On Friday against Pumas, Pavel Bucha scored his fifth-career Leagues Cup goal, which matched Brandon Vazquez’s club record for career goals scored for FCC in Leagues Cup.
Going up, on a Tuesday – The Atlas match marks just the ninth all-time matchup for FC Cincinnati (since 2019) on a Tuesday. Last Tuesday, FC Cincinnati won on a Tuesday for the first time since June 6, 2023 in a 3-1 U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal win over Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
Scouting Atlas FC (2-1-0, 6 Points, 9th in the Liga MX Apatura, 0-2-0 in Leagues Cup, -4 GD)
Atlas FC have started the new Liga MX season in a strong way; unfortunately, that fate has not been the same for the 2026 Leagues Cup as they find themselves already eliminated from the competition heading into their final game. After losses to Charlotte FC and Columbus Crew in their first two Phase One matches, Los Zorros (aka The Foxes) play in this dead rubber match with no chance to move on.
Founded in 1916, Atlas FC are a founding member of Liga MX and will celebrate their 110th year in 2026. The club is named after the Titan ‘Atlas’ of Greek Mythology, known for being condemned by the Gods to hold up the heavens and the sky for all eternity. The club, who play in Guadalajara, have won three Liga MX titles, four Copa MX titles and five Campeón de Campeones crowns. They are also known for having one of the best Youth Academy systems in Mexico, regularly producing talent that represents Mexico on the national stage and regularly sending players abroad.
The club is currently managed by Hernán Crespo, who is in his first year as head coach with the club after an esteemed playing career in Europe. Before managing Atlas, Crespo, an Argentine native, managed in Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Qatar and the UAE. His squads have most often lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but he has also used a 4-2-2-2 formation in certain spots, specifically in their last Liga MX match where they lost 2-1 to CF Monterrey.
Los Rojinegros (The Red-and-Blacks) start their defense at the very back with a club legend in Camilo Vargas. The 37-year-old keeper has made over 270 appearances for the club and helped see Atlas to their 2021 and 2022 Liga MX titles – the club's first since the 1950s. Vargas was also Colombia’s starting keeper this summer at the World Cup.
Aldo Rocha captains the side and is now in his seventh year with the club. The 33-year-old also led the side through that same successful stretch and has held down the midfield the entire time as the club rocks on the defensive side of the ball.
Key scorers for Atlas include Arturo González and Duk, who both play forward. González, 31, is back with Atlas after starting his career there before moving around Liga MX. He led the team in scoring last season with seven goals. Duk, who represents Cabo Verde on the national team stage (though he was not selected for the World Cup roster), is a newcomer to the side after joining in July.
On the defensive line is a familiar name from MLS matches past: Rodrigo Schlegel is joined by Manuel Capasso as the center back duo for Atlas FC. Schlegel previously played with Orlando City SC and made over 180 appearances for them from 2020 to 2025. Capasso has had a long career playing in Brazil and Argentina before coming to Liga MX and Atlas; his prior stops included Newell’s Old Boys and Vasco da Gama.
