With the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, FC Cincinnati play one last match ahead of the MLS-wide summer break; closing the first half of their season by hosting Orlando City SC at TQL Stadium and looking to go into the summer on a high note.
FC Cincinnati and Orlando City SC have both struggled to start their 2026 campaigns, but have rebounded to some extent and are looking to build on that going into the nearly two-month break. Orlando City SC started their season with six losses in their first eight games, but have since won three of six and drawn one in that stretch as well. The Orange and Blue are on a stretch in which they have earned points in eight of their last 10 matches and have scored multiple goals in each of their last 7.
With the break nearly here, going into that stretch on a high note can be a significant boost to morale. But it is important not to look past this match to that break with an opponent coming to town who always gives FCC a hard match.
“I don't know if it's fully set in that after this game there'll be such a long break, but we've just tried to focus on getting to the break in the best way possible,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Thursday ahead of the weekend fixture. “We'll try to go into this game the best way possible, and then go into the break on a little bit of a high.
With Orlando City SC coming to town, that means a reunion for one specific member of FC Cincinnati. Kyle Smith, while a Cincinnati native, played the first seven years of his MLS career with Orlando before joining The Orange and Blue. While with Orlando, the defender made 178 MLS appearances and helped contribute to a long-standing battle where Orlando kept Cincy from a win at home in the last three matchups between these two clubs. Smith is looking to change that now that he’s playing for his hometown club.
“I was there for a long time, it was like a second home, but you know how they play,” Smith said earlier this week. “They're gonna bring a good game. They're hard workers, so I think we just need to prepare for a high-intensity match.”
“We need to keep TQL Stadium a fortress and win at home,” Smith continued. “The fans will help us with that as well, being loud, they always bring the intensity. But we're not going to let any team come in here and have an easy game.”
After this match, FC Cincinnati will not play in MLS action again until the league restarts its 2026 campaign in late July. Until then, the World Cup will take center stage in North American Soccer. The next time The Orange and Blue take the field in regular season action is on July 22 when they host Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Saturday night, The Orange and Blue will also be celebrating AAPI Night at TQL Stadium. Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Night celebrates the rich cultural heritage and contributions of the AAPI community. This special evening features performances, cultural storytelling, and partnerships with local AAPI organizations. For more information on AAPI Night, click here.
FC Cincinnati vs Orlando City SC – Saturday, May 23, 2026 – 7:30 p.m. ET – TQL Stadium
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History vs Orlando City SC
FC Cincinnati have been strong when travelling to Orlando City SC, going 3-0-1 in the last four visits down south, but have struggled when playing at home to their Purple Lion rivals.
In the last three matchups with OCSC at TQL Stadium The Orange and Blue are winless, earning a draw and two losses during that stretch.
All-time, FC Cincinnati is 4-5-4 against Orlando City SC, and under Pat Noonan they are 4-2-2.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
(Courtesy of *FC Cincinnati Communications*)
Noonan Wins – With a win Saturday night in his 151st MLS match as coach of FC Cincinnati, Head Coach Pat Noonan would match the MLS post-shootout era record (since 2000) as the fastest coach to reach 75 regular season wins. Seattle Sounders’ Brian Schmetzer is currently the fastest coach to reach 75 wins, doing so also in 151 games.
The Kardiac Kids – FC Cincinnati’s 11 goals scored from the 75th minute onwards are the most in MLS. 10 of FC Cincinnati’s 17 points this season have come in matches in which FC Cincinnati trailed at some point in the match.
Three times this season FC Cincinnati have equalized in stoppage time to earn a draw (April 11 at TOR; April 22 at NYC - 2 goals; May 16 at SD). Two other times FC Cincinnati scored a game winner in stoppage time, and in both of those games, Cincinnati were down to 10 men (March 22 vs MTL; May 2 at CHI).
Scoring A Lot – FC Cincinnati have scored multiple goals in seven consecutive games, which is the longest streak in the club’s MLS era (2019-present).
By scoring three goals in San Diego last Saturday, the Orange and Blue surpassed the prior club record of scoring 2+ goals scored in six consecutive games, which included Leagues Cup action in 2023.
Scouting Orlando City SC (4-8-2, 14 Points, 10th in Eastern Conference Conference, D-W-L-W-W)
Orlando comes to Cincinnati this weekend and couldn’t be hotter after a midweek thrashing of Atlanta United FC in the US Open Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday night. OCSC leaped out to a 4-0 lead in that match and held serve the entire time, closing out with a 4-1 victory and punching their ticket to the semifinals with the victory.
In MLS action, Orlando has also turned their year around of late with victories in three of their last five matches. After just one win in their first seven league matches, Orlando made the switch and parted ways with long-time manager Oscar Pareja, who had managed the club since 2019. In his place, and now in the interim role, is Martín Perelman. Perelman had previously been an assistant coach with Orlando and the head coach of Orlando City B in MLS NEXT Pro.
Under the interim manager, Orlando City SC has lined up in a 4-4-2 formation.
“It doesn't feel like a different version of them. I think Martin's worked with Oscar for a long time, and clearly the personnel hasn't changed on the field, and they have a very talented group, of course,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of Orlando . “When you have a change, maybe there's new ideas, and you know he has his own tweak on some of their ideas, but I think you see a lot of similar concepts, seen a couple different things, but whether that's by design or not, as far as the change, I can't really speak to that, but it's a very strong team.”
“They compete as well as anybody in the league, they have leadership on the field and know how to manage different aspects of the game,” Noonan continued. “We have to be ready to compete.”
At the forefront of the formation and leading the Orlando offense is forward Martín Ojeda, who has already scored 9 goals this season and is following up a 2025 campaign in which the Argentine scored 16 goals and added 15 assists.
Beside him in that formation has been a combination of different players, but homegrown Justin Ellis has been the option of late, starting in each of the last four matches for Orlando. Ellis, 19, is a Florida native and joined the first team last season after initially making his pro debut for Orlando City B.
In the midfield, Orlando has a collection of veterans with plenty of club experience. Brian Ojeda leads the team in minutes played this season, along with Ivan Angulo and Eduard Atuesta in the middle. On the right flank of the midfield is DP Marco Pašalić, who was recently selected by Croatia for their 2026 FIFA World Cup roster.
Another player to keep an eye on in the midfield is Tyrese Spicer, who often appears as a sub but is second on the team in goals this season. In six appearances as a substitute so far this season, the Trinidadian midfielder has scored twice.
On the backline is Swedish defender and captain Robin Jansson, who is now in his eighth season with Orlando.
A new addition to the squad is Griffin Dorsey, who came to the club this offseason in a trade with Houston Dynamo for over a million dollars in GAM. Dorsey, a right back, has scored twice this season and is one of the more dynamic attacking fullbacks in MLS, having scored multiple goals in the last four seasons. He has had, in total, 31 goal contributions in 144 total MLS appearances.
In net for Orlando is another newcomer and another National Team representative at this summer's World Cup. Maxime Crépeau of Canada joined Orlando this offseason after the last two seasons with Portland Timbers and the two seasons before that with LAFC – where he was key in LAFC’s MLS Cup-winning campaign. Crépeau has made 13 starts this season and made 58 saves. He is expected to compete for the starting job with Canada at the World Cup.
