In a trip to Foxborough, Massachusetts, The Orange and Blue are gearing up for an away-day battle with the New England Revolution. FC Cincinnati take to a newly outfitted Gillette Stadium in search of their first road victory of the 2026 season and do so hot off the heels of a memorable victory in the Concacaf Champions Cup just three days earlier at TQL Stadium.
After losing its last two games in MLS action, FC Cincinnati got some of its form and confidence back on Thursday with a 3-0 victory over Liga MX’s Tigres UANL in Leg One of the Round of 16. Now the key will be to maintain that form and build on that confidence for this road match, with just two days' rest between matches.
“I think there's certain aspects of our game Thursday and tomorrow that tie into each other. So there are things that might look a little similar, both in some of our ideas, but also what we anticipate from New England. So you want to bring the confidence and the good play into the next game,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Saturday ahead of the match. “It's certainly better when you have a good feeling going into the next game because you performed well and had a good outcome. I think the guys have been good about moving on from performances, good or bad, to understand that the next game is going to have its own challenges and you need to have the right preparation and focus to go do it again.”
The FC Cincinnati defense has been the calling card for The Orange and Blue early in this 2026 campaign, conceding just twice in six matches across all competitions. Defensive leaders have taken pride in their ability to stymie opponents this season, highlighting how that success has only been possible because of their work as a full eleven, not just as defenders. Their belief has been that while the defense is not yet even at the place it needs to be, they are establishing good habits that can grow into a more dominant team identity.
“Defending and the belief in defending is a contagious act. It's all of us believing that if we all do our jobs, there's no way they're getting through us,” FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano said. “It just really sets a tone that no one is getting past us.”
While this will be the first matchup of the regular season with New England, it won’t be the first meeting. FCC and the Revs faced off in preseason action earlier this year in Florida. Pat Noonan says that the matchup helps add some familiarity to the opponent.
“It's not the first time we'll see them. Preseason we got a glimpse of their group with (new head coach Marko Mitrović), and so they got a glimpse of us. I think that matchup probably has this one not feeling so new or with too much uncertainty,” Noonan said of New England. “A lot of consistency, and what they showed in the preseason and through two regular season games is an intensity with the press; where we saw some of those pressing moments and how we need to be prepared to play under pressure.”
In a unique bit of serendipity, FC Cincinnati 2 will be travelling to New England at the same time to take on New England Revolutions II. The Revs II often play at Gillette Stadium, but due to the scheduling conflict and the FIFA World Cup, they now play at Bryant University’s soccer stadium, Bernine Stadium in Smithfield, Rhode Island, for home matches. The double-header of matches between first and second teams gets underway at 1 p.m. Learn more about that matchup here.
FC Cincinnati vs New England Revolution – Sunday, March 15, 2026 – 2:30 p.m. ET – Gillette Stadium
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History vs New England
FC Cincinnati have earned three points each of the past two years at Gillette Stadium, earning a 2-1 win in March 2024 and a 1-0 win last June, with Kévin Denkey’s 26th minute goal serving as the winner. In MLS play since 2022, FC Cincinnati are unbeaten in their last four in Foxborough, 2-0-2.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
(Courtesy of *FC Cincinnati Communications*)
New Grass – FC Cincinnati will get to play New England’s home opener on the freshly-laid grass at Gillette Stadium ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup. It will mark the Revs first MLS match on grass since the 2006 season.
Before Gillette Stadium switched to turf in November 2006, their last home game that season was in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Chicago Fire. In that game, Pat Noonan scored the leg’s game-winning goal to send the match to overtime on aggregate 2-2, and he scored a penalty, as New England advanced to the Eastern Conference Final.
Milestone maker – Kévin Denkey’s brace in Thursday’s win over Tigres marked his second multi-goal game with FC Cincinnati (April 26, 2025 vs Sporting Kansas City). Denkey netted his 21st and 22nd goals for Cincinnati in all competitions, moving him into a four-way tie for the fourth-most goals in club history, all-time, with Danni König (2017-18), Emmanuel Ledesma (2018-19) and Evander (2025-Present).
Also with an assist of Tom Barlow’s goal, Denkey put together his first performance of three goal contributions (2 G, 1 A) for Cincinnati.
Quick Turn – Following Thursday’s win, Sunday marks a quick turnaround for Head Coach Pat Noonan’s squad. Historically, FC Cincinnati are strong in matches in quick succession. Under Noonan, since 2022, FC Cincinnati are 20-10-10 in 40 matches playing a game just three days following another, across all competitions.
A bit of a homecoming – Star FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson looks to make his fourth career MLS appearance at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. Robinson, a native of nearby Arlington,
Massachusetts missed last summer’s trip for FC Cincinnati to The Bay State as he was with the U.S. Men’s National Team for the Concacaf Gold Cup.
Scouting the New England Revolution (0-2-0, 0 Points, T12 Eastern Conference, T27 in MLS)
The New England Revolution had their home opener postponed last weekend, so they will open their home schedule this week when FC Cincinnati come to town. The match was postponed so a new grass playing surface could be installed at Gillette Stadium ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, replacing the artificial turf the Revolution have played on for the last two decades.
With their two matches in 2026 coming on the road, this homecoming comes at a welcome time (even with the delay) as the Revs find themselves with a 0-2-0 record and outscored five goals to one.
Under new Head Coach Marko Mitrović, the Revolution are looking to rebuild to success after missing the playoffs the last two seasons. The new bench boss has experience in Major League Soccer prior to his appointment as Head Coach of the Revs, working as an assistant with the Chicago Fire for three years in the 2010’s, but the Head Coach has spent the last five years more prominently leading US Youth National Teams. He notably served as Head Coach for the 2024 US Olympic squad at the Paris Summer Games, where he coached FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson.
On the pitch, the catalyst of the club remains Carles Gil – the 2021 Landon Donovan MLS MVP winner and multiple-time All-Star and Best XI winner. Now in his eighth season with the Revs, the Spanish midfielder is the elder statesman of this rebuild. A goalscoring threat in his own right, Gil is most known for his ability as a playmaker and passing savant. He holds the club record with 87 assists and has had double-digit assists in five different seasons.
“I guess it depends on who you ask (but) Underrated? For me, no, he's one of the best players in our league,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of Gil Saturday when asked if the former MVP is perhaps a little underrated in the popular consciousness of Major League Soccer. “I think if we went back to every press conference where we played New England, I'll talk about Carles, because I think he's outstanding.
“I think the way he moves with the game, the way he finds space, the way he creates separation, his passing range, the way he can connect simple passes to help his team, difficult passes to help his team. I really enjoy watching him play.”
The prominent theme regarding the newcomers to this season's squad is American youth talent. The Revs signed Griffin Yow this offseason, a winger from Virginia who played for Belgian side Westerlo before returning stateside. He has started both MLS matches this season for the Revs and registered two shots on goal.
The Revs also added Brooklyn Raines via a U22-initiative contract after a Cash-for-Player trade with the Houston Dynamo this offseason. Raines has been a staple for Mitrović at US Youth National Teams, making 25 appearances across different age groups, including all five matches for the U20 side at the FIFA U20 World Cup. Raines most often plays as a defensive midfielder for New England.
Under the new head coach, New England has been somewhat flexible with their starting XI and formation. In their opening match, Mitrović deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation, and used a 4-3-3 in game two. The core constant of the shape was Gil in the middle of the field, with a collection of Yow, Raines, midfielder Matt Polster and defender William Sands as constants in the starting XI so far, with the rest of the group changing from one game to the next.
One of the stars of the group for the New England Revolution, and a needed anchor for the team should they hope to find success in 2026, is American goalkeeper and Designated Player Matt Turner. The 31-year-old USMNT regular is currently on loan with the Revs through the summer of 2026 from French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais and is set to get significant playing time as he gears up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer. Turner has made 52 appearances for the United States Men’s National Team, including being selected to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He also made 102 appearances for New England between 2016 and 2022 before moving overseas, and is now returning four years later on loan.
