FC Cincinnati earned a vital home win Wednesday night to take all three points and move up the Eastern Conference table as the playoffs loom. The 2-1 victory over D.C. United put The Orange and Blue on 39 points and in eighth place with four games left to go. 

Because of a unique scheduling quirk, Wednesday's match was rescheduled after being postponed due to inclement weather on September 5; FC Cincinnati now travels to Washington, D.C. for a rematch with D.C. United on Saturday night, effectively completing a home-and-home series.

“It’s a new game. We can use this game because they're so close in proximity to help prepare, of course. But it's a new game,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Wednesday night after the win over D.C. United at TQL Stadium. “Just like we've done in these previous games, put the performance and the result aside, we have to move on, and let's use something tonight to help guide us and prepare us. But it's going to be a different game on the road, and we need to be prepared for that.”

This is the seventh time since 2022 in Major League Soccer that sides have played back-to-back matches against each other, and the second time FC Cincinnati have done it in that stretch; last doing so against Toronto FC in April and May of 2022. In the six previous meetings, one side has swept the series three times (including FCC’s sweep of TFC in 2022), and the two teams have split wins only once. 

With the Eastern Conference playoff picture being as tight as can be, these matchups with a D.C. United side that is also hunting for a place in the MLS Cup playoffs are only more important. A win over D.C. not only pushes FCC up the table, but also keeps a rival at bay. 

Playing the same team twice in three days creates complicated planning, but it’s the situation they’re in, and both sides are in the same boat.

“Of course, they're going to analyze it the same way we're analyzing it: to use some of what we saw tonight to help get the decisions right on Saturday,” Noonan said of the approach each team will take going into the second game. “So we'll take a look at the game and see how we get through it physically and try to turn it around with a strong performance on the road with the idea of trying to get three more points. It's the circumstances that we're in. It wasn't planned, but we're playing home and away, and our focus is to go try to have an even better performance on the road and try to get three points.”

Kickoff from Audi Field in Washington, D.C., is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night and kicks off a two-game road stand for The Orange and Blue, taking them to D.C. and Miami next week for their final two road games of the 2026 MLS regular season. After that stretch, FC Cincinnati will return home to close the season with two home games.

FC Cincinnati at D.C. United – Saturday, October 24, 2026 – 7:30 p.m. ET – Audi Field

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History vs D.C. United

FC Cincinnati and D.C. United meet Saturday for a second matchup in four days. The weekend fixture was originally scheduled – it was Wednesday’s matchup which was placed on the calendar after the September 5 match was postponed due to pitch conditions and resulting player safety concerns created by heavy rains and inclement weather in the Cincinnati area. The Orange and Blue won Wednesday’s matchup at home, 2-1, with goals from David Douděra and Teenage Hadebe, both their first-career goals for FCC. 

Saturday marks the 16th all-time meeting between the Orange and Blue and the Black-and- Red, with D.C. holding a 6-5-4 advantage. FCC have a winning record all-time at Audi Field, with back-to-back wins in both 2024 and 2025.

FC CINCINNATI MATCH NOTES

(Courtesy of FC Cincinnati Communications)

Schedule Odditity – With four MLS Regular Season matches to go, FC Cincinnati have already set an all-time record for goals scored in all competitions in a single season (83). With 62 of those scored in MLS play, FCC are just four goals shy of the club record for goals scored in an MLS season, set in 2022 (64).

A couple of firsts!  – Wednesday night’s win over D.C. marked the eighth time in club history multiple FC Cincinnati players scored their first MLS goal for the club in the same match, with David Douděra and Teenage Hadebe each scoring for FC Cincinnati for the first time. Courtesy Elias Sports, prior to it happening once already this season (March 22 vs MTL: Barlow & Jabbari), the last time came on February 25, 2023 vs Houston Dynamo FC (Nwobodo & Santos).

Denkey Delivers – FC Cincinnati Designated Player forward Kévin Denkey has scored 21 goals in all competitions this season, 17 in MLS play, meaning he is just one goal shy of matching the all-time club records for goals scored both in all competitions (22 - Evander, 2025) and in MLS play (18 - Brandon Vazquez & Brenner, 2022; Evander, 2025). 

Denkey, who has scored 39 in his career for FCC, is four goals shy of tying Brandon Vazquez for the second-most goals scored all-time in club history.

Scouting D.C. United (7-11-12, 33 Points, 13th in the Eastern Conference, L-L-W-L-D)

In a quirk of the schedule these two sides will once again play each other, just three days after squaring off in the midweek at TQL Stadium. The matchup is just the seventh time in MLS since 2022 that teams have played each other back-to-back matches. 

FC Cincinnati earned the win in the Wednesday night showdown, scoring once in each half and limiting D.C. United to one goal in the process.

With 12 draws this season, D.C. United lead MLS in split games and have shown a strong ability to scratch out results at home and on the road. At Audi Field this season, DCU is 5-5-5, and have lost just one time at home in their last five.

“It’s a new game. We can use this game because they're so close in proximity to help prepare, of course. But it's a new game, and just like we've done these previous games, put the performance and the result aside, we have to move on, and let's use something tonight to help guide us and prepare us,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said after Wednesday night's battle. “But it's going to be a different game on the road, and we need to be prepared for that.”

The club is managed by Head Coach René Weiler, who took over in July 2025 and had previous tenures as head coach at clubs in Japan, Switzerland, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Belgium. D.C. United typically utilizes a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 formation.

On Wednesday night, D.C. United looked to be dangerous by virtue of their ability to play with physicality and winning duels in the midfield. By playing direct they were able to put the FC Cincinnati line under constant pressure and keep possession in the FCC end for long stretches. 

The squad is led by 2026 free agent acquisition Tai Baribo, a forward who, before joining D.C., plied his trade with East Coast Corridor rival Philadelphia Union. Baribo, 28, leads the team in goal scoring this year despite missing time due to injury and is the primary offensive threat, scoring 16 goals in 23 matches. 

At the time this game was scheduled, it was unclear whether Baribo would be available due to injury. Now though, he is fully fit and scored D.C. United’s loan goal, a penalty, in their 4-1 loss last Saturday.

“He is a very strong player. We certainly look at the games where he's involved because, without knowing, you anticipate that he could be back,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of Baribo. “When he's on the field, especially when they have the ball, the timing of his movements, the change of speed to attack behind to run in the box is very strong. There's a reason he’s scored so many goals and had success in Philly and now in D.C. He's, I think, an excellent attacker and certainly brings an element of competitiveness, experience and quality to their front line.”

The alternative offensive option has been the side's other DP forward, Louis Munteanu, a Romanian attacker who joined this season and has scored six goals and four assists in 21 games. It is unclear, though, whether Munteanu is available to play, as the Romanian international suffered a lower-body injury during the last international window and has been listed as “out” in recent matches.

Munteanu is one of four players who were listed as Out for their match last Saturday, with only Lucas Bartlett being expected to be back. Bartlett, an American in his third season with the club, is third in minutes played for DCU and wears the armband. 

Other key contributors include veteran defenders Keisuke Kurokawa, a Japanese center back who leads all outfield players in minutes played this season, and Silvan Hefti, a Swiss defender who has started in 25 of 29 possible games this season.

Another Japanese player, Kimito Nono, scored the lone goal for D.C. United on Wednesday night in Cincinnati. Nono, a wingback, joined the club earlier this summer from Kashima Antlers of the J1 League, and has been reunited with Head Coach René Weiler, who he played for at Kashima prior to both making the leap to MLS.

Goalkeeper Sean Johnson is another steadfast member of the starting XI this season after joining the club last winter. A member of the 2022 USMNT at the World Cup, Johnson joined D.C. United after three prior seasons with Toronto FC. He was absent from the Wednesday night match with an injury, putting Alex Bono between the pipes for the side.

D.C. United also features a group of younger contributors who, they hope, will become the foundation of future success. Jackson Hopkins, a homegrown midfielder, has appeared in every match this season and has three goal contributions. Nathan Ordaz, 22, is another young addition to the side, with the club investing heavily in a trade to bring the El Salvador international from LAFC to the club in July.