FC Cincinnati continue their busy start to the season with action in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, hosting Leg Two of the Round One series at TQL Stadium against Dominican Republic side O&M FC.
In the first match of the series, FC Cincinnati went down to Santiago de los Caballeros and defeated the Liga Dominicana de Futbol side 4-0 with goals from Tom Barlow, Kévin Denkey and Ayoub Jabbari. With the series based on aggregate goals, The Orange and Blue begin this match with that lead in hand and with home-field advantage.
“I think certainly, getting those late goals, as far as really putting ourselves in a good position, is clear,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Tuesday of the team’s result in Leg One and how it impacts the second leg. “But, you map out these plans, these ideas, to help navigate this busy stretch to start. But things don't always go as planned, and you have to be ready to have Plan B, Plan C.
“So, we'll put a strong team out on the field tomorrow, and hope to end the day in a positive way with a good result. After that, we'll focus on what's next.”
In the first match in the Dominican Republic, FC Cincinnati rotated their lineup effectively while still building a lead and setting themselves up for success in the second leg. Four players also made their FC Cincinnati debuts, with Barlow scoring, Cincinnati native Kyle Smith making his first start, Bryan Ramirez starting and playing the first half, and FCC academy graduate Andrei Chirila playing all 90 and making his first-team debut in the process.
With the Concacaf Champions Cup overlapping the regular MLS season, FC Cincinnati are set to play as many as 9 games in 6 weeks and will balance tournament action with league play. After opening the season with wins in both competitions, FCC will look to continue their undefeated start to 2026 and build on their six goals scored and none conceded.
“It's the Champions Cup. So we take it very seriously, and we take pride in everything that we do, and obviously we also try to progress as a group in every game we play, especially the Champions Cup. It's really going to test us really well this year,” midfielder Brian Anunga said before the match at his official press conference on Tuesday. “We take pride when we play these games.”
“What we really need to do in this next game – and every game – is to score goals and keep clean sheets,” Anunga continued. “That's what we're here to do. We're going to take the game very seriously, and we're going to play the game in a professional way.”
To advance to the Round of 16, where Liga MX side Tigres UANL is waiting after already winning their Round One matchup, FC Cincinnati would need to lose by five goals in regulation. The Orange and Blue will return to MLS action after this match, travelling to Minneapolis on Saturday to take on Minnesota United FC.
“What we're really expecting out of this match is to be as professional as possible,” midfielder Anunga added on Tuesday. “We respect the opponent and want to play the game in a professional way, and, hopefully, we advance.”
Round of 16 dates have not yet been announced, but should FCC advance, all first leg matches for that round would be held between March 10th and 12th. The second leg would then be held between March 17 and 19th.
FC CINCINNATI vs. O&M FC (Liga Dominicana De Futbol) – Wednesday, February 25, 2026 – 7 p.m. ET – TQL Stadium
TV: FOX Sports 2 (English) and TUDN (Spanish)
Stream: FOX Sports App, FOXSports.com (English) and ViX (Spanish)
Radio: FOX Sports 1360
International competition
FC Cincinnati begin the Concacaf Champions Cup 2026 and begin their season on the road for the third year in a row. This season, FC Cincinnati visited Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic to take on O&M FC. After trips to Kingston, Jamaica, in 2024 and Tegucigalpa, Honduras in 2025, the trip back to the Caribbean marks the first trip to the Dominican Republic in club history, and the sixth nation that FC Cincinnati have played in.
After a victory in Leg One, FC Cincinnati take a 4-0 lead into this second and deciding match. In the previous two entries into this tournament, The Orange and Blue have secured their advancement to the next round at home, defeating Cavalier FC in 2024, 4-0, and FC Motagua in 2025, with a 1-1 draw.
Scouting O&M FC (6th in Liga Dominicana de Futbol, 0-5-2, 2pts, 2025 Caribbean Cup Runners-Up)
O&M FC enter the Concacaf Champions Cup for the first time in club history and will make their tournament debut when they take on FC Cincinnati this week. La Universidad, nicknamed as such for their connection to “Dominican University O & M,” earned their ticket to the continent's largest club tournament when they finished as runners-up in the Caribbean Cup, falling to eventual tournament winners Mount Pleasant (Jamaica).
With the new year still young, O&M FC are continuing their 2025 season in the Liguilla, where they qualified for the second season of Liga Dominicana by finishing in the top six of the league last year. Their opening to that campaign, though, has not been ideal: they are winless through six matches and have scored only six total goals. One of their top players from last season, Frantzety Herard, who was also the club’s top goal scorer and leading scorer in the 2025 Caribbean Cup, departed the club before the start of the Liguilla, with rumours swirling of the player signing in Europe.
In his place, center forward Anyelo Gómez has stepped up to be the leading man in the offense, scoring and assisting once and playing every minute of the season thus far. The Dominican native is 23-years-old and represented the Dominican Republic at the U-20 World Cup in Argentina in 2023.
Sergio Paredes, 25, is the top goal scorer of this young season, potting two goals, but did so in just three minutes of action all season when he scored twice as a late sub in a 4-2 loss to Cibao FC. Paredes joined O&M FC five years ago and represented the Dominican Republic at the youth national team level at 18.
While most of the club are native Dominican players, two new additions this season come from overseas and have played every minute of the season. Jon Trincado, 26, and Julen Olasagasti, 25, both hail from Spain and joined recently after playing in the Spanish third and fourth divisions, respectively. Olasagasti is a center back, while Trincado is a midfielder.
A pair of twins round out the notable standouts for O&M FC, though one has yet to see the field in 2026. Josue and Isaac Baez, both 23, have been standouts for the club. Josue, a winger, scored in O&M’s most recent match. Isaac, a midfielder, has not played this season, but was a key contributor in the club's Caribbean Cup success. Both have been called into their Senior National Team on multiple occasions
In net for O&M FC is Omry Bello, who has played all but one match in 2026 and has been the main man between the pipes since joining in 2024. Bello, 23, has represented the Dominican Republic at every youth level and has been called into the Senior National Team once.
Manager José Aparicio leads O&M FC from the touchline, and has done so since 2023 when he joined the club.
