After a disappointing Saturday night last time out, FC Cincinnati are looking to turn the page quickly and get back to their winning ways on Wednesday night when they host Inter Miami CF at TQL Stadium for a midweek matchup.
With the loss to Columbus still on their mind, snapping a four game winning streak and falling out of top spot in the East at the same time, the quick turnaround may be a fortunate opportunity for The Orange and Blue as they have the opportunity to take on another top team and reprove themselves after losing in Hell is Real.
The priority, though, coming out of that match will be to ensure they play their game first and do so as a unit the entire time.
“A lot of the conversations are around the game and the video, so we just finished up discussing a lot of things as far as where the game went wrong and how we can prevent that from happening again,” Pat Noonan said Monday morning from Mercy Health Training Center in his prematch press conference. “The message, I think, is pretty clear, from all of us. So, that can only be answered by how we train over the next two days and how we perform on Wednesday.”
“We kind of stopped being a cohesive unit. We were doing a lot of individual things and making individual mistakes, which happens, but if we can stick to the plan about being a cohesive unit, sticking together and not playing individually, then we're obviously a top team,” FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga added later that morning. “So we've got to stick to that kind of togetherness and being cohesive instead of being individuals.”
The matchup with Miami pits FC Cincinnati against one of the deeper teams in the league, and a team that enters this match on a five-game winning streak. Inter Miami, though, is also in the midst of a very busy schedule as they look to make up for lost time in the MLS schedule after competing in the FIFA Club World Cup
With the talent on the field, though, FC Cincinnati is gearing up for a challenge and knows it will take that kind of cohesive effort in order to earn three points on Wednesday night.
“It'll be a good challenge for us and, like we saw on the weekend, it has to be 90 minutes of concentration and courage - both sides of the ball - to understand how to play and manage a game,” Noonan explained in his press conference. “Our 11 have to be collective in everything they do to try to make them (Miami) uncomfortable when we have the ball and be very connected and very strong, especially in one-v-one moments.
“Like I say all the time, if you can get the defensive structure right, it doesn't mean you're going to get the individual duels right, and if we can have success in those moments, you know, I think we can have a good, good performance.”
FC Cincinnati will travel to Real Salt Lake following this match for the first Western Conference road trip of the season. They will then, one week later, travel to South Florida for the return leg against Miami, completing both FC Cincinnati-Inter Miami matches in 2025 in the span of 10 days.
FC CINCINNATI vs Inter Miami CF – Wednesday, July 16, 2025 – 7:30 p.m. ET – TQL Stadium
Watch/Stream (English/Spanish): MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
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Blue Out
Wednesday night at TQL Stadium will be a “Blue Out” as FC Cincinnati look to drown out Miami! All fans in attendance, and truly any and all in Cincinnati, are encouraged to wear Blue for the match on Saturday to help Blue Out TQL Stadium!
For more information, click here.
Versus Inter Miami CF
Inter Miami CF return to Cincinnati for the first time since July 6, 2024. That night, FC Cincinnati earned a dominant, historic 6-1 victory at TQL Stadium, which entered the record books for multiple reasons.
That victory for FCC matched the club record for goals in a match (6), and matched the club record for goals in the first half (4). It was also just the second match in the last 10 seasons that featured the top-two teams in the Supporters’ Shield standings at least 21 games into the season.
FC Cincinnati have won three straight home MLS matches against Inter Miami at TQL Stadium and are unbeaten in four consecutive matches in all competitions, including the 3-3 draw in the U.S. Open Cup Semifinals in August 2023. All time, FC Cincinnati is 4-5-2 against Miami with a 3-2-1 record at home.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
At Home For The Stretch – Wednesday is the third of three straight home matches for Cincinnati. Including Wednesday night, seven of FC Cincinnati’s 12 remaining MLS Regular Season matches in 2025 will be played at TQL Stadium. And 10 of the club’s 15 remaining scheduled games in 2025 – including Leagues Cup Phase One – will be hosted in the Queen City.
Starting Strong, Quickly – Pavel Bucha’s 1st minute goal on Saturday vs Columbus Crew, scored at 39 seconds, was the fourth-fastest goal in FC Cincinnati’s MLS history and the fifth all-time 1st minute goal.
Just Another Winning Wednesday – Under Pat Noonan, FC Cincinnati have fared well on Wednesday. Under Noonan since 2022 in all competitions, FCC are 17-5-7 in 29 matches falling on a Wednesday (3-0-2 this season).
Potential for 150 – FC Cincinnati Head Coach revealed Monday that Nick Hagglund will be available for this match. Should he make an appearance, which would be his first since being injured on May 25 in Atlanta, it would be his 150th appearance for FC Cincinnati. With the 150th appearance he would be the third player in club history to reach that plateau.
SCOUTING Inter Miami CF (11-3-5, 38 Points, 5th in Eastern Conference)
Inter Miami CF comes to TQL Stadium on Wednesday, riding high on the success of their FIFA Club World Cup appearance and a five-game win streak in league play, which began in May.
Under new Head Coach Javier Mascherano, who took over the side this offseason after Tata Martino stepped away after one and a half seasons, the club has experienced some early-season struggles but seems to have found its form as the 2025 season crests into the summer months. Miami went winless in four matches prior to this winning streak, but have worked through their struggles to return to being one of Major League Soccer’s most dangerous clubs.
One part of Inter Miami's game style that has struggled at times this season is the defense, but over this stretch, FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan says that is the part of their game they have cleaned up the most, and in doing so, have helped set their team up for success.
“I think defensively you can see, just in moments where the ball turns over, the organization and how they've defended against the ball to be tough to play against,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan explained Monday in a press conference from Mercy Health Training Center. “So, I think that's been a strength of their team and in recent months, from what we've seen”
The top line heading of every matchup with Miami will obviously include Lionel Messi, the star of Inter Miami and a consensus top player in history. The Argentine forward has not always been available in FC Cincinnati’s matchups with The Herons, but appears set to play in this playing. With 10 goals in his last five league matches, Messi set a league record by registering a brace in four consecutive games and has been the hottest scorer in the league. That said, in all his previous playing against The Orange and Blue, Messi has never scored.
“The reality is we're playing, you know, one of if not the greatest players that ever played, so we have to be mindful of where he is and what he does,” Defender Matt Miazga said Monday ahead of the Wednesday night match. “But at the same time, we're playing at home. We have to focus on ourselves and push our game forward. If we do that, we'll minimize them, and that's the most important thing. So that's the focus now.”
Aside from Messi, Miami brings a lot of quality to the field, making for a challenging game. The likes of Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets make headlines for the club. However, the down roster quality beyond those international stars could be the difference for a club like Miami.
“Their best players are really strong, but it's not just about [Lionel] Messi, [Luis] Suarez, [Sergio] Busquets, [Jordi] Alba who are, we know, world class. They've done this their entire careers. But I think the pieces around them right now are also performing at a high level,” Noonan added from his press conference. “ You see all the pieces - the Segovia's, the Redondo's. On the back line - [Maximiliano] Falcon - these guys are, and I'm naming all of these players that are getting a lot of minutes and helping them, [Tadeo] Allende. These are really good players. So our 11 have to be collective in everything they do to try to make them uncomfortable when we have the ball and be very connected and very strong especially in one v one moments.”
This season, Miami ranks second in goals scored league-wide and first in the Eastern Conference with 44. They also own a 5-1-3 record when playing away from home.
