After another 10-day break in action, FC Cincinnati return to the pitch looking to take on the second half of the MLS season and start the stretch run with a visit to French-Canada for a matchup with CF Montréal.
With the FIFA Club World Cup pausing most of MLS play for the last week, The Orange and Blue have had time to work on the training pitch and sort out some of the things they feel need improving before starting the second half of 2025. Of the priorities, FC Cincinnati leaders, including Pat Noonan and forward Kévin Denkey, highlighted defensive organization and composure as strong points of focus over this extended break from game action.
"You have more time to work on things in training. We've tried to look at the first half of the season, and more recently with our group on where we need to improve? What are the aspects of our play that are good (and) that we want to continue working on," Pat Noonan explained at his pre-match press conference on Monday. "I think a big emphasis was just about the intensity of how we're defending the ball, specific things within our backline and how we shift and how we're able to release off the line, those were big talking points."
FC Cincinnati saw improved defensive composure in their most recent match, earning a clean sheet on the road to the New England Revolution.
"We pushed a lot," Kévin Denkey said ahead of the match. "When we had the breaks and when we came back, we pushed a lot. We know that the second part is the most important part of the season. So we have to push more to have more connections in the team, between each other."
With the return to action, FC Cincinnati will still be without defender Miles Robinson, who is away from the team with the US Men's National Team at the Gold Cup. Still, beyond that, Pat Noonan highlighted a full bill of health in his squad at his pre-match press conference.
With FC Cincinnati currently sitting in second in the Eastern Conference standings, every match against Eastern Conference opponents is important and an opportunity to climb the table.
"What matters now is results, because we are in the second part of the season, and what counts is points and wins," Denkey continued. "Clean sheets are how you win things, how you win titles. Now is more important to have this kind of win."
FC CINCINNATI at CF Montréal – Wednesday June 25, 2025 – 7:30 p.m. ET – Stade Saputo
Watch/Stream (English/Spanish): MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
English Local Radio: iHeart Media: ESPN 1530
Spanish Local Radio: La Mega 101.5 FM
FC Cincinnati Social Media: X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
FC Cincinnati Official Mobile App: iOS and Android
Against Montréal
FC Cincinnati won the first battle at Stade Saputo in 2019, 1-0, with Allan Cruz’s 1st minute goal proving the difference. Since then, FC Cincinnati are 0-3-1 in Montréal, having earned a ‘road’ win over CFM in early 2021 at the tail end of the Covid restrictions in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Nine of the first 11 meetings between FC Cincinnati and CF Montréal have either ended in a draw or been decided by one goal. The lone outlier was the past two matches at TQL Stadium, a 3-0 and 4-1 win for FCC in 2023 and 2024, respectfully. Only three of the 11 all-time meetings between the clubs have featured fewer than three combined goals.
FC CINCINNATI NOTE
Denkey gets a Perfect 10 – Kévin Denkey scored his 10th goal for FC Cincinnati in his 17th appearance for the team on May 17 at Columbus Crew, making him the fastest to reach the milestone in club history. Next up could be Evander, who sits on nine goals in 20 games for the club. His next goal will make him the 17th player in the club’s all-time history to score 10 goals for the club.
Quick Starts – All-time in MLS Regular Season play, FC Cincinnati have scored 38 goals all-time in the opening 15 minutes of a match.
Seven of those 38 goals (18%) have come against CF Montréal. Against no other club have FC Cincinnati scored more than four times against in Minutes 1-15 (4, D.C. United).
Oh Canada! – FC Cincinnati are 14-9-5 all-time against MLS’s three Canadian clubs. Under Pat Noonan, the Orange and Blue are 9-3-4 against the three sides.
Obi’s Milestone – Obinna Nwobodo currently sits at 9,986 minutes played for The Orange and Blue – 14 minutes away from 10,000 minutes played in all competitions. Nwobodo would become the 5th player in club history to reach this milestone, joining Yuya Kubo, Roman Celentano, Nick Hagglund and Luciano Acosta.
SCOUTING CF Montréal (2-11-5, 11 Points, 15th in Eastern Conference)CF Montréal went winless in their first 11 matches this season. But with a coaching change in their wake and some time under interim Head Coach Marco Donadel firmly underway, French Canada's club has seen a slight turnaround in their fortunes and won their second game of the season in their most recent match.
In a 3-1 victory over Houston Dynamo, two of Montréal's newest additions scored to give them the win, with Prince Owosu and Jalen Neal scoring to earn them the road victory. Owosu, a physically imposing forward, had the brace, while Neal, a young defender, had the third.
With the change in coach after Laurent Courtois was relieved of his duties, CF Montréal has emerged with a more dominant defensive mindset and a press that more effectively puts teams in trouble. This philosophical change has, in the eyes of FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan, altered the way you have to prepare for their Canadian foes.
"They've really stepped up their pressure on the defensive side of the ball. You can see a change from what we saw previously, but that's something we've put a good amount of focus on," Noonan said of his opponent this Wednesday night. "They have different designs, different ways to set up their group with the ball that you can see different plans going into different games. So we tried to look at things that might mirror how it looks for us. But the one thing we have noticed is there's been differences in each game that have them prepared to try to break down their next opponent. So, you know, a lot to be challenged with."
The positional flexibility has unlocked something extra for CF Montréal, but their scoring threat remains Owusu. The 6'3" German forward joined CF Montréal this winter after two years with Toronto FC and has scored 6 goals in 18 games thus far. Known for his strength and physicality, Owosu challenges any back line and is always a threat on set pieces in the box.
"He's been really good with his back to goal.I think if you look at their structure in the Houston game, and how he was isolated at times, and how he brought players into the game, I think his hold up play has been excellent," Noonan continued on the Montréal man. "Certainly a presence physically in the box, how he attacks crosses. They get good service, he's a good target. Those are aspects of the last couple weeks that have really stood out and I think certainly help their side. So it'll be a challenge for our backline, specifically, but then on set pieces we have to be strong across the board."
CF Montréal, like FC Cincinnati, will be missing important players on their side as international duty continues and the Concacaf Gold Cup marches on. Four members of CFM have been called into the national team, including Olger Escobar (M, Guatemala), Nathan Saliba (M, Canada), Dante Sealy (D, Trinidad & Tobago) and Joel Waterman (D, Canada). Saliba, Sealy and Waterman all rank in the top seven on minutes played leaders for CFM, meaning they will be without key pieces.
In net, Jonathan Sirois has been the man for Montréal, appearing in 16 of 18 matches this season and being the bang-on starter for three years now. Sirois has earned three clean sheets this season and conceded 26 goals.
In that Houston match where they earned their road victory, Montréal started in a 4-2-3-1 formation, utilizing Owusu up top and Caden Clark (another newcomer this season) in the middle of the offense.
