RECAP | FC Cincinnati 2 drop MLS NEXT Pro season opener, 3-1, to CT United FC

FC Cincinnati 2 fell to CT United FC, 3-1, in the club’s 2026 MLS NEXT Pro opener Sunday night at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium.

CT United opened the scoring on the stroke of halftime as Robbie Mora converted from the top of the area in the 45th minute. Steven Sserwadda tallied an assist on CT United’s first goal in club history.

Stefan Chirila brought things level from the spot in the 71st minute after Dilan Hurtado drew a foul inside the CT United box. Chirila is off the mark in 2026 after scoring nine goals a season ago.

CT United scored two late second half goals with Alex Monis and Ibrahim Kasule tallying for the away side in the 78th and 90th minutes.

Nine players made their FC Cincinnati 2 debut against CT United, including FC Cincinnati Academy midfielder Noah Gassan. Gassan came on at halftime for Deiver Mosquera and played the entirety of the second half.

Next up for the Orange and Blue is a road match against Philadelphia Union II on Sunday, March 8 at Subaru Park, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed live on MLSNEXTPro.com and through the OneFootball platform.
 
FC CINCINNATI 2 GAME REPORT 
FC Cincinnati 2 vs CT United FC
Date: March 1, 2026 
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season 
Venue: Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium | Highland Heights, Ky.
Kickoff: 6:03 p.m. ET 
Weather: 41 degrees, clear  
 
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT 
CIN: 0-1-1
CTU: 1-2-3
 
CIN – Stefan Chirila (PK) 71’

CTU – Robbie Mora (Sserwadda) 45’, Alex Monis (Mora) 78’, Ibrahim Kasule (D’Ippolito) 90’

LINEUPS  
CIN: Bryan Dowd, Will Kuisel, Andrei Chirila, Michael Sullivan (C), Leonardo Orejarena, Yair Ramos (Camden Sphire 82’), Deiver Mosquera (Noah Gassan 46’), Ayoub Lajhar, Jack Mize (Dilan Hurtado 69’), Stefan Chirila, Charlie Holmes (Mathias Vazquez 90’+3)

Substitutes not used: Luke Broz, Santiago Sanchez, Gavin DeHart, Amin Ibrahim
  
Head Coach: Sammy Castellanos
  
CTU: Gunther Rankenburg, Andre Applewhaite (Daniel D’Ippolito 72’), Lukas Kamrath, Jahvar Stephenson (Rickson van Hees 79’), Hivan Kouonang (Michael Boamah 79’), Ibrahim Kasule, Steven Sserwadda, Robbie Mora, Alex Monis (C), Caua Paixao (Nelson Rodriguez 17’), Barnabas Tanyi
 
Substitutes not used: Anthony Ramos, Sean Petrie
  
Head Coach: Shavar Thomas
 
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/CTU
Shots: 6 / 18
Shots on Goal: 1 / 6
Saves: 2 / 0 
Corner Kicks: 4 / 7 
Fouls: 15 / 10 
Offside: 4 / 6 
  
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY 
CTU: Jahvar Stephenson (Yellow Card) 34’
CTU: Robbie Mora (Yellow Card) 69’
CTU: Alex Monis (Yellow Card) 82’

OFFICIALS  
Referee: Edson Carvajal
Ast. Referees: Zachary McWhorter, Art Arustamyan
Fourth Official: Promise Adebayo-Ige