FC Cincinnati blanked Liga MX’s Tigres UANL, 3-0, Thursday night in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 at TQL Stadium. The Orange and Blue head into next Thursday’s second leg in Mexico with a three-goal aggregate advantage.
The dominant win marked FC Cincinnati’s largest margin of victory over a Liga MX opponent and the Orange and Blue’s first win in the Round of 16 of the Champions Cup.
Kévin Denkey set the tone for the wire-to-wire win, scoring early in the 6th minute after pouncing on a Tigres turnover early. Cincinnati’s lead was extended to 2-0 early in the second half when Tom Barlow notched his third Concacaf Champions Cup goal of this year in the 53rd minute. Substitute Gerardo Valenzuela’s assist guided Denkey to score his second goal of the match in the 83rd minute to pad FCC’s aggregate lead.
Goalkeeper Roman Celentano, making his 150th appearance for FC Cincinnati, secured a clean sheet as FCC have yet to concede in the competition.
FC Cincinnati return to action Sunday, March 15 at Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Revolution. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. ET and the match airs on Apple TV and is carried over the radio locally on iHeart Media ESPN 1530 and in Spanish on La Mega 101.5 FM.
The second leg of the Champions Cup Round of 16 fixture with Tigres takes place next Thursday, March 19 at Estadio Universitario in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Kickoff is slated for 9 p.m. ET.
FCC are back at TQL Stadium next Sunday, March 22 for Kids Day against CF Montréal. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET and tickets are available at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or by calling 513-977-KICK.
GAME NOTES
- FC Cincinnati’s 3-0 win over Tigres marked a new largest margin of victory over a Liga MX opponent.
- FC Cincinnati improved to 5-4-3 against Liga MX opponents, all-time.
- Kévin Denkey recorded his 12th career game-winning goal for FC Cincinnati, the most by any player in FC Cincinnati’s MLS era (2019-present).
- Denkey recorded his first match for FC Cincinnati with at least one goal and one assist.
- Denkey became the club’s all-time leading scorer in the Concacaf Champions Cup with his fourth and fifth-career goals in the competition.
- Roman Celentano made his 150th appearance for FC Cincinnati, becoming the fourth player in club history to reach the milestone (Yuya Kubo, Nick Hagglund, Luciano Acosta).
AS IT HAPPENED
CIN: Kévin Denkey, GOAL – 6’ (1-0) – A poor clearance from Nahuel Guzman landed perfectly at the feet of Ender Echenique, who pounced on the ball, took one dribble and crossed the ball to a lurking Kévin Denkey. Denkey’s right boot redirected the ball past the frozen keeper.
CIN: Tom Barlow, GOAL – 53’ (2-0) – A surgical Echenique pass guided Denkey from midfield into the attacking third. Denkey dashed past two defenders before centering the ball to a storming Tom Barlow. The American used his first touch to gather the ball, while his second buried the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.
CIN: Kévin Denkey, GOAL – 83’ (3-0) – An attack created by Gerardo Valenzuela on the far side of the pitch allowed for Denkey to make a run toward goal. Denkey’s right footed screamer came from just outside the 18-yard box.
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati vs Tigres UANL
Date: March 12, 2026
Competition: Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16, First Leg
Venue: TQL Stadium | Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 9,257
Kickoff: 8:06 p.m. ET
Weather: 44 degrees, cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT
CIN: 1-2-3
TIG: 0-0-0
CIN – Kévin Denkey (Echenique) 6’, Tom Barlow (Denkey) 53’, Kévin Denkey (Valenzuela) 83’
TIG – None
LINEUPS
CIN: Roman Celentano, Bryan Ramirez, Teenage Hadebe, Miles Robinson (C), Gilberto Flores, Ender Echenique (Alvas Powell 78’), Samuel Gidi (Gerardo Valenzuela 78’), Obinna Nwobodo (Tah Brian Anunga 63’), Pavel Bucha, Tom Barlow (Evander 63’), Kévin Denkey (Ayoub Jabbari 88’)
Substitutes not used: Evan Louro, Fabian Mrozek, Nick Hagglund, Kenji Mboma Dem, Matt Miazga, Kyle Smith, Stiven Jimenez
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
TIG: Nahuel Guzman, Jesus Garza (Osvaldo Rodriguez 78’), Jesús Angulo (Ozziel Herrera 59’), Joaquim Henrique, Vladimir Loroña, Cesar Araujo, Angel Correa, Romulo Zanre (Juan Purata 21’), Juan Brunetta (C), Diego Lainez (Juan Vigon 78’), Rodrigo Aguirre (Andre-Pierre Gignac 78’)
Substitutes not used: Juan Carrera, Felipe Rodriguez, Edgar Lopez, Marcelo Flores, Henrique Simeone, Diego Sánchez, Rafael Guerrero
Head Coach: Guido Pizarro
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/TIG
Shots: 12 / 11
Shots on Goal: 4 / 1
Saves: 1 / 1
Corner Kicks: 2 / 5
Fouls: 11 / 12
Offside: 3 / 1
Possession: 42.6 / 57.4
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Tom Barlow (Yellow Card) 26’
CIN – Obinna Nwobodo (Yellow Card) 29’
TIG – Jesus Garza (Yellow Card) 50’
CIN – Pavel Bucha (Yellow Card) 90’
CIN – Tah Brian Anunga (Yellow Card) 90’+2
OFFICIALS
Referee: Steven Madrigal
Ast. Referees: Jeriel Valverde, Luis Granados
Fourth Official: Bryan Lopez
VAR: Yasith Monge
AVAR: Benjamin Pineda
