FC Cincinnati battled back from a two-goal, second-half deficit to earn a 2-2 draw at Houston Dynamo FC Saturday night. Kévin Denkey’s 90’+7 equalizer from the spot secured a point and marked FCC’s fifth stoppage-time equalizer of the season.
The Orange and Blue (8-8-9, 33 points) earned an important point to begin a three-match road trip as Houston (13-8-5, 44 points) remain in second place in the Western Conference.
The hosts went into halftime with the lead as Guilherme scored a free kick from right outside the box for Houston in the 38th minute. The Dynamo doubled their lead just six minutes into the second half as Mateusz Bogusz scored from the penalty spot following a foul in the box.
From there, FC Cincinnati went on the front foot and finally found the breakthrough in the 73rd minute with Bryan Ramirez’s second goal of the season. And the Orange and Blue found their equalizer deep into the match after Kenji Mboma Dem drew a foul in the box, setting up Kévin Denkey’s leveler seven minutes into second-half stoppage time.
FC Cincinnati continue their road trip next Saturday, September 26 at CF Montréal. Kickoff from Stade Saputo is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the match airs on Apple TV and over the radio locally in English on iHeart Media ESPN 1530 and Spanish on La Mega 101.5 FM.
AS IT HAPPENED
HOU: Guilherme, GOAL – 38’ (1-0) – Houston’s Guilherme put the hosts ahead with a clinical free kick scored from just outside the box.
HOU: Mateusz Bogusz, PENALTY KICK GOAL – 51’ (2-0) – Houston doubled their lead as Mateusz Bogusz converted from the spot.
CIN: Bryan Ramirez, GOAL – 73’ (2-1) – Sustained pressure from FC Cincinnati paid off in the 73rd minute. Kenji Mboma Dem played Evander into the box who drove to the endline before cutting back to find Kévin Denkey, who directed the ball to Bryan Ramirez for a tap-in in front of goal.
CIN: Kévin Denkey, PENALTY KICK GOAL – 90’+7 (2-2) – Cincinnati’s late offensive onslaught was rewarded after Kenji Mboma Dem was fouled inside the box with two minutes to go in second-half stoppage time. Kévin Denkey stepped up to slot home the equalizer from the spot.
GAME NOTES
- FC Cincinnati remain unbeaten all-time against Houston Dynamo FC (2-0-2).
- Under Head Coach Pat Noonan, FC Cincinnati are 19-5-8 against Western Conference opponents in MLS play.
- FC Cincinnati earned a draw when trailing by two goals for the eighth time in the club’s MLS era (since 2019). Three of those occurrences happened this season (April 18 vs CHI; April 22 at NYC). In all three of the occurrences in 2026, Cincinnati trailed by two goals in the second half.
- Saturday marked FC Cincinnati’s eighth equalizer in second-half stoppage time in the club’s MLS era, the fifth this season (April 11 at TOR; April 22 at NYC; May 16 at SD; Sept. 12 vs CLT).
- Kévin Denkey’s 90’+7 goal was his latest goal by time scored for FC Cincinnati. It marked his third goal over the past two games.
- With a goal and assist, Denkey surpassed Emmanuel Ledesma with his 45th goal contribution for FC Cincinnati, moving into fifth all-time in club history.
- Bryan Ramirez scored his second goal for FC Cincinnati and the 14th by an FC Cincinnati substitute in all competitions this season.
- Nick Hagglund made his 150th start for FC Cincinnati in all competitions, becoming the first field player to reach the milestone in club history.
- Hagglund is two appearances shy of matching Yuya Kubo’s all-time appearance record for FC Cincinnati (179).
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati at Houston Dynamo FC
Date: September 19, 2026
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: Shell Energy Stadium | Houston, Texas
Attendance: 17,941
Kickoff: 8:40 p.m. ET/7:40 p.m. ET
Weather: 86 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT
HOU: 1-1-2
CIN: 0-2-2
HOU – Guilherme 38’, Mateusz Bogusz – PK 51’
CIN – Bryan Ramirez (Denkey, Evander) 73’, Kévin Denkey – PK 90’+7
LINEUPS
CIN: Roman Celentano, Kenji Mboma Dem, Samuel Gidi, Nick Hagglund (Teenage Hadebe 54’), Miles Robinson, Ender Echenique (Bryan Ramirez 54’), Obinna Nwobodo (Tom Barlow 54’), Pavel Bucha (Kyle Smith 84’), Gerardo Valenzuela (Ayoub Jabbari 87’), Evander (C), Kévin Denkey
Substitutes not used: Evan Louro, Alvas Powell, Kristian Fletcher, Andrei Chirila
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
HOU: Jonathan Bond, Franco Negri, Antônio Carlos, Artur (C), Lucas Halter, Felipe Andrade, Héctor Herrera (Matthew Arana 81’), Agustín Bouzat (Diadié Samassékou 65’), Lawrence Ennali (Ibrahim Aliyu 81’), Mateusz Bogusz, Guilherme (Duncan McGuire 90’+4)
Substitutes not used: Blake Gillingham, Logan Erb, Duane Holmes, Nick Markanich, Gilberto Rivera
Head Coach: Ben Olsen
STATS SUMMARY: HOU/CIN
Shots: 7 / 25
Shots on Goal: 2 / 8
Saves: 6 / 0
Corner Kicks: 3 / 7
Fouls: 7 / 13
Offside: 0 / 2
Possession: 42.2 / 57.8
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
None
OFFICIALS
Referee: Jair Marrufo
Ast. Referees: Kali Smith, Kevin Klinger
Fourth Official: Ricardo Montero Araya
VAR: Ismir Pekmic
AVAR: Jonathan Johnson
