Atlanta United FC vs FC Cincinnati, MLS 2026 MLS IS BACK GROUP STAGE
Overview
Match Preview
Atlanta United FC vs FC Cincinnati — MLS at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
- Atlanta United FC 34 games · 33 pts (2026/26)
- FC Cincinnati 34 games · 46 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Fotis Bazakos
- Referee C. Blanchard
- Referee Victor Rivas
- Referee Timothy Ford
- Referee Richard Gamache
11 games this season
🟨 3.1/game
⚽ 11.4 goals/game
🟥 1 total
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 34 | 77 |
| 2 | Internacional CF Miami | 34 | 60 |
| 3 | New England Revolution | 34 | 58 |
| 4 | Chicago Fire FC | 34 | 55 |
| 5 | Charlotte FC | 34 | 54 |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 50 |
| 7 | Columbus Crew SC | 34 | 47 |
| 8 | FC Cincinnati | 34 | 46 |
| 9 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 46 |
| 10 | New York City FC | 34 | 42 |
| 11 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 42 |
| 12 | Toronto FC | 34 | 39 |
| 13 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 33 |
| 14 | D.C. United SC | 34 | 33 |
| 15 | Montreal Impact FC | 34 | 26 |
| 16 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 34 | 64 |
| 17 | FC Dallas | 34 | 58 |
| 18 | St. Louis City | 34 | 54 |
| 19 | San Jose Earthquakes | 34 | 52 |
| 20 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 51 |
| 21 | Los Angeles FC | 34 | 47 |
| 22 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 46 |
| 23 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 46 |
| 24 | Real Salt Lake | 34 | 45 |
| 25 | Minnesota United FC | 34 | 44 |
| 26 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 34 | 44 |
| 27 | Colorado Rapids SC | 34 | 43 |
| 28 | San Diego FC | 34 | 38 |
| 29 | Austin FC | 34 | 34 |
| 30 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 26 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul | FC Cincinnati | H | 0–1 | L |
| 12 Jul | New York Red Bulls | H | 0–1 | L |
| 08 Mar | FC Cincinnati | H | 2–1 | W |
| 01 Mar | Nashville SC | A | 2–1 | W |
| 31 Oct | Toronto FC | A | 2–1 | W |
| 25 Oct | Philadelphia Union | H | 2–0 | W |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul | Atlanta United FC | A | 1–0 | W |
| 12 Jul | Columbus Crew SC | H | 0–4 | L |
| 08 Mar | Atlanta United FC | A | 1–2 | L |
| 01 Mar | New York Red Bulls | A | 2–3 | L |
| 06 Oct | D.C. United SC | A | 0–0 | D |
| 29 Sep | Orlando City SC | H | 1–1 | D |
Season Stats
| Atlanta United FC | FC Cincinnati | |
|---|---|---|
| #13 | Position | #8 |
| 33 | Points | 46 |
| 34 | Played | 34 |
| 9 / 6 / 19 | W / D / L | 12 / 10 / 12 |
| 43 | Scored | 67 |
| 60 | Conceded | 75 |
| -17 | GD | -8 |
| 0.97 | PPG | 1.35 |
| 26% | Win % | 35% |
Key Stats
61%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (18 games)
H2H (18 games)
56%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
15%
Clean Sheets
Atlanta United FC this season
Atlanta United FC this season
18%
Clean Sheets
FC Cincinnati this season
FC Cincinnati this season
Atlanta United FC are 13th (33 pts). FC Cincinnati are 8th (46 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Atlanta United FC
0-15
3/4
16-30
5/6
31-45
4/7
46-60
5/12
61-75
6/8
76+
7/11
■ Scored ■ Conceded
FC Cincinnati
0-15
6/3
16-30
5/11
31-45
10/11
46-60
8/13
61-75
6/7
76+
17/9
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Atlanta United FC
| Aleksei Miranchuk | 6 G | 6 A |
FC Cincinnati
| Kevin Denkey | 17 G | 2 A |
| Evander | 14 G | 13 A |
| Tom Barlow | 10 G | 4 A |
| Pavel Bucha | 6 G | 3 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' What a night it is going to be! Atlanta United FC welcome FC Cincinnati for this crunch clash at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
- 5' It looks surprising FC Cincinnati does not make any changes. Adrien Regattin has some obvious troubles when approaching to the goal.
- 10' A tactical chess match is unfolding here. The question is which manager blinks first.
- 12' Jake Mulraney is having his name booked by the referee on 12.
- 17' Matchday of the Array and both teams know exactly what is at stake tonight.
- 22' Jeff Larentowicz, a United States , has 0 bookings this season and will need to keep his discipline tonight.
- 26' Jake Mulraney picks up a Red card and will need to be extremely careful for the remainder of this match.
- 31' We miss some good tackles and strikes. Is there anyone on the field to put the game back to action?
- 34' Adam Jahn makes way for Edgar Castillo at the 34 minute mark. A tactical switch from Atlanta United FC.
- 39' We are waiting for someone to take the initiative. Who will be the first to commit to attack?
- 43' The referee calls foul for Ezequiel Barco. He receives a Yellow card.
- 48' That is a Yellow card for FC Cincinnati. Mathieu Deplagne will be fuming at that decision.
- 53' A moment of individual brilliance could settle this. Both teams are waiting for that decisive action.
- 58' Supporters expect more eagerness from Saad Abdul Salaam, as he is very good at scoring at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex with 0 goals in the last 0 games.
- 63' While players are taking a pause, let’s have a look at their stats. The teams met 2 times this season with FC Cincinnati winning 100% of all matches.
- 64' The Atlanta United FC manager makes a substitution. Ezequiel Barco departs to be replaced by Manuel Castro.
- 69' FC Cincinnati have won 381 goals from 263 games. They will be desperate to add to that tally today.
- 70' FC Cincinnati make a change. Maikel van der Werff trudges off to be replaced by Tom Pettersson on 70 minutes.
- 75' The referee is likely to let players tackle, as he already missed some meaty challenges during opening seconds. He is still to establish what should not be done by the players and what is acceptable on the pitch. It’s going to be a tough game for Andrew Gutman suffering a number of foals already.
- 76' What a moment for Frankie Amaya! That strike on 76 puts his side firmly in control.
- 81' Over 81 minutes have gone by without a meaningful attack. The supporters want more.
- 83' Fresh legs for Atlanta United FC! Emerson Hyndman comes on to replace Edgar Castillo.
- 85' Joe Gyau makes way for Saad Abdul Salaam at the 85 minute mark. A tactical switch from FC Cincinnati.
- 86' Controversy at the stadium! Frankie Amaya argues furiously but the Yellow card stands.
- 88' The referee calls foul for Franco Escobar. He receives a Yellow card.
- 90' Frankie Amaya makes way for Fatai Alashe at the 90 minute mark. A tactical switch from FC Cincinnati.
- 90' The referee reaches into his pocket. Out comes the Yellow card for Miles Robinson.
- The referee blows the final whistle. Sensational lose for Atlanta United FC.
Lineups
Atlanta United FC Lineups
Starting XI
- 11
-
10
Gonzalo Martinez ↓ JJ Williams 83'
- 23
- 5
-
8
Ezequiel Barco ↓ Manuel Castro 64'
- 2
- 1
- 18
- 12
-
14
Adam Jahn ↓ Edgar Castillo 34'
-
6
Fernando Meza ↓ Anton Walkes 83'
Bench
-
4
Anton Walkes ↑ 83'
- 9
- 13
- 20
-
19
Edgar Castillo ↑ 34'
- 25
- 29
-
15
Manuel Castro ↑ 64'
-
24
JJ Williams ↑ 83'
- 26
- 27
- 28
Coach
Frank de Boer
FC Cincinnati Lineups
Starting XI
- 23
- 17
- 33
- 7
-
36
Joe Gyau ↓ Saad Abdul Salaam 85'
- 22
- 6
- 2
- 9
-
24
Frankie Amaya ↓ Fatai Alashe 90'
- 96
Bench
- 14
-
19
Brandon Vazquez ↑ 85'
-
27
Fatai Alashe ↑ 90'
-
12
Saad Abdul Salaam ↑ 85'
- 31
- 18
- 26
- 1
-
3
Tom Pettersson ↑ 70'
- 16
Coach
Jaap Stam
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Josef Martinez | 6 |
| Luciano Acosta | 4 |
| Kevin Denkey | 2 |
| Georgios Giakoumakis | 2 |
| Evander | 2 |
| Thiago Almada | 2 |
| Ezequiel Barco | 2 |
| Brandon Vazquez | 2 |
Head to Head
Atlanta United FC Form
FC Cincinnati Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
0 / 3
1.55
Atlanta United FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.48
FC Cincinnati xG
I would bet for:
Atlanta United FC or FC Cincinnati 74% + Both teams to score 61%
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: FC Cincinnati win
Both Teams to Score
✗ Wrong
Avg goals/match: 3.03
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✗ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 93% |
|
7% |
| ± 1.5 | 80% |
|
20% |
| ± 2.5 | 57% |
|
43% |
| ± 3.5 | 36% |
|
64% |
| ± 4.5 | 19% |
|
81% |
Double Chance
Atlanta United FC or Draw
67%
Draw or FC Cincinnati
59%
Atlanta United FC or FC Cincinnati
74%
Half-Time Result
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
12%
2 – 1
8.3%
1 – 2
7.9%
1 – 0
6.7%
0 – 0
6.6%
0 – 1
Actual
2 – 2
6.1%
2 – 0
5.8%
0 – 2
5.2%
3 – 1
4.3%
1 – 3
3.9%
3 – 2
3.2%
Asian Handicap — Atlanta United FC
| Handicap | Atlanta United FC covers | Push | FC Cincinnati covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 8% | — | 92% |
| -2 | 8% | 12% | 81% |
| -1.5 | 19% | — | 81% |
| -1 | 19% | 19% | 62% |
| -0.5 | 38% | — | 62% |
| +0.5 | 65% | — | 35% |
| +1 | 65% | 18% | 17% |
| +1.5 | 83% | — | 17% |
| +2 | 83% | 11% | 7% |
| +2.5 | 93% | — | 7% |
Clean Sheet
Atlanta United FC keeps clean sheet
24%
✓
FC Cincinnati keeps clean sheet
22%
✗
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.