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 27 games · 27 pts (2026/26)
- FC Cincinnati 26 games · 33 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Fotis Bazakos
- Referee C. Blanchard
- Referee Victor Rivas
- Referee Timothy Ford
- Referee Richard Gamache
9 games this season
🟨 2.7/game
⚽ 11.7 goals/game
🟥 1 total
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 27 | 60 |
| 2 | Internacional CF Miami | 27 | 46 |
| 3 | New England Revolution | 27 | 46 |
| 4 | Charlotte FC | 27 | 43 |
| 5 | Chicago Fire FC | 26 | 42 |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union | 27 | 39 |
| 7 | Orlando City SC | 27 | 34 |
| 8 | New York City FC | 27 | 33 |
| 9 | FC Cincinnati | 26 | 33 |
| 10 | New York Red Bulls | 26 | 33 |
| 11 | D.C. United SC | 26 | 30 |
| 12 | Columbus Crew SC | 27 | 29 |
| 13 | Toronto FC | 27 | 29 |
| 14 | Atlanta United FC | 27 | 27 |
| 15 | Montreal Impact FC | 27 | 24 |
| 16 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 26 | 50 |
| 17 | FC Dallas | 27 | 47 |
| 18 | San Jose Earthquakes | 27 | 45 |
| 19 | St. Louis City | 26 | 44 |
| 20 | Houston Dynamo | 27 | 44 |
| 21 | Los Angeles FC | 28 | 41 |
| 22 | Colorado Rapids SC | 27 | 36 |
| 23 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 28 | 36 |
| 24 | Seattle Sounders FC | 26 | 35 |
| 25 | San Diego FC | 27 | 32 |
| 26 | Portland Timbers | 27 | 32 |
| 27 | Real Salt Lake | 27 | 32 |
| 28 | Austin FC | 27 | 31 |
| 29 | Minnesota United FC | 27 | 29 |
| 30 | Sporting Kansas City | 26 | 21 |
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| #14 | Position | #9 |
| 27 | Points | 33 |
| 27 | Played | 26 |
| 7 / 6 / 14 | W / D / L | 8 / 9 / 9 |
| 32 | Scored | 55 |
| 45 | Conceded | 64 |
| -13 | GD | -9 |
| 1.00 | PPG | 1.27 |
| 26% | Win % | 31% |
Key Stats
59%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (17 games)
H2H (17 games)
53%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
15%
Clean Sheets
Atlanta United FC this season
Atlanta United FC this season
15%
Clean Sheets
FC Cincinnati this season
FC Cincinnati this season
Atlanta United FC are 14th (27 pts). FC Cincinnati are 9th (33 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Atlanta United FC
0-15
2/4
16-30
3/5
31-45
2/5
46-60
3/6
61-75
4/7
76+
5/6
■ Scored ■ Conceded
FC Cincinnati
0-15
4/3
16-30
5/9
31-45
9/9
46-60
5/11
61-75
4/4
76+
13/7
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Atlanta United FC
| Aleksei Miranchuk | 6 G | 6 A |
FC Cincinnati
| Kevin Denkey | 14 G | 1 A |
| Evander | 13 G | 7 A |
| Tom Barlow | 7 G | 2 A |
| Pavel Bucha | 6 G | 3 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' The stage is set the green flag drops! Another match against Atlanta United FC and FC Cincinnati has kicked off!
- 5' Caleb Stanko has certainly something to prove this evening. He made 2 appearances with only 0 goals this season.
- 10' Neither side is committing men forward. This has all the hallmarks of a tense, tactical contest.
- 12' Jake Mulraney is having his name booked by the referee on 12.
- 17' Atlanta United FC are happy to let the opposition have the ball in their own half. The trap is set.
- 22' Jake Mulraney needs to be pretty careful with his discipline considering 0 Yellow cards this season.
- 26' The referee has no hesitation. Jake Mulraney is booked for Atlanta United FC — Red card on 26.
- 31' Atlanta United FC are deployed in a today, looking to exploit space against FC Cincinnati's shape.
- 34' Adam Jahn makes way for Edgar Castillo at the 34 minute mark. A tactical switch from Atlanta United FC.
- 39' United States international Jeff Larentowicz has been a key figure this campaign — 0 goals and 0 assists in the Array this season.
- 43' Ezequiel Barco picks up a Yellow card and will need to be extremely careful for the remainder of this match.
- 48' The referee reaches into his pocket. Out comes the Yellow card for Mathieu Deplagne.
- 53' will be watching from the dugout nervously. His Atlanta United FC side need to improve if they are to claim all three points.
- 58' FC Cincinnati started playing very sharply right from the kick off. However, it slowed down the tempo rapidly by 58.
- 63' Both keepers have barely been tested. Atlanta United FC and FC Cincinnati are cancelling each other out in the centre of the park.
- 64' Time for substitution for Atlanta United FC. Ezequiel Barco is replaced by Manuel Castro.
- 69' The referee has had an easy afternoon — neither side has been overly physical in the tackle.
- 70' The FC Cincinnati bench stirs into life. Maikel van der Werff is withdrawn and Tom Pettersson gets his opportunity.
- 75' FC Cincinnati come into this ranked in Array. They desperately need points to push themselves up the standings.
- 76' Frankie Amaya adds to his 0 season tally! FC Cincinnati lead 0-1 — and this changes everything.
- 81' Not even hints on scoring a goal over the last 81 minutes.
- 83' Edgar Castillo makes way for Emerson Hyndman at the 83 minute mark. A tactical switch from Atlanta United FC.
- 85' Saad Abdul Salaam gets the nod from FC Cincinnati. He replaces Joe Gyau and will look to change the dynamic.
- 86' Frankie Amaya has been a danger all night but risks an early exit having now seen a Yellow card on 86.
- 88' The referee shows Atlanta United FC player a Yellow card on 88.
- 90' FC Cincinnati manager makes another effort to make the tables turned. Fatai Alashe is hanging Frankie Amaya on the field on 90 minute.
- 90' Miles Robinson is having his name booked by the referee on 90.
- The final whistle goes. A composed, disciplined performance from FC Cincinnati to claim maximum points.
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 |
| Thiago Almada | 2 |
| Ezequiel Barco | 2 |
| Brandon Vazquez | 2 |
| Georgios Giakoumakis | 2 |
| Evander | 2 |
| Emerson Hyndman | 1 |
Head to Head
Atlanta United FC Form
FC Cincinnati Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
0 / 3
1.6
Atlanta United FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.5
FC Cincinnati xG
I would bet for:
Atlanta United FC or FC Cincinnati 74% + Both teams to score 62%
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: FC Cincinnati win
Both Teams to Score
✗ Wrong
Avg goals/match: 3.1
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✗ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 94% |
|
6% |
| ± 1.5 | 82% |
|
18% |
| ± 2.5 | 59% |
|
41% |
| ± 3.5 | 37% |
|
63% |
| ± 4.5 | 21% |
|
79% |
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
11.7%
2 – 1
8.3%
1 – 2
7.8%
1 – 0
6.4%
2 – 2
6.2%
0 – 0
6.2%
0 – 1
Actual
2 – 0
5.7%
0 – 2
5%
3 – 1
4.5%
1 – 3
3.9%
3 – 2
3.4%
Asian Handicap — Atlanta United FC
| Handicap | Atlanta United FC covers | Push | FC Cincinnati covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 8% | — | 92% |
| -2 | 8% | 12% | 80% |
| -1.5 | 20% | — | 80% |
| -1 | 20% | 19% | 61% |
| -0.5 | 39% | — | 61% |
| +0.5 | 65% | — | 35% |
| +1 | 65% | 18% | 17% |
| +1.5 | 83% | — | 17% |
| +2 | 83% | 10% | 7% |
| +2.5 | 93% | — | 7% |
Clean Sheet
Atlanta United FC keeps clean sheet
23%
✓
FC Cincinnati keeps clean sheet
21%
✗
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.