FC Cincinnati vs Charlotte FC, MLS 2026 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
FC Cincinnati vs Charlotte FC — MLS at TQL Stadium.
- FC Cincinnati 28 games · 36 pts (2026/26)
- Charlotte FC 29 games · 46 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Pierre-Luc Lauziere (Canada)
- Assistant 1 Adam Garner (USA)
- Assistant 2 Jeffrey Greeson
8 games this season
🟨 2.6/game
⚽ 7.6 goals/game
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 29 | 66 |
| 2 | Internacional CF Miami | 29 | 52 |
| 3 | New England Revolution | 29 | 49 |
| 4 | Chicago Fire FC | 29 | 48 |
| 5 | Charlotte FC | 29 | 46 |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union | 29 | 45 |
| 7 | Orlando City SC | 29 | 38 |
| 8 | FC Cincinnati | 28 | 36 |
| 9 | New York Red Bulls | 29 | 36 |
| 10 | New York City FC | 29 | 33 |
| 11 | Toronto FC | 29 | 33 |
| 12 | D.C. United SC | 28 | 33 |
| 13 | Columbus Crew SC | 29 | 32 |
| 14 | Atlanta United FC | 29 | 30 |
| 15 | Montreal Impact FC | 29 | 24 |
| 16 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 29 | 52 |
| 17 | St. Louis City | 29 | 51 |
| 18 | FC Dallas | 29 | 50 |
| 19 | San Jose Earthquakes | 29 | 47 |
| 20 | Houston Dynamo | 29 | 46 |
| 21 | Los Angeles FC | 30 | 45 |
| 22 | Seattle Sounders FC | 29 | 41 |
| 23 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 30 | 39 |
| 24 | Colorado Rapids SC | 29 | 38 |
| 25 | San Diego FC | 29 | 33 |
| 26 | Portland Timbers | 29 | 33 |
| 27 | Real Salt Lake | 29 | 33 |
| 28 | Minnesota United FC | 29 | 31 |
| 29 | Austin FC | 29 | 31 |
| 30 | Sporting Kansas City | 29 | 22 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep | Charlotte FC | H | 3–3 | D |
| 09 Sep | Philadelphia Union | A | 0–5 | L |
| 29 Aug | Nashville SC | A | 0–4 | L |
| 22 Aug | Seattle Sounders FC | H | 1–1 | D |
| 19 Aug | New York City FC | H | 2–1 | W |
| 15 Aug | Orlando City SC | A | 1–1 | D |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep | FC Cincinnati | A | 3–3 | D |
| 09 Sep | Montreal Impact FC | A | 2–1 | W |
| 05 Sep | Houston Dynamo | H | 0–0 | D |
| 29 Aug | Atlanta United FC | A | 2–0 | W |
| 22 Aug | D.C. United SC | H | 3–1 | W |
| 19 Aug | Toronto FC | A | 3–3 | D |
Season Stats
| FC Cincinnati | Charlotte FC | |
|---|---|---|
| #8 | Position | #5 |
| 36 | Points | 46 |
| 28 | Played | 29 |
| 9 / 9 / 10 | W / D / L | 13 / 7 / 9 |
| 60 | Scored | 51 |
| 68 | Conceded | 43 |
| -8 | GD | +8 |
| 1.29 | PPG | 1.59 |
| 32% | Win % | 45% |
Key Stats
40%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (10 games)
H2H (10 games)
40%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
14%
Clean Sheets
FC Cincinnati this season
FC Cincinnati this season
24%
Clean Sheets
Charlotte FC this season
Charlotte FC this season
FC Cincinnati are 8th (36 pts). Charlotte FC are 5th (46 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
FC Cincinnati
0-15
5/3
16-30
5/10
31-45
9/10
46-60
6/12
61-75
5/5
76+
15/7
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Charlotte FC
0-15
5/3
16-30
8/7
31-45
5/2
46-60
3/7
61-75
7/7
76+
7/5
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
FC Cincinnati
| Kevin Denkey | 17 G | 1 A |
| Evander | 13 G | 7 A |
| Tom Barlow | 9 G | 3 A |
| Pavel Bucha | 6 G | 3 A |
Charlotte FC
| Pep Biel | 12 G | 8 A |
| Idan Gorno | 9 G | 2 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' And we are off! FC Cincinnati vs Charlotte FC — let the football do the talking.
- 2' What composure from Pavel Bucha! The Czech Republic international strokes it home. 1-0.
- 7' Liel Abada is having a superb {COMPETITION} campaign — that is 5 goals this season for the .
- 8' GOAL! Liel Abada fires home to make it 1-2!
- 13' The tempo has dropped considerably in the last few minutes. Pat Noonan will be considering his options from the bench.
- 17' Pep Biel doubles the advantage! 1-3 and this game is slipping away from the opposition.
- 22' The teams are not in a rush to score plenty of goals. It might look strange considering Charlotte FC that had 164 games and scored 245 goals.
- 27' will be watching from the dugout nervously. His FC Cincinnati side need to improve if they are to claim all three points.
- 32' The Array continues to deliver drama. Both FC Cincinnati and Charlotte FC are desperate not to drop points on matchday .
- 37' The travelling Charlotte FC supporters hardly appreciate their team being pressed down to the backline.
- 42' Spectators do not have much to choose from both teams. The sides had several scoring chances but they still need a bit more than just a sight of a goal.
- 44' Another change for Charlotte FC made on 44 minute. Liel Abada leaves to be changed by Rodolfo Aloko.
- 49' Both keepers have barely been tested. FC Cincinnati and Charlotte FC are cancelling each other out in the centre of the park.
- 51' Andrei Chirila has been a constant threat and now delivers with a goal on 51 minutes.
- 55' Against the run of play, Idan Gorno has scored! This game has turned on its head.
- 56' The FC Cincinnati manager makes a substitution. Tom Barlow departs to be replaced by Bryan Ramirez.
- 61' A tactical chess match is unfolding here. The question is which manager blinks first.
- 66' While there is no rush on the pitch, let’s have a look at some stats. Kevin Denkey made 190 appearances and scored 84 goals. He is very likely to score a goal today.
- 70' Time for substitution for FC Cincinnati. Kenji Mboma is replaced by Evan Louro.
- 74' Kristian Fletcher gets the nod from FC Cincinnati. He replaces Andrei Chirila and will look to change the dynamic.
- 76' FC Cincinnati receives a card for a hard tackle on 76.
- 78' Fresh legs for Charlotte FC! Morrison Agyemang comes on to replace Will Cleary.
- 81' Controversy at the stadium! Kenji Mboma argues furiously but the card stands.
- 82' FC Cincinnati receives a card for a hard tackle on 82.
- 83' The referee reaches into his pocket. Out comes the card for Luca de la Torre.
- 85' Time for substitution for FC Cincinnati. Samuel Gidi is replaced by Kyle Smith.
- 90' A quiet spell here at TQL Stadium. FC Cincinnati seem content sitting deep and soaking up pressure.
- Hope, you loved the show. Another epic battle is over with the score 3-3.
Lineups
FC Cincinnati Lineups
3-5-2Starting XI
-
4
Nick Hagglund ↓ Teenage Hadebe 74'
- 12
- 20
- 9
-
16
Tom Barlow ↓ Bryan Ramirez 56'
- 18
- 22
-
17
Kenji Mboma ↓ Ayoub Jabbari 85'
- 66
-
11
Samuel Gidi ↓ Kyle Smith 85'
- 88
Bench
- 13
- 2
-
24
Kyle Smith ↑ 85'
-
15
Teenage Hadebe ↑ 74'
-
14
Kristian Fletcher ↑ 74'
-
99
Ayoub Jabbari ↑ 85'
- 19
-
29
Bryan Ramirez ↑ 56'
Coach
Pat Noonan
Charlotte FC Lineups
4-3-3Starting XI
- 3
- 17
- 14
- 10
- 22
- 28
- 1
-
11
Liel Abada ↓ Rodolfo Aloko 44'
- 16
-
9
Idan Gorno ↓ Tyger Smalls 78'
-
35
Will Cleary ↓ Morrison Agyemang 78'
Bench
- 21
-
13
Brandt Bronico ↑ 70'
- 39
- 4
-
25
Tyger Smalls ↑ 78'
- 20
-
44
Morrison Agyemang ↑ 78'
-
37
Rodolfo Aloko ↑ 44'
- 71
Coach
Dean Smith
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Karol Swiderski | 4 |
| Luciano Acosta | 4 |
| Liel Abada | 3 |
| Aaron Boupendza | 2 |
| Alvaro Barreal | 2 |
| Kevin Denkey | 2 |
| Djibril Diani | 1 |
| Iuri Tavares | 1 |
Head to Head
FC Cincinnati Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
3 / 4
1.91
FC Cincinnati xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
2.32
Charlotte FC xG
I would bet for:
Over 2.5 goals 78% + FC Cincinnati or Charlotte FC 77%
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: Draw
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 4.23
Actual: Yes — both scored
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 98% |
|
2% |
| ± 1.5 | 92% |
|
8% |
| ± 2.5 | 78% |
|
22% |
| ± 3.5 | 60% |
|
40% |
| ± 4.5 | 41% |
|
59% |
Double Chance
FC Cincinnati or Draw
56%
Draw or Charlotte FC
68%
FC Cincinnati or Charlotte FC
77%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Charlotte FC win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 2
7.3%
1 – 1
7.2%
2 – 2
6.8%
2 – 1
6%
1 – 3
5.6%
2 – 3
5.3%
3 – 2
4.3%
0 – 2
4%
3 – 1
3.8%
3 – 3
Actual
1 – 4
3.2%
2 – 4
3.1%
Asian Handicap — FC Cincinnati
| Handicap | FC Cincinnati covers | Push | Charlotte FC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 8% | — | 92% |
| -2 | 8% | 10% | 83% |
| -1.5 | 17% | — | 83% |
| -1 | 17% | 15% | 68% |
| -0.5 | 32% | — | 68% |
| +0.5 | 53% | — | 47% |
| +1 | 53% | 18% | 29% |
| +1.5 | 71% | — | 29% |
| +2 | 71% | 14% | 15% |
| +2.5 | 85% | — | 15% |
Clean Sheet
FC Cincinnati keeps clean sheet
11%
✓
Charlotte FC keeps clean sheet
16%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.

