FC Cincinnati is set to play their fourth match in 11 days against Minnesota United on Saturday in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
On February 18, Cincinnati secured a 4-0 win against O&M FC from the Dominican Republic in their first CONCACAF Champions Cup match. They followed this with a 2-0 victory over Atlanta United in their MLS season opener, thanks to goals from Kevin Denky and Nick Hagglund.
Coach Pat Noonan’s team then advanced to the Champions Cup Round of 16 after a commanding 9-0 victory in the second leg against the Dominican side, winning the series 13-0 on aggregate.
Now, Cincinnati (1-0-0, 3 points) faces a quick turnaround for their trip to cold Minnesota, where Saturday’s high is expected to be 23 degrees.
“We need to quickly shift focus for what will be a challenging game in tough conditions on Saturday,” Noonan stated. “We have an important match, so discussions about Tigres will wait until necessary.”
Cincinnati also saw four players from their academy or second team score their first goals for the club in Wednesday’s win, setting a new team record for goals in a match.
Minnesota (0-0-1, 1 point) drew 2-2 with Austin FC in their league opener last Saturday. Kelvin Yeboah leveled the score in the 90th minute, and Drake Callender, who stepped in for the 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair, made four saves in his debut with the team.
“It was a great result,” said Minnesota coach Cameron Knowles. “A point on the road after coming back from a goal down twice and scoring late is very positive. Overall, it was a strong performance from the guys in the first game.”
The team has not confirmed if Colombian striker James Rodriguez will make his debut on Saturday. Rodriguez, the Golden Boot winner in the 2014 World Cup, signed with the Loons on February 6.
At 34, Rodriguez hasn’t played in a competitive match since November 8 and just resumed full training this week.