FC Cincinnati return home to finish an Empire/Garden State double-header this week, hosting Red Bull New York for a rematch at TQL Stadium.
Just three weeks after seeing the Red Bulls last, and three days after returning home from a dramatic draw against NYCFC at Yankee Stadium, the Orange and Blue are looking to get back in the win column and avenge a defeat suffered at the hands of their weekend opponents earlier this month.
While on a short week, and with just a few days to prepare for their next opponent, the fresh in the mind memory of playing the Red Bulls could come as an advantage. With a familiarity for their opponent and playing this time at home, FC Cincinnati feel they can be better prepared for their opponent now than they would be had they not played them so recently.
“It just helps inform you on what kind of game you can expect,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Friday ahead of the match at his press conference at Mercy Health Training Center. “Sometimes you play a team twice in a short amount of time, and you might see different personnel, or you might see different or some adjustments in structure, but we don’t anticipate that.
“With Red Bull, they’ve been consistent in how they play, and they’ve been doing it successfully. Even since we played them with (their) Miami, Montreal and D.C. games, they attack in a very similar way, defend in a similar way, but have had success on both sides. So even though the results have been two two draws and a loss, if you look at the play, they can score a lot of goals.
“We anticipate another strong 11 from them and a very confident approach in how they play. I don’t think that’ll change.”
The Orange and Blue have been late game fighters of late, salvaging a draw from losing position late in each of their last three games. They are looking to change those draws to victories, and FCC are looking to start the games with more confidence as a solution to putting themselves in a position to win.
“I think there’s still more moments where we can find the right way to play and understand the opponent’s press, understand our free man, the space to play,” Noonan said. “I think sometimes we wait until it’s an extreme situation, or at least we’ve seen that in recent weeks, so being more confident and comfortable doing that throughout the game (is important).”
Also on Saturday night at TQL Stadium, FC Cincinnati will celebrate Autism Acceptance Month! Observed annually in April, Autism Acceptance Month is dedicated to acknowledging that Autism transcends a simple diagnosis and represents identity, community, and a journey of all lived experiences.
Assistant Coach Kenny Arena and his family work closely with Stepping Stones, a nonprofit organization empowering individuals with disabilities and their families throughout Greater Cincinnati to help create a pathway to independence through a wide range of educational, recreational, and skill-building programs. Arena and Head Coach Pat Noonan will mark the occasion on Saturday by wearing armbands recognizing the cause. Arena has personally invited anyone interested in getting involved with Stepping Stones to reach out to him directly by sending a direct message on X to @ksarena14.
For more information on Autism Acceptance Month or other ways to get involved, visit Stepping Stones, Empath for Autism and Autism Connections, or, stop by the Carl and Martha Lindner Plaza at TQL Stadium before Saturday’s match to visit booths from all three organizations.
For merchandise from Stepping Stones to support the organization, click here.
Watch/Stream (English/Spanish): Apple TV
English Local Radio: ESPN 1530
Spanish Local Radio: La Mega 101.5 FM
FC Cincinnati Social Media: X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook FC Cincinnati Official Mobile App: iOS and Android
The Orange and Blue will face Red Bull New York for the second time this month in a
quick follow up to close out the regular season series just three weeks following the first meeting
at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Red Bull New York earned the win in that first meeting with a 4-2 result on April 4.
All-time FC Cincinnati are 7-8-5 against the Red Bulls, and 2-4-1 at home.
(Courtesy of *FC Cincinnati Communications*)
Have a Night Kévin – Forward Kévin Denkey scored his second brace of the season Wednesday night against New York City FC in the team’s 4-4 draw at Yankee Stadium. Denkey has three career multi-goal games with the Orange and Blue and has now scored eight goals across all competition in 2026, leading all FC Cincinnati players.
Denkey has scored 26 career goals for FC Cincinnati and is seven goals away from tying Brenner for the third most goals, all-time, for the Orange and Blue. With his two goals against New York, Denkey passed Yuya Kubo for the sixth most goal contributions (26G, 5A), all-time.
Andrei Party – 17-year-old Andrei Chirila scored his first career goal for FC Cincinnati on
Wednesday in the second minute of second half stoppage time. Chirila brought the Orange and Blue within a goal of New York (4-3), allowing Evander’s goal moments later to tie the match. Chirila became the youngest goal scorer for FC Cincinnati in MLS play and the second youngest to score across all competitions (Ademar Chavez – 17 years, 3 months, 11 days – vs. O&M FC, 2/25/26).
History! – Evander made history Wednesday night against NYCFC, becoming the top Brazilian-born goalscorer in MLS play, passing Wélton. Evander scored his 44th career MLS goal from the spot in the fifth minute of second half stoppage time to earn a point for the Orange and Blue.
Evander has scored 20 of his 44 league goals with FC Cincinnati and has now scored in back-to-back matches.Evander now has two goals and two assists across all competitions this season.
99 – Pavel Bucha enters Saturday with 98 career appearances for FC Cincinnati. With his 99th appearance this weekend against the Red Bulls, he is 11th in all-time appearances for the club in the MLS era and should he reach 100 appearances would be the 13th player to do so across all eras of FC Cincinnati competition.
Scouting Red Bull New York (3-3-3, 12 Points, 8th Eastern Conference, L-W-D-L-D)*
It’s a rematch with Red Bull New York at TQL Stadium this Saturday night. Just 21 days after visiting the Harrison, New Jersey based club at Sports Illustrated Stadium the Orange and Blue take on RBNY at home and see them for the final time this regular season – less than a third of the way through the season.
As seen in the first match three weeks ago, MLS legend and USMNT icon Michael Bradley has taken over as Head Coach, returning to the club where he made his professional playing debut 22 years ago to lead the next generation. Bradley, who was the Head Coach of the Red Bulls MLS NEXT Pro club in 2025, made nearly 300 appearances in MLS for New York and Toronto FC combined, and 151 appearances for the US Men’s National Team. This is Bradley’s first top-division coaching appointment, but he served as an assistant in Norway in 2024 to get his coaching career started. FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan served as an assistant coach with the USMNT while Bradley played for the national squad.
With Bradley as the new manager, the American has been fearless in adding young players to the lineup and has ushered in a youth movement for the Red Bulls in only five games.
Three of Red Bulls’ minutes played leaders this season have been 18-year-olds or younger, with forward Julian Hall, who only turned 18 last month, leading the way. He leads the team in scoring with six goals in nine games and leads all outfield players in minutes played with 802. Fellow teens Adri Mehmeti (16) and Matthew Dos Santos (17) have also logged over 600 minutes each this season.
“I think if you were to watch them and not know, and not have context, and just say, ‘All right, I’m watching this team.’ It doesn’t look like a bunch of kids out there,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of Red Bulls’ young players before the April 4 match at Sports Illustrated Stadium. “They play with confidence. They play with a good commitment and purpose…it looks like they’re experienced players out there. Again, it’s a small sample size, but it’s been impressive.”
Hall joined the first team in 2023 as a 15-year-old and, over the following three years, appeared 38 times and made 4 starts. This year, Hall has become the cornerstone piece of the offense and started every match for Bradley’s side. In the match against FC Cincinnati three weeks ago, he scored to open the game.
In addition to the teenage youth, there is a stable of young players to support them. As well as a few marquee stars.
Captain Emil Forsburg remains a force in the middle, he is tied for the team lead in assists with three. Americans Cade Cowell, 22, and Jorge Ruvalcaba, 24, have also been core members of the squad through nine matches. Both of the American attackers are recent additions from Liga MX sides in Mexico, with Cowell (who also has three assists this season) coming over from Chivas, and Ruvalcaba (who is second in scoring on the team with three) joining from Pumas as a Designated Player.
On the defensive side of the ball, the young Dos Santos has been a key contributor on the left side of a back four. In the middle, the somewhat more veteran Robert Voloder and Gustav Berggren have been on patrol.
No matter who plays for the Red Bulls, though, the club’s identity stands out most. The RBNY identity has become known for its pressure-packed, intense, gritty and relentless style of play that many others have tried to replicate. When going into Sports Illustrated Stadium, dealing with that is paramount to success.
“They’re gonna be really hard to play against,” goalkeeper Evan Louro said of the Red Bulls before the April 4 match in New Jersey. The current FC Cincinnati keeper grew up in the Red Bull Academy before attending the University of Michigan. “They’re gonna be really hard against the ball. They’re going to work hard, they’re going to get chances – they’re just a good team. They’re a young team. I think Michael’s done a lot of good stuff, and obviously, he’s a legend of the game, especially here in the States. So we’re excited ”
Under Bradley, the Red Bulls have deployed a 4-3-3 formation with American goalkeeper Ethan Horvath in net.
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