FC Cincinnati 2 Drop MLS NEXT Pro Season Opener, 3-1, to CT United FC
MLS NEXT Pro FC Cincinnati 2

FC Cincinnati 2 Drop MLS NEXT Pro Season Opener, 3-1, to CT United FC

Published on March 1, 2026 under MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
FC Cincinnati 2 News Release


FC Cincinnati 2 fell to CT United FC, 3-1, in the club's 2026 MLS NEXT Pro opener Sunday night at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium.

CT United opened the scoring on the stroke of halftime as Robbie Mora converted from the top of the area in the 45th minute. Steven Sserwadda tallied an assist on CT United's first goal in club history.

Stefan Chirila brought things level from the spot in the 71st minute after Dilan Hurtado drew a foul inside the CT United box. Chirila is off the mark in 2026 after scoring nine goals a season ago.

CT United scored two late second half goals with Alex Monis and Ibrahim Kasule tallying for the away side in the 78th and 90th minutes.

Nine players made their FC Cincinnati 2 debut against CT United, including FC Cincinnati Academy midfielder Noah Gassan. Gassan came on at halftime for Deiver Mosquera and played the entirety of the second half.

Next up for the Orange and Blue is a road match against Philadelphia Union II on Sunday, March 8 at Subaru Park, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed live on MLSNEXTPro.com and through the OneFootball platform.

FC CINCINNATI 2 GAME REPORT

FC Cincinnati 2 vs CT United FC

Date: March 1, 2026

Competition: MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season

Venue: Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium | Highland Heights, Ky.

Kickoff: 6:03 p.m. ET

Weather: 41 degrees, clear

SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT

CIN: 0-1-1

CTU: 1-2-3

CIN - Stefan Chirila (PK) 71'

CTU - Robbie Mora (Sserwadda) 45', Alex Monis (Mora) 78', Ibrahim Kasule (D'Ippolito) 90'

LINEUPS

CIN: Bryan Dowd, Will Kuisel, Andrei Chirila, Michael Sullivan (C), Leonardo Orejarena, Yair Ramos (Camden Sphire 82'), Deiver Mosquera (Noah Gassan 46'), Ayoub Lajhar, Jack Mize (Dilan Hurtado 69'), Stefan Chirila, Charlie Holmes (Mathias Vazquez 90'+3)

Substitutes not used: Luke Broz, Santiago Sanchez, Gavin DeHart, Amin Ibrahim

Head Coach: Sammy Castellanos

CTU: Gunther Rankenburg, Andre Applewhaite (Daniel D'Ippolito 72'), Lukas Kamrath, Jahvar Stephenson (Rickson van Hees 79'), Hivan Kouonang (Michael Boamah 79'), Ibrahim Kasule, Steven Sserwadda, Robbie Mora, Alex Monis (C), Caua Paixao (Nelson Rodriguez 17'), Barnabas Tanyi

Substitutes not used: Anthony Ramos, Sean Petrie

Head Coach: Shavar Thomas

STATS SUMMARY: CIN/CTU

Shots: 6 / 18

Shots on Goal: 1 / 6

Saves: 2 / 0

Corner Kicks: 4 / 7

Fouls: 15 / 10

Offside: 4 / 6

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

CTU: Jahvar Stephenson (Yellow Card) 34'

CTU: Robbie Mora (Yellow Card) 69'

CTU: Alex Monis (Yellow Card) 82'

OFFICIALS

Referee: Edson Carvajal

Ast. Referees: Zachary McWhorter, Art Arustamyan

Fourth Official: Promise Adebayo-Ige

Check out the FC Cincinnati 2 Statistics

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MLS NEXT Pro Stories from March 1, 2026


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