FC Cincinnati 2 Open 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Season against CT United FC
MLS NEXT Pro FC Cincinnati 2

FC Cincinnati 2 Open 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Season against CT United FC

Published on February 28, 2026 under MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
FC Cincinnati 2 News Release


FC Cincinnati 2 kick off their fifth season in MLS NEXT Pro Sunday night at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium when the Orange and Blue host CT United FC at 6 p.m. ET. FCC 2 open their MLSNP campaign at home for the fourth consecutive year.

Tickets for Sunday's match are available through the FC Cincinnati App and can be claimed with a SeatGeek account. Sunday's match will also steam live on OneFootball platforms and on MLSNEXTPro.com.

FC CINCINNATI 2 vs CT UNITED FC - SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2026 - 6 P.M. ET - SCUDAMORE FIELD AT NKU SOCCER STADIUM

Keep up with all things FC Cincinnati 2 @FCCincinnati 2 on X, Instagram and Facebook.

FC CINCINNATI 2/MATCHUP NOTES

New signings - It has been a busy offseason of signings and acquisitions for FC Cincinnati 2 with 12 first-year players joining the club ahead of the 2026 season. It is a young group, as seven of the team's 12 new additions are 19 years old or younger.

FC Cincinnati Academy midfielder Jack Mize leads the group of young players alongside Deiver Mosquera, the brother of former FC Cincinnati and current English Premier League defender Yerson Mosquera, Nathan Gray and Giovanni Marioni.

The Orange and Blue have added MLS NEXT Pro experience to the team with the signings of goalkeeper Bryan Dowd (Chicago Fire FC II/Huntsville City FC), midfielder Leo Orejarena (North Texas SC) and midfielder Michael Sullivan (Toronto FC II). The trio have made a combined 59 league appearances over the past two seasons.

Charlie Holmes and Sami Lachekar arrive after collegiate careers at the University of Connecticut and UNC Greensboro, respectively, and Holmes' former teammate, and FC Cincinnati's 2026 MLS SuperDraft selection Ayoub Lajhar, all inked professional deals with the club.

Félix Samson and Mathias Vazquez join FCC 2 on loan. Samson comes to Cincinnati from MLS side CF Montréal while Vazquez represents FC Motagua. Vazquez appeared against FC Cincinnati in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup Round One matchup against the Honduran side.

Coaching debuts - Sammy Castellanos and Anthony Wallace will make their FCC 2 coaching debuts against CT United FC. Castellanos becomes the second head coach for FCC 2, and joins the Orange and Blue staff from the Chicago Fire FC Academy, where he was the U18 Head Coach from 2023-2025.

Wallace, who was drafted ninth overall in MLS SuperDraft 2007, will serve in an assistant coaching role in 2026 after arriving in Cincinnati from the St. Louis CITY SC Academy. Wallace has also served as an assistant for the U.S. Youth National Team (U15).

Welcome, Connecticut - CT United joins MLS NEXT Pro in 2026 for their first season of play. Connecticut will be one of three independent, non-MLS affiliated, clubs playing in MLS NEXT Pro this year (Carolina Core FC, Chattanooga FC). The Orange and Blue will face CT United three times this season - two home matches, one away - beginning Sunday night.

Scouting CT United FC

CT United FC begin their MLS NEXT Pro journey in 2026. Founded in 2024, CT United are based out of Bridgeport, Connecticut and become the League's fifth independent club. CT United open the season with four consecutive road matches before hosting Columbus Crew 2 on April 11.

CT United bring a 21-man roster into their inaugural match, including a pair of Red Bull New York II players in Ibrahim Kasule and Steven Sserwadda (both on loan). Kasule proved one of the most dangerous attacking players in MLSNP in three seasons with RBNYII where he scored 28 goals and added 11 assists.

Joining Kasule and Sserwadda is former New England Revolution II forward Alex Monis. Monis, like Kasule, is an experienced league player and a dangerous goal scorer in his own right. Monis made 58 appearances for Revs II from 2023-2025 and scored 15 goals while tallying seven assists.

Former FCC 2 assistant coach Shavar Thomas leads CT United into their inaugural season as the club's first head coach. Thomas spent all four MLS NEXT Pro seasons in Cincinnati (2022-2025) and was part of the staff that led the Orange and Blue to a first place Eastern Conference finish in 2024.

Joining Thomas on the Connecticut coaching staff is assistant Daniel Gutierrez and goalkeeper coach Javier Decima. Gutierrez was an assistant coach with MLS NEXT Pro Cup winners Red Bull New York II in 2025 while Decima arrives after serving as the goalkeeper coach at Sacred Heart University.

Check out the FC Cincinnati 2 Statistics

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