FC Cincinnati Host Orlando City SC in Sunday Night Soccer Clash at TQL Stadium
MLS FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati Host Orlando City SC in Sunday Night Soccer Clash at TQL Stadium

Published on September 26, 2025 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release


FC Cincinnati host the marquee match of the MLS calendar this weekend, taking on Eastern Conference foes Orlando City SC in primetime for Sunday Night Soccer on MLS Season Pass. The matchup pits two sides that are both vying for playoff positioning, and in an Eastern Conference table that is razor-thin, the stakes are as high as they can be.

The matchup at TQL Stadium is the penultimate home match of the season for FCC, as it will not return home again until Decision Day. Last time out at home, The Orange and Blue broke a three-game home losing streak by defeating Nashville SC 2-1, and as the playoffs are approaching and FCC is looking to play most of their postseason at home, building up momentum on turf is paramount.

"Every game right now, you see we're fighting for playoff seeding. And the goal at the beginning of year was to get a home playoff game in that first round," FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of the importance of playing at home in the playoffs. "Now it's how many home games can we get based on these results. So in some ways you're not saying it has to be perfect...but winning is important at this stage to just have the highest possible seed.

"That's kind of been the focus, if you have a slip up, that position can drastically change from second place to a fifth place, that's just how tight it is right now, and that's how it'll be for the remainder (of the year)."

Orlando City enters this match in sixth place in the East, but is only two points behind the top four in the conference. With Nashville and Columbus just one point behind them, and a spot in the play-in game still very possible, Orlando will be as desperate for a result as FC Cincinnati is as they look to stay in the Supporters' Shield race with a win.

"They're a very strong team. We have had good match-ups against them," Noonan said of Orlando this weekend. "I think they've had a lot of consistency with their group, personnel-wise, with their performances. Just watching their game, there's consistency in their play. They always compete well, but they have a lot of really strong players all over the field to give them a good balance. They've been one of the best teams in our league for four years, in my opinion. Even with the ups and downs teams experience, they've always been a very solid team.

"We always look at their team and admire the personnel, the way they compete, the way they play."

FC Cincinnati will also be celebrating Noche Latina this weekend, with activations in-stadium and prematch. To learn more about that, click here.

FC CINCINNATI vs Orlando City SC - Sunday, September 28, 2025 - 7 p.m. ET - TQL Stadium

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History with Orlando City

Earlier this season FC Cincinnati went down to Inter&Co Stadium and earned a victory in a 2-1 win fueled by a brace from Evander. The result was the fourth consecutive visit to Orlando where FCC took points, going 3-0-1 in that stretch.

The problem has been that FCC has not had that same success when hosting Orlando City SC, where the visitors have won both of the last two visits to TQL Stadium.

FC CINCINNATI NOTES

CLINCHED! - The Orange and Blue have qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Only FC Cincinnati, the New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, LAFC and Real Salt Lake qualified in each of the three seasons between 2022-2024. With a win last Saturday, FC Cincinnati also became the second team in MLS history to win 18 games in a season three years in a row.

Sunday Sunday Sunday - FC Cincinnati and Orlando City SC take MLS' center stage Sunday night at TQL Stadium for the first Sunday Night Soccer at TQL Stadium. In late May, FCC played at Atlanta United FC on Sunday Night Soccer, dropping a 4-2 result.

FC Cincinnati will look to change recent home form on Sundays - the Orange and Blue last won at home on a Sunday in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One, Game 1, a 3-0 win over the New York Red Bulls. Since then, FCC are 0-1-3 in all competitions at home on Sundays.

Record Breaking Scorer - One more goal for FC Cincinnati midfielder Evander will

give the star midfielder the all-time FC Cincinnati club record for goals in all competitions in a season. He will, at minimum, have five remaining games to hold the record for himself, as he enters Sunday with 21.

Evander has four games remaining to score his 18th MLS Regular Season goal of the season, which would match the club record for MLS Goals in a season (Brenner and Brandon Vazquez, both in 2022). None of his goals in 2025 have come from the penalty spot.

Comfortable in Close Games - Winning one-goal games have been a staple under Head Coach Pat Noonan. Only five teams in MLS' post-shootout era have won 14+ games decided by one goal in a single season: three of those teams are FC Cincinnati. FCC in the past three seasons: 14-2 in 2023 in one-goal games; 14-6 in 2024 in one-goal games; 15-5 in 2025 in one goal games.

SCOUTING Orlando City SC (14-7-9, 51 Points, 6th in the Eastern Conference)

Orlando City SC comes to Cincinnati fresh off a thrilling late victory over Nashville, where young American forward Duncan McGuire earned his side the victory with a goal in the 90+5 minute to take all three points with a 3-2 result.

The victory snapped a two-game skid of dropping points on the road, but it means that Orlando has won five of their last seven games.

McGuire, the young forward who was selected sixth overall in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft out of Creighton, was a breakout star in his rookie season but has missed most of 2025 with injury and thus scored just his second goal of the campaign last week in 14 games played.

Fortunately for Orlando, though, they have had no shortage of goal scorers this season, with the tandem of Miguel Ojeda and Marco Pašalić leading the way with 16 and 11 goals, respectively. Ojeda has been the true engine of the offense this season for Oscar Paraeja's side, as in addition to his 16 goals, the DP attacker has also dished out 14 assists.

In addition to their attackers, one of the defining features of the Orlando City approach is a strong defense and a fearless attitude when playing physically. Center backs Rodrigo Schlegel and Robin Jansson embody this mindset, but it truly permeates the squad as a cultural identity.

"They are a strong team, and part of that is how they defend against the ball, physical center backs, but I think center backs that (also) read the game well," FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Friday ahead of the Sunday matchup. "As a starting point, the structures worked really well for them, and they compete well. I think they communicate well to each other. So there's a reason they've been successful."

Paraeja has managed the team since 2019 and led the side to a US Open Cup title and multiple runner-up finishes in the Eastern Conference and Supporters' Shield. Under the Colombian head coach, the side plays with a 4-4-2 formation most often this season.

"They have a lot of really strong players all over the field to give them a good balance; they've been one of the best teams in our league for four years, in my opinion," Noonan added on his weekend opponent. "They've always been a very solid team...we always look at their team and admire the personnel, the way they compete, the way they play."

In net for Orlando is Peruvian international goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, who is set to make his 161st appearance and start for Orlando on Sunday night. Gallese, 35, has been with Orlando for six seasons and has compiled 46 clean sheets in his time there, including eight this season. In his 28 games in 2025, Gallese has made a career-high 83 saves, but has also allowed 41 goals - the second most in his tenure with the club.

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Major League Soccer Stories from September 26, 2025


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