FC Cincinnati Host Pumas Friday Night in Pivotal Leagues Cup Match
MLS FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati Host Pumas Friday Night in Pivotal Leagues Cup Match

Published on August 6, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release


FC Cincinnati will host Liga MX side Pumas on Friday, August 7 in the club's second match of Leagues Cup 2026. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET from TQL Stadium. Tickets are available at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or by calling 513-977-KICK. The match airs globally on Apple TV and in the United States on UniMás. The Official English Radio home of FC Cincinnati, iHeart Media ESPN 1530 and the official Spanish Radio home - La Mega 101.5 FM - will broadcast the match.

After a 3-1 win over CF Pachuca on Tuesday night in FC Cincinnati's Leagues Cup opener, the Orange and Blue can put themselves into great positioning in the Leagues Cup standings with another win against Pumas. The top-four MLS sides following three Phase One matchdays will advance to the quarterfinals taking place later in August.

Friday is the first-ever meeting between the Orange and Blue and seven-time Liga MX Champions Pumas. Friday's visitors are coming off a 3-0 loss Tuesday at Charlotte FC in their Leagues Cup opener.

HOW TO WATCH AND FOLLOW #CINvPUM on FRIDAY, AUGUST 7 (8 p.m. ET)

Watch: Apple TV (English and Spanish) |UniMás (Spanish)

English Local Radio: iHeart Media ESPN 1530

Spanish Local Radio: La Mega 101.5 FM

FC Cincinnati Social Media: X/Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

FC Cincinnati Official Mobile App: iOS | Android

FC CINCINNATI NOTES

On The Verge 100 - FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan enters Friday with 99 career wins for FC Cincinnati in all competitions. His overall record with the club since being named to his first-career managerial role in 2022 is 99-52-47.

Just Keep Winning - FC Cincinnati began Leagues Cup 2026 in strong fashion, defeating CF Pachuca, 3-1, Tuesday at TQL Stadium. FCC are unbeaten all time in Leagues Cup openers, starting with a 2023 shootout win over Sporting Kansas City and outright wins each year since (2024, 1-0 vs Club Querétaro | 2025, 3-2 vs CF Monterrey | 2026, 3-1 vs CF Pachuca).

Margins are tight with just the top-four MLS and top-four Liga MX sides from three Phase One matches advancing to the quarterfinals in late August.

Success In Quick Turnarounds - Friday marks FC Cincinnati's 46th match under Head Coach Pat Noonan on just two-days rest. Since 2022, FCC are 23-12-11 in such matches.

A First-Time Matchup and a Rare Friday - Pumas marks the eighth different Liga MX opponent the Orange and Blue have faced in club history. Friday also marks just the eighth all-time matchup for FC Cincinnati (since 2019) on a Friday, the first since August 9, 2024 against Santos Laguna in Leagues Cup play.

FC Cincinnati In Leagues Cup - FC Cincinnati are 5-2-4 (2-2 in Match-Deciding Shootouts) all-time in Leagues Cup, and 6-2-4 including a win over Chivas Guadalajara in the 2022 Leagues Cup Showcase. For the first time, the Orange and Blue seek to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament after the new format introduced in 2025 which featured just the top-four MLS and top-four Liga MX sides advancing past Phase One.

FC Cincinnati vs Liga MX - FC Cincinnati are 6-5-3 all-time in all competitions against Liga MX clubs.

Evander On Fire - FC Cincinnati's Evander has scored 12 goals in his last 12 games in all competitions. He has quickly risen in the club's all-time goalscoring leaderboard, standing alone in third with 34 goals. He is nine shy of equaling Brandon Vazquez's second-place tally.

SCOUTING PUMAS Record: 2-1-0 (6 points) Standings: 4th Apertura, Liga MX

Head Coach: Estaban Solari (1st season) Leading Scorer: 3 - Juninho Last Three Matches: 3-0 loss at Charlotte FC (August 4) | 5-1 win at FC Juárez (July 31) | 2-1 win at Toluca (July 21)

Pumas was founded in 1954 as a student team and is officially named Club Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, or UNAM. In 1962, they played in the first division; the team began recruiting non-students and foreigners, becoming the first Mexican champions in 1977.

Pumas are responsible for producing Hugo Sánchez, one of Mexico's most prominent soccer stars. Sánchez played in 80 international games by the age of 18 and signed as a youth player with Pumas. After two years, he became the top-scorer in Mexico's Primera Division.

Pumas have been Mexican champions on seven occasions, making them the sixth most successful team of all time, but their last title was won in 2011. They have been Concacaf champions three different times, but not since 1989.

In 2022, Pumas finished as runners-up in the 2022 Concacaf Champions League, where they lost to the Seattle Sounders.

Pumas are based in the Ciudad Universitaria (University City) of Mexico City, the campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) a 72,000-seat stadium that was used for the 1968 Olympics, and where Pumas play their home matches.

Pumas are under new management for the 2026 Apertura season as Esteban Solari, the former Pachuca head coach, was announced as the new manager in June. Pumas currently sit fourth for the 2026-27 Apertura season. They opened Leagues Cup play with a 3-0 loss at Charlotte.

Stay up-to-date and connected with FC Cincinnati! Select your schedule of choice to receive the latest match details, events and other relevant messages directly to your digital calendar. For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team's official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at @FCCincinnati. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team's official mobile app on iOS or Android for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.

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Major League Soccer Stories from August 6, 2026


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