Kévin Denkey and Nick Hagglund Lift FC Cincinnati to Opening Day Celebrations, Topping Atlanta United FC in 2-0 Victory at TQL Stadium
MLS FC Cincinnati

Kévin Denkey and Nick Hagglund Lift FC Cincinnati to Opening Day Celebrations, Topping Atlanta United FC in 2-0 Victory at TQL Stadium

Published on February 22, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release


Cincinnati's beloved son Nick Hagglund said on Friday that he would let the soccer do the talking as FC Cincinnati kicked off its regular season against Atlanta United FC.

And man, did he ever.

With the late afternoon sun shining down on the crown jewel of the West End and a buzz in the air that was unmistakable, FC Cincinnati returned to action and kicked off their 2026 regular season. Exactly 90 days from the last time FCC took the field at home, The Orange and Blue were welcomed back to the pitch with a sold out crowd at TQL Stadium and returned the energy provided to them in spades.

In a defensive lockdown and display of clutch goalscoring, FC Cincinnati opened their 2026 season strong with a victory over Eastern Conference foes Atlanta United FC and set the tone for the 2026 season.

Kévin Denkey and Nick Hagglund scored in the final 10 minutes of the match to earn the victory over Atlanta, capping off an impressive opening night which saw FC Cincinnati in the driver's seat for nearly all 90 minutes.

"A good start to the season. I think the majority of the performance was strong from the group, and while maybe the answers in the attack weren't there early on, the guys stuck with it and found the lead late," Noonan said to open his press conference on Saturday night. "The defensive press was really effective. I guess the only thing that could have been more consistent was just some decisions on the ball to move us forward, but the guys put together a good performance tonight."

As has become tradition now, FC Cincinnati took the field donning their new Seven Hills kit for the very first time, showing off the white and orange look they will wear as their secondary kit for the next two seasons. They were also welcomed to the field with an impressive display from The Bailey, mixing a Tifo with a card stunt that depicted a ferocious Orange and Blue Lion bearing its teeth. But the most dramatic atmospheric element came from the early kick off, which allowed for this match to open with the Cincinnati sun and slowly come to a close as night descended on the seven hills.

It was only after the sun went down though, that the celebrations in Cincinnati began.

After 80 scoreless minutes of game action, with The Orange and Blue knocking on the door the whole time, it was FCC's star forward, Kévin Denkey who broke the stalemate by finishing off a beautiful sequence of passing started by Samuel Gidi through to Ender Echenique before the finish by Denkey. Ten minutes later, with the clock ticking up to the 90 minute mark, a corner kick was taken by Bryan Ramirez that cruised to the near post where Nick Hagglund leaped and headed home his first goal of the season and gave FC Cincinnati a 2-0 lead.

Seven minutes of stoppage time later, and with more strong defending by the FC Cincinnati back line, the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the center circle for full time. The Orange and Blue were three points richer.

"Before the game, I said that we have to bring the fans to life," Noonan said of the importance of a strong start at home. "We can't wait for them. They have to see it in your play and your energy. And it's not always going to be because of an attacking sequence. How you defend, how you press, how you work together, all of these things are important, and we saw a lot of that tonight."

"Every point matters for us. We lost the Supporters' Shield by one point last year. So I think for us, getting on the right step and making sure that we take care of business at home, that's one of our goals this year," Hagglund said of the strong start to the season.

The Hagglund goal was clearly a cathartic one. His rush to The Bailey to celebrate with his hometown crowd was capped off with a Sword Pull celebration that mirrored the one done pregame.

But Hagglund was hardly alone. The rush of teammates to his back as he celebrated showed their emotion as clear as could be. Total elation.

"I think that one meant a little bit more for Nick. He might not say it or show it. Maybe he will (but) having not been able to be on the field because of health in previous years and then who we were playing, yeah, that game was a little bit different," Noonan said of Hagglund. "A very strong performance for Nick and to see him score the goal at that time, what it meant to him, and his teammates and the energy of the crowd in that moment was special."

Hagglund missed significant time last season after suffering broken ribs and a punctured lung when playing Atlanta United last season. He said, prior to the match, he would let his soccer do the talking on Saturday night.

He did exactly that.

"I just wanted to let my soccer do the talking today," Hagglund said with a grin postmatch. "I just wanted to play soccer, and I think the goal was a representation of just all the things that I went through and coming out on top."

But given all the success the team had, a shadow was cast over FC Cincinnati early in the match.

In the 11th minute, Evander, FC Cincinnati's MVP finalist from 2025, ran into the Atlanta box to receive a feed from newcomer Bryan Ramirez along the touch line. Evander got to the ball, but after a quick bump on the ball with an Atlanta defender, the Brazilian pulled up, reached for his leg and went to ground.

FC Cincinnati recovered possession and the ref stopped play, but Evander's day was done. Trainers attended to Evander and soon thereafter Geradrdo "Dado" Valenzuela ran from the warmup area to the coaches box and was subbed into the game. Just 13 minutes after kickoff.

"We'll get an image on Monday. It was hamstring tightness, so the extent of it, I don't know. It didn't seem severe. I think there was some promising feedback early on," Noonan said of what they knew about Evander's injury. "But you know how these things go. You don't want to speak too soon, you just wait until we get some results. Hopefully it's good news and won't keep him out long."

Valenzuela came on and didn't miss a beat with the team. While, in his own words "You can't replace E," Valenzuela responded and played with confidence and composure. Stepping into that attacking midfield role and helping to generate offense through his play with the ball and by drawing fouls.

"It's tough because we all know how important Evander is to our group, and the morale can take a hit in a moment like that. But I think the guys, one, got on with it in a good way, but two, they also know what was coming in to replace Evander," Noonan said postgame. "And no, we can't replace him, but Dado has had an excellent preseason. So, I think the confidence of the group, knowing that our depth was going to be able to step in and help us continue to perform showed.

"I thought Dado had some really good moments," Noonan continued. "He was active, and his movement to find space was good. We missed him in a couple spots...where the ideas were there but the execution wasn't. I thought Dado did a good job with the defensive side of the ball, as well. Solid performance from him, and I think the group's reaction to a tough moment and being able to keep playing and get our focus where it needed to be was good."

FC Cincinnati started their season off on the right foot. They score twice, earn the clean sheet, and gave a glimmer of what they are building towards. But this is just the start, and Pat Noonan is keeping that in mind as they approach the next few weeks.

"Again, it's the first game, so we have to improve on a lot of things, of course, but we still have to appreciate the fact that we won our home opener. We performed well in a lot of ways tonight. The fans got to see the first glimpse of this team."

The Orange and Blue are back in action this Wednesday when they continue their Concacaf Champions Cup journey in the second leg of their series with O&M FC. They continue their MLS regular season next Saturday when they travel to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota United FC.

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Major League Soccer Stories from February 22, 2026


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