Notebook: Kévin Denkey Scores in Return to Starting XI and FC Cincinnati Relish Playoff Environment as Critical Games Loom
MLS FC Cincinnati

Notebook: Kévin Denkey Scores in Return to Starting XI and FC Cincinnati Relish Playoff Environment as Critical Games Loom

Published on August 20, 2025 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release


FC Cincinnati ventured into the forest and emerged with three points this weekend, defeating the Portland Timbers 3-2 in one of the more hostile and energetic environments the team has faced this season.

From kickoff to the final whistle, both teams gave each other heavyweight swings, and at the end of the 12 rounds, FCC came away with more of a split decision than a true knockout. But the victory counts all the same. FCC won the early rounds, going up 3-0, but then had to hold out defensively against the Timbers and their fans, who were raining down on them late.

And they did so effectively. Save for a PK in the second half, FCC did not allow a goal from open play after the first half and limited the chances on target, allowing just three on-target attempts in the second 45 minutes.

For FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan, the experience on the road was well worth the price of admission. The entertainment value of the game alone made for an exciting match, and one that he enjoyed his team being a part of and finding a game to win. But the positive externalities of a game like that go beyond the nightly enjoyment or results.

Noonan said postgame that he believes Saturday night in Portland was an important experience for FC Cincinnati. Both for the playoffs and beyond.

"That was a great game as far as entertainment value goes. I thought the energy in the stadium, the way the game was played, a lot of chance creation, a lot of excitement, end to end, and there's a good and a bad of that. But I'm really pleased that we were able to walk off the field with the win," Noonan said of the match in his opening statement with the press. "It certainly wasn't easy, and could have been a different outcome. So I'm pleased for the guys that they're able to experience that joy of a very important win tonight."

"That was a playoff environment," Noonan continued. "Credit to the fans tonight, the energy in the stadium was outstanding. It makes the game more enjoyable and more meaningful, because they were in it from the beginning, even when we took the lead, even when we got the third goal... the second half was what a road game feels like in a great environment in the playoffs. So it's a good experience for us. I'm sure they're enjoying that experience as well, despite the result. But I hadn't been here since 2018 and it was really nice to be back to experience a game like this."

FC Cincinnati's win Saturday night put them at the top of the table in both the Eastern Conference and the Supporters' Shield. Sunday night's results brought San Diego FC level with them for the Shield, but even still, the gap between first and second is razor thin, and every one of the final seven games will be an emotional and tightly fought match.

By playing in these kinds of games, FC Cincinnati will become acclimated to the environment they need to win in, and also be ready for the kind of fire opposing teams will bring as the playoff picture and playoff series stakes begin to materialize.

"We know we're in the final stretch. We have about seven games left, and every game matters for every team in the league. Everyone's going to bring their best," defender Nick Hagglund said after the victory over Portland. The Cincinnati native and recent 150th appearance maker for FCC played all 90 minutes of the match. As a two-time Supporters' Shield winner and MLS Cup Winner, Hagglund is intimately familiar with the kind of intensity and opposition they will have to face on route to a trophy in 2025.

"I think for us specifically, everyone's excited about playing us. We're top of the table right now, and I feel like you're going to get everyone's best shot every time out there. People are going to prepare in a certain way to have their best lineups out to play against us. That's going to prepare us for the playoffs. And it's nice to win these ones. It was a nervy game at the end, but we scored three goals, and we're able to batten down the hatches and get the job done at the end of the day. I think it is a good feeling for the group going into the final stretch. We need to continue to continue to peak in our performances as we get towards the end of the season."

Big Game Experience

A further example of the experience Saturday provided is with young players like Ender Echenique, Stiven Jimenez, Kenji Mboma Dem, and Gerardo "Dado" Valenzuela.

Echenique and Jimenez started the match, with Mboma Dem and Valenzuela coming on as substitutes; however, all four players played a role in the victory. Mboma Dem specifically came on around the 60th minute mark and was given his longest stretch as a reserve since signing with the first team from FC Cincinnati 2 earlier this summer.

For young players, match minutes are a valuable part of the development process; however, match minutes in big games can be even more informative. To understand how the game changes in high-stakes moments, and how to manage the emotions of a game in order to be at your best, is something you can only learn through experience.

Noonan, when speaking on Mboma Dem's selection and performance Saturday night, highlighted how valuable these minutes could be for him in the long run.

"They had a good impact early on, and then that kind of faded as Portland took control of possession. There was a couple moments where, I think, the decisions as we were on the break could have been a little bit tidier, but with Kenji, I think it's also just maybe the adrenaline and the excitement of the moment in controlling your running in a way where you don't find yourself out of position or struggling to recover," Pat Noonan explained. "And there were a couple of those where he looked like he was fatigued, even with limited minutes, because it's hard to come into games on the road and in environments like this one, when you haven't been accustomed to being in them.

"So it is a good learning experience for him and I say that in him not performing poorly, it's just elevating it to be able to do what he did the first five or 10 minutes on the field for the entirety of the half."

Noonan may have been speaking specifically about Mboma Dem in that situation, but the lesson feels applicable to every young player. Big games are different. It's hard to quantify what makes a big game specifically, as 1.) FC Cincinnati tend to try to make every game a big game, and 2.) Every player may have a different definition of a big game, but they are all different.

Learning how to play at the MLS level is one step up, but learning how to take the next step to an even higher level for big games is another. The experience gained from the match in Portland, for example, is one that Mboma Dem, Echenique, Jimenez, Valenzuela, and anyone else can come away from and learn from.

It may also be important that they do. With the MLS season racing to a finish, and every game feels like it matters just a little bit more to the table, let alone the do-or-die nature of the playoffs, FC Cincinnati will need these young players to be ready if they are called upon. And ideally, experiences like Saturday night in Portland will make them that little bit more prepared for that moment, and help FC Cincinnati achieve something they, potentially, couldn't have otherwise.

Kévin Denkey makes noise in return to starting XI

After missing three league games and coming on late in the fourth, FC Cincinnati forward Kévin Denkey made his return to the starting lineup on Saturday night and reminded everyone quickly of the quality he provides.

In the 10th minute, Denkey received a pass from Pavel Bucha (through the feet of Evander to add some extra flair) and took a touch before blasting it to the low corner past the diving goalkeeper. The goal brought his season-long total in MLS play to 13 and brought him to 15 goals across all competitions this season, the 9th most in club history, with seven regular-season matches and the playoffs still to come.

In Denkey's absence, following his leg injury during the match with Columbus Crew on July 12, FC Cincinnati found ways to create without him. Players like Gerardo "Dado" Valenzuela and Ender Echenique (who only joined recently) did admirably, filling in for him. But in his return, Denkey quickly reminded everyone what he provides and how uniquely game-changing he can be.

"It shows what we've been missing with Kévin off the field," Pat Noonan said after the Portland match. "As far as him in and around goal, his ability to create a little separation and the power he has with his finish. It was certainly well taken."

"Good to see him back, good to build his fitness. I thought, aside from the goal, some good moments of holding the ball," Noonan continued. "We tried to keep them higher when the pressure was arriving from deeper positions. And I thought he did a pretty good job of playing with his back to goal and then breaking the pressure and allowing us to move up the field. So good progress."

Evander, who scored four times and added another two assists across all competitions in the time Denkey was out, buoyed the offense while the striker recovered from his injury, but made clear he was happy to see his teammate back in action this weekend.

"Kévin can create options for me to score, and I can create options for him to score," Evander added more generally on Denkey returning to the lineup. "I think when we did the hold up play, Kévin has so much quality to keep the ball in front of him, and the team have the patience to keep doing the build up. It helps a lot. So I think when Kev is on the pitch it is another problem for the opponent because they have to keep an eye on him as well as me."

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Major League Soccer Stories from August 20, 2025


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