Revolution II Fall to FC Cincinnati 2, 3-1
MLS NEXT Pro New England Revolution II

Revolution II Fall to FC Cincinnati 2, 3-1

Published on September 21, 2025 under MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
New England Revolution II News Release


HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - New England Revolution II (13-6-7; 51 pts.) fell to FC Cincinnati 2 (6-12-7, 32 pts.), 3-1, on Sunday Night at NKU Soccer Stadium. Newton, Mass. native Michael Tsicoulias opened his MLS NEXT Pro account in tonight's contest, but Cincinnati rallied with three second-half tallies to snap New England's seven-game unbeaten streak.

Revolution II almost opened the scoring in the 16th minute, when Tsicoulias surged up the right flank and delivered a cross into the penalty area for forward Liam Butts, but his shot was denied by Cincinnati's goalkeeper Slade Hall. Moments later, Homegrown defender Damario McIntosh slipped a pass into the box for Sharod George, who sailed his header over the crossbar. George, 21, suited up for his first Revolution II start tonight after appearing on New England's senior team matchday roster for its three previous MLS matches.

New England found its lone goal minutes before the halftime whistle, when Tsicoulias, a Revolution Academy graduate, opened his MLS NEXT Pro account in the 43rd minute. The University of New Hampshire alum capitalized on a feed from Butts at the top of the box, burying his shot past Hall. Butts tallied his third helper of the season on the play and his fourth goal contribution in his last five appearances.

Cincinnati leveled the scoring shortly after intermission, when Gilberto Flores headed home a corner kick from Kenji Mboma Dem into the bottom left-hand corner of the net. In the 55th minute, Revolution II goalkeeper JD Gunn punched away an initial effort from the hosts, but William Kuisel buried the rebound to give Cincinnati a go-ahead goal. Gunn posted a three-save performance in his ninth start of the campaign.

In search of an equalizer, New England deployed several second-half substitutes, including Brazilian forward Marcos Dias, who registered two shots in his 32-minute shift. Revolution II continued to apply pressure, including a pair of long-range strikes from Filipino forward Alex Monis that were stopped by Cincinnati's goalkeeper. Monis, in his first start since May 31, led New England's attack with three shots, two on target tonight. However, Cincinnati put the game out of reach when Stefan Chirila slotted home a close-range finish in stoppage time.

New England, having already clinched a postseason berth, will host Crown Legacy FC in its last home fixture of the regular season this Friday, September 26. The 3:00 p.m. ET kickoff is available to watch live via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, with Jake Griffith calling the action.

MATCH NOTES

New England's seven-game unbeaten streak (Aug. 10 - Sept. 18) ended tonight, the team's longest unbeaten run since 2023.

Revolution II remains one win away from matching the most wins in a single season (14 - 2023).

New England and Cincinnati both contributed 13 shot attempts tonight, with each side recording six on target.

F Michael Tsicoulias, a Newton, Mass. native, opened his MLS NEXT Pro account in tonight's match. The University of New Hampshire alum suited up for his third start and 10th appearance of the campaign.

F Liam Butts tallied an assist on Tsicoulias' goal, his third helper of the season and fourth goal involvement in his last five appearances.

Filipino F Alex Monis recorded a team-best three shot attempts, with a pair on target in his first start since May 31.

F Sharod George earned his first start of the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro campaign after featuring on New England's senior team matchday roster for its last three MLS matches.

D Chris Mbai-Assem also featured in Revolution II's Starting XI for the first time this season. The Central African Republic international submitted a 58-minute shift in his fourth appearance since signing with the team last month.

GK JD Gunn, in his ninth start of the season, posted a three-save performance on the night.

Homegrown D Damario McIntosh registered a team-high three key passes in his 90-minute shift.

McIntosh was one of five Revolution Academy graduates to appear in tonight's contest, alongside Tsicoulias, Joe Buck, Gevork Diarbian, and Cristiano Oliveira.

D Gabe Dahlin logged his 25th appearance of the season tonight. The 22-year-old Sweden international has started 23 of his 25 outings in his debut professional campaign.

GAME CAPSULE

Revolution II Match #26

New England Revolution II 1 at FC Cincinnati 2 3

September 21, 2025 - NKU Soccer Stadium (Highland Heights, Ky.)

Referee: Iryna Petrunok

Assistant Referee: Eric Burton

Assistant Referee: Christopher Slane

Fourth Official: Bobby Johnson

Weather: 77 degrees and mostly cloudy

Scoring Summary:

NE - Michael Tsicoulias 1 (Liam Butts 3) 43'

CIN - Gilberto Flores (Kenji Mboma Dem) 49'

CIN - Will Kuisel (Unassisted) 55'

CIN - Stefan Chirila (Yamir Uculmana) 90'+4

Misconduct Summary:

NE - Victor Souza (Yellow Card) 80'

NE - Marcos Dias (Yellow Card) 82'

CIN - Andrei Chirila (Yellow Card) 88'

CIN - Stiven Jimenez (Yellow Card) 90'+9

New England Revolution II: JD Gunn; Chris Mbai-Assem (Hesron Barry 58'), Victor Souza, Gabe Dahlin (Javaun Mussenden 71'), Damario McIntosh; Michael Tsicoulias (Gevork Diarbian 58'), Joe Buck, Cristiano Oliveira, Alex Monis; Sharod George (Damorney Hutchinson 70'), Liam Butts (Marcos Dias 58')

Substitutes Not Used: Eli Ackerman, Ryker Fauth, Aarin Prajapati

FC Cincinnati 2: Slade Hall; Will Kuisel (Yorkaeff Caicedo 84'), Gilberto Flores, Andrei Chirila, Dilan Hurtado (Noah Adnan 90'+2); Stefan Chirila, Stiven Jimenez, Peter Mangione (Yair Ramos 69'); Kenji Mboma Dem, Alfredo Chavez (Yamir Uculmana 69'), Andres Davila (Ben Augee 69')

Substitutes Not Used: Tegi Ikoba, Carson Locker, Luke Broz, Brandon Kristel

New England Revolution II Team Statistics FC Cincinnati 2

13 Shots 13

6 Shots (on Target) 6

3 Blocked Shots 4

3 Saves 5

4 Corner Kicks 2

2 Offsides 1

6 Fouls 14

346 (81.2%) Passes Attempted (% Completed) 500 (86.0%)

Check out the New England Revolution II Statistics

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