FC Cincinnati will cross the northern border for the second time this season, playing at CF Montréal 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26.
Fitting the battle between two countries, the game will have an international flavor as both teams will have shallower rosters due to the current FIFA international window. Cincinnati (8-8-9, 33 points)
is ninth in the Eastern Conference and Montréal (5-15-6, 21 points) is last.The Orange and Blue seek a season sweep over Montréal after earning a dramatic 4-3 win back in March. After going down a man and down a goal, Cincinnati rallied back with goals from Tom Barlow in the 80th minute and Kévin Denkey in stoppage time to earn three points.
Cincinnati will be without three key starters Miles Robinson, Pavel Bucha and
Kevin Denkey, who will be away representing their national teams. Occasional starter Andrei Chirila, a promising 18-year old center back, will also be unavailable.
Montréal loses nine players to the international window, including three players who have started at least 12 games for them in 2026 and recent acquisition Dante Sealy up front. Vincent Destouches, a soccer journalist based in Montreal, reported that the club asked MLS to postpone the match, claiming that they could have as few as three players available on their bench against Cincinnati. But that request was denied.
Virtually every team in the league is missing starters this weekend due to a variety of friendlies and competitions happening around the world.
“Some teams are suffering more than others, and with injuries for teams, you see very quickly how depleted you can be,” said FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan. “So it's a chance for guys that aren't consistently in the 11 to go out and perform and help their team, and that's what we expect from our group is not to have a dropoff.”
FC Cincinnati continues to persevere late in games
Cincinnati is in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, occupying the last playoff spot, and has three teams within three points.
“What I think is important is recognizing points and what we're trying to accomplish, because it is so tight,” said Noonan. “There's playoff positioning, we're trying to get in the playoffs. That's just our reality, and the guys understand the urgency to pick up points.”
Twenty-one of FC Cincinnati’s 33 points this season have come in matches in which the team trailed at some point in the match. The team’s 16 points in matches when conceding the first goal lead MLS. That included last weekend's 2-2 draw at Houston.
Three times FC Cincinnati scored a game-winning goal in stoppage time, and five other times this season FC Cincinnati have equalized in stoppage time to earn a draw. The five stoppage-time equalizers are the most by a team in a single season in MLS history.
“There's been a lot of late goals, which show that the guys continue to push and believe that they can get something out of a game, which is always a positive,” Noonan said. “So, hopefully, we can take away that type of ending because of being in a better position going into the end of games.”
FC Cincinnati’s depth on defense will be tested
Without Robinson and Chirila, plus Matt Miazga, who signed with New York City this week, Cincinnati’s back line will rely on its group of Samuel Gidi, Nick Hagglund, Teenage Hadebe, Alvas Powell and Kyle Smith.
“We’ve had different guys back there all year,” Noonan said. “It’s something we feel confident with as far as you know who's available to start the game, despite missing those pieces. We've had all of these guys at different stages helping us on the back line. So we know we have enough.”
Reinforcements could be available
Cincinnati’s first two signings of the transfer window, winger David Doudera and center back Julian Malatini, could both play in the Montréal match. Both have secured their P-1 work visas and are permitted to fully integrate in training and play games.
Doudera has been in town for about two weeks working out with the team.
"We’ve enjoyed his energy,” Noonan said. “He's come here obviously looking for a fresh start, and from a character point of view, I've enjoyed just getting to know him a little bit better and seeing him push himself.”
Malatini was expected to arrive in Cincinnati Sept. 24 and train with the team the next day, and Noonan said he could be available for the match if things go well.
A look at FC Cincinnati’s opponent, CF Montréal
Montréal is in last place in the Eastern Conference with 21 points (5-15-6). Their goal differential is minus-22 (31 to 53), second-worst in MLS. They are 3-5-5 at home, and Cincinnati still has only one road win, and is 1-6-6 as the visiting club.
Unlike some of Cincy’s recent opponents, Montréal has struggled mightily coming out of the World Cup break. They have one win, seven losses and four draws since then, and have lost five straight overall, three by shutout.
Their defense has been solid lately. After a 7-1 disaster at Miami Aug. 29, Montréal has conceded seven goals in their last four games. Noonan said their defensive structure has improved in recent weeks. Efrain Morales, a regular starter in the back line, is the main international absence on defense.
"Different on the defensive side of the ball than we've seen the last two games,” Noonan said. “So that's been a big talking point of I think we'll have less time, less space. They can hit you in transition, and I think aren't afraid to play direct, but they can play with the ball on the ground. They do a good job of moving the ball from side to side to move up the field.”
One player who won’t be missing is Prince Owusu, a 29-year old from Ghana. Owusu, a 6-foot-3 striker, has 13 goals and six assists, including two goals and an assist against Cincy at TQL Stadium. He hasn’t scored in the last five matches, however, during Montreal’s offensive slump.
“Prince has been very consistent and very strong for their team for a long stretch now,” Noonan said. “We saw it earlier in the year, he's a handful. How he can be the highest attacking threat and have multiple defenders in the vicinity and find ways to control the ball and get his team up the field is impressive.”
The other notable name in the attack is recent addition and Chilean 37-year-old veteran star Alexis Sánchez, who has starred in Europe with Arsenal, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Barcelona. He has yet to score in seven appearances with Montreal.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati looks for second road win as it travels to Montreal
