Obinna Nwobodo had no idea that his most recent game was his 150th in an FC Cincinnati uniform until he was told during the buildup to the New York City FC contest Aug. 19, which Cincy won 2-1.
Nwobodo signed with the club early in the 2022 season, which was Pat Noonan’s first year as head coach and the first season in which the team qualified for the Major League Soccer playoffs. Nwobodo doesn’t keep track because he knows the franchise is as focused on winning as he is.
“It's excitement to see that the goal, the drive is there,” he said. “Games go quick because there's always something to fight for. It's always boring when there is nothing to fight for and then you start counting games. For this one, you know you have a goal, the whole team
has a goal.”
He is the sixth player in club history to reach 150 appearances.
“So from the start I know the mentality of the team when I came that they wanted to compete," he said. "They wanted passion. They wanted people to fight for the team. And I'm excited that since then they have not moved away from this idea, from this goal. It has always been like that.”
Nwobodo, 29, came here via transfer from Göztepe S.K. of the Turkish Süper Lig in April, 2022. He was the league leader in tackles, pressures and recoveries and played 62 games with that club.
Before that, Nwobodo made 114 appearances with Újpest FC in Hungary’s NB I, the country’s top flight. With Újpest, he scored 15 goals and added 22 assists in four seasons. He began his professional career in his hometown of Enugu, Nigeria with Rangers FC in 2015, and in his first season with the club, he scored seven goals, contributed 10 assists, and was named the club’s Player of the Year en route to the club’s first league title in 32 years.
With Cincinnati, he scored two goals during the 2023 Supporters’ Shield winning season. But his primary role is the hard dirty work in the midfield that only shows up in advanced metrics, winning control of the ball and supporting the backliners and keeper on defense.
“He's one of the reasons that I think people talk about us in a different way than they did in ’22,” head coach Pat Noonan said. “You look at the success we've had. Obi was at the start of it all. He came in obviously not right at the beginning, but when he got here, things changed. It's his mentality, it's his play on the field, it's his leadership. He's a winner.
“I talk to these guys all the time about just having winners on the field, and that doesn't mean goals and assists. It means understanding what the moment calls for to help your team, and how many times has Obi done that for us? So, yeah, he's up there as far as when you talk about players that you've worked with and coached and enjoyed good moments with. Obi's up there at the top of the list because of his positive impact and the way he goes about it.”
Nwobodo played only 14 games in 2025 with a quad injury that required surgery, and logged only 42 minutes in four playoff games. He is ready to stay healthy for the playoff push this year.
“I feel good,” he said. “I'm excited every time to be part of the team. Most times I cannot control what happens, you know, but I always want to be there, especially being on the pitch. Because if I'm on the pitch, then I feel like I can help more than when I'm injured and I'm outside.”
A look at FC Cincinnati’s opponent, the Seattle Sounders FC
After its last-minute 2-1 win over New York City Aug. 19, Cincinnati stands in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 30 points. They are five points behind Chicago for third place and three behind New England. Nine teams make the playoffs, and they are nine points ahead of 10th-place Orlando.
Seattle is 7-9-3, 11th in the Western Conference with 24 points. Seattle had a great start to the season, going 7-1-3 in its first 11 league games, but has since gone through an unprecedented string of losses and injuries. The Sounders have lost eight consecutive MLS games by a combined score of 18-4. They went 1-2 in the Leagues Cup and did not advance.
Eight regulars missed Seattle’s 1-0 loss to Austin Aug. 19. The biggest impacts have been on offense. Seattle has scored 21 goals in MLS play, second-worst in the league. The defense has been solid, allowing 26 goals, which is eight-best in MLS.
Standout midfielder Cristian Roldan, a California native and member of the United States World Cup team, has not played since Aug. 9. He was questionable Aug. 19 with a quad injury. Legendary club forward Jordan Morris has not played since July 16. Paul Rothrock, a 27-year old American, leads the team with five goals.
Seattle’s head coach is Brian Schmetzer, one of the longest-tenured MLS coaches who has led the club to two MLS Cup championships, one Leagues Cup title and one Concacaf Champions Cup crown.
“Similar to New York City they’re plagued with injuries,” Noonan said. “That’s always difficult to manage. When they’ve gone on the road or it’s a quick turnaround, (Schmetzer) will have a group ready to perform. That’s what our guys have to be aware of. I know results haven’t gone their way, we all do, but that doesn’t mean the game gets any easier. They are playing with a sense of urgency to get a result. We have to be prepared for a team that’s going to fight.”
Their first meeting, March 2, 2019, was Cincinnati’s first MLS game, a 4-1 loss in Seattle. The teams last played early in the 2023 season, March 11, with Cincy winning 1-0 at TQL Stadium. They have played twice in Seattle, the last time a 1-1 draw in 2022.
Noonan is 19-5-6 against Western Conference teams and Cincy beaten Vancouver and San Jose here since the World Cup break. Noonan is 24-12-11 on two days rest.
Two Cincinnati players honored by MLS
FC Cincinnati’s Evander and Roman Celentano were named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 21, games of Aug. 19.
Evander and Celentano were key to FC Cincinnati’s 2-1 win over New York City FC at TQL Stadium.
Evander’s 90’+1 goal marked his fourth-career stoppage time goal for FC Cincinnati, and his third game-winner, the most by any player in club history. It was also his MLS-best 23rd goal contribution of the season. Celentano made seven saves in the 2-1 FC Cincinnati win, two of which came within seconds of the second half starting on a double save of consecutive NYCFC shots.
Evander and Celentano’s nods to the Team of the Matchday are the 17th and 18th for an FC Cincinnati player this season. It is also the first time this season that two FCC players have made the starting XI of the list. The full list is below.
Miles Robinson (1), Ender Echenique (5), Evander (8-Bench, 11, 14-Bench, 15, 17-Bench, 19, 21), Kévin Denkey (9-Bench, 10), Roman Celentano (10-Bench, 11-Bench, 21), Tom Barlow (14), Kenji Mboma Dem (15-Bench), Pavel Bucha (15-Bench, 17)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati hosts a struggling Seattle Sounders FC club
