PREVIEW: fc cincinnati kickstart 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup in Dominican Republic
FC Cincinnati travels to Santiago de los Caballeros to open its 2026 competitive season in Round One of the Concacaf Champions Cup against O& M FC. After a Clearwater preseason, the Orange and Blue arrive with experience in the tournament and eyes on pushing past the Round of 16 for the first time.
Road test in Santiago — familiar challenge, fresh focus
This marks FC Cincinnati’s third straight appearance in the continental tournament and a third straight season that begins on the road. The club won its opening fixtures in the past two campaigns — a 2-0 road victory in 2024 and a 4-1 win in 2025 — but head coach Pat Noonan has emphasized there’s more work to do if the team wants to go deeper.
“I would say, from the previous experiences, coming up short of our goal of advancing further in the competition and competing for a trophy, ” Noonan said at the preseason press conference. “We’ve had success in the first round and in the second round, we haven't been able to capitalize on our home performance to better position ourselves for the second leg…so that's something that we're going to look to surpass this year. ”
O& M FC arrive as runners-up in the 2025 Caribbean Cup and are making their Champions Cup debut. While form and recent results have been uneven for the Dominican side, they have competitive minutes under their belt heading into the tie — a factor Noonan noted can narrow the match-readiness gap between the visitors and hosts.
Players to watch and tactical notes
Offensively, the Orange and Blue will lean on the chemistry that developed late last year between attacking midfielder Evander and club-record signing Kévin Denkey. The pair combined for a sizable share of FC Cincinnati's league goals in 2025, and Evander arrives to this tie with the benefit of a full preseason after joining late the prior year.
“Last year I was just joining at the competition, now I'm part of the preseason with the team and being part of the group for a longer time, ” Evander said at the official press event. “You’ve a very important game against O& M (to start), and you want to take this game as seriously as possible to go further in the competition. ”
Defensively, center back Miles Robinson remains a key figure as the club looks for stability at the back. The coaching staff will also have to manage the unfamiliarity that comes with scouting a Caribbean opponent — limited footage and different styles can force rapid tactical adjustments on the ground.
O& M boast attacking threats as well; their Caribbean Cup run highlighted several performers who contributed heavily to that success. FC Cincinnati must balance respect for those dangers with the expectation that, as the higher seed, they control the tie across two legs.
Home leg advantage and the road ahead
FC Cincinnati return to TQL Stadium for the second leg on Feb. 25 (ET), where home advantage and the crowd will be critical to deciding the aggregate outcome. As the higher seed, the Orange and Blue have the comfort of playing the decisive match on familiar turf — a benefit Noonan expects the squad to use to its favor.
Should FC Cincinnati advance, a Round of 16 rematch with Tigres UANL of Liga MX looms — a pairing that ended Cincinnati’s run in 2025. The club’s stated objective is clear: progress further this year than in previous editions and make a genuine run at the continental trophy.
“I think it’s not just me. I think the whole thing is the team wants to succeed and go further in the competition, ” Evander said, reflecting the squad’s mindset heading into the opener. For now, that goal starts with focused preparation, a strong away performance in Santiago, and exploiting the home leg on Feb. 25 (ET) to push into the next round.
