RECAP | O&M FC 0, FC Cincinnati 4

FC Cincinnati defeated O&M FC, 4-0, Wednesday night in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round One fixture. The Orange and Blue take the four-goal aggregate advantage into next Wednesday’s second leg at TQL Stadium.

The second leg of the Round One series will be the second of two home matches in five days for FC Cincinnati, as the Orange and Blue will begin the 2026 MLS Regular Season this Saturday, February 21 against Atlanta United FC (4:45 p.m. ET | FCCincinnati.com/Tickets).

Tom Barlow opened the scoring for FC Cincinnati in the 12th minute, scoring in his debut for the club. He became the ninth player in FC Cincinnati’s MLS era to score in his first appearance for the club. Kévin Denkey doubled the Cincinnati lead in the 33rd minute, scoring his third-career Champions Cup goal to put the Orange and Blue up 2-0 going into halftime.

Substitute Ayoub Jabbari scored two late goals – his first two career goals for FC Cincinnati – to give Cincinnati a strong aggregate lead headed into the second leg. He slotted home his first goal in the 86th minute followed by his second strike two minutes into second-half stoppage time. 

Roman Celentano did not face a shot on goal, earning his 44th career clean sheet for FC Cincinnati. 

FC Cincinnati host Atlanta United FC on Saturday, February 21 in the 2026 MLS Regular Season opener. Kickoff from TQL Stadium is set for 4:45 p.m. ET with the match to air nationally on FOX and globally on Apple TV. Radio will be carried on iHeart Media ESPN 1530 in English and in Spanish locally on La Mega 101.5 FM.

Limited tickets for the opener are available at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or by calling 513-977-KICK.

AS IT HAPPENED
CIN: Tom Barlow, GOAL – 12’ (0-1) – Cincinnati controlled possession centrally, deep in the O&M half as Evander played Kyle Smith out on the right wing. Smith rolled a pass into the path of Obinna Nwobodo, who took the Orange and Blue into the box. Nwobodo looked to pick out Kévin Denkey with a quick pass, which split a pair of defenders, but a recovering challenge created a blocked shot on Denkey’s initial attempt on goal. The second chance ball bounced straight to Tom Barlow who struck and finished from close range.

CIN: Kévin Denkey, GOAL – 33’ (0-2) – Kévin Denkey doubled the lead with a powerful strike and a bit of good fortune. Cincinnati broke quickly into the attacking half, ending with Denkey taking a shot from distance. Denkey’s attempt was on target and arrived low and in an awkward position for goalkeeper Omry Bello, who mishandled the shot and saw the ball go through his legs and into the back of the net.

CIN: Ayoub Jabbari, GOAL – 86’ (0-3) – Ayoub Jabbari scored Cincinnati’s third of the night late in the second half. Obinna Nwobodo carried the ball forward from the midfield line with the O&M backline holding Jabbari onside. The two combined at the perfect moment to put Jabbari in on goal, and the forward finished from a tight angle up and over Bello.

CIN: Ayoub Jabbari, GOAL – 90’+2 (0-4) – Ayoub Jabbari notched his brace with his second of the night deep into the match. Gerardo Valenzuela floated a ball into the box towards Jabbari, who drifted in behind the defense while staying onside. Jabbari chested control inside the box with plenty of space before turning and finishing comfortably.

GAME NOTES
– FC Cincinnati are 4-0-1 all-time in Round One matches in the Champions Cup, including 3-0-0 in the road leg opener. FC Cincinnati have outscored their opponents 10-1 in those three victories. 
– Four FC Cincinnati players debuted for the club Wednesday night: Tom Barlow, Andrei Chirila, Bryan Ramirez and Kyle Smith.
– Andrei Chirila became the ninth FC Cincinnati Academy graduate to make an appearance for the first team.
– Tom Barlow became the ninth player in FC Cincinnati’s MLS era (2019-present) to score in his debut for the club. 
– Ayoub Jabbari, scoring his first two career goals for FC Cincinnati, became the second player in the club’s MLS era to score multiple goals in a match as a substitute (Yuya Kubo: June 15, 2024 at San Jose Earthquakes).
– Obinna Nwobodo, with two assists, recorded his first-career multi-assist game.
– Kévin Denkey scored his third-career Champions Cup goal, level with Pavel Bucha for the most in club history.

FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati at O&M FC 
Date: February 18, 2026
Competition: Concacaf Champions Cup – Round One, First Leg
Venue: Estadio Cibao FC | Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
Attendance: 262
Kickoff: 8:06 p.m. ET/9:06 p.m. AT
Weather: 71 degrees, clear

SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT
OYM: 0-0-0
CIN: 2-2-4

CIN – Tom Barlow 12’, Kévin Denkey (Nwobodo) 33’, Ayoub Jabbari (Nwobodo) 86’, Ayoub Jabbari (Valenzuela) 90’+2

LINEUPS
CIN: Roman Celentano, Bryan Ramirez (Kenji Mboma Dem 46’), Andrei Chirila, Miles Robinson (C) (Alvas Powell 46’), Gilberto Flores, Kyle Smith, Tah Brian Anunga, Obinna Nwobodo, Evander (Gerardo Valenzuela 60’), Tom Barlow (Stiven Jimenez 81’), Kévin Denkey (Ayoub Jabbari 60’)

Substitutes not used: Evan Louro, Bryan Dowd, Nick Hagglund, Samuel Gidi, Teenage Hadebe, Stefan Chirila, Pavel Bucha
 
Head Coach: Pat Noonan

OYM: Omry Bello, Angel Melo (C), Julen Olasagasti, Reyvin De La Rosa, Jon Trincado, Emmanuel Cuello (Isaac Baez 63’), Anyelo Gomez, Sergio Paredes (Julen Manterola 32’), Gabriel Castillo, Josue Baez, Ronaldiño Caicedo (Hector Ramirez 81’)

Substitutes not used: Iraitz Gelbentzu, Gerald Villar, Alexander Romero, Simon Cuello, Sergio Abreu, Jose Matos, Luis Sabala, Ricardo Sanchez, Victor Villar
 
Head Coach: José Aparicio
 
STATS SUMMARY: OYM/CIN
Shots: 9 / 18
Shots on Goal: 0 / 11
Saves: 7 / 0
Corner Kicks: 2 / 5
Fouls: 12 / 18
Offside: 2 / 0
Possession: 32.5 / 67.5
 
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Obinna Nwobodo (Yellow Card) 38’
OYM – Jon Trincado (Yellow Card) 59’
CIN – Andrei Chirila (Yellow Card) 68’
OYM – Omry Bello (Yellow Card) 81’

OFFICIALS 
Referee: Steffon Dewar
Ast. Referees: Ricardo Mckenzie, Angelo Doyle
Fourth Official: Oshane Nation
VAR: Daneon Parchment
AVAR: Tristley Bassue