FC Cincinnati saw their solid season come to a halt in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs in a match that ended in a staggering 4-0 loss against Inter Miami CF, as reported by WLWT. The loss, which took place on Sunday night at TQL Stadium, featured a dominant performance by Inter Miami's Lionel Messi, who had previously not scored against Cincinnati—the only team in Major League Soccer to hold that distinction until now. He contributed one goal and three assists to the victory.
In front of a sold-out crowd, the downcast atmosphere among FC Cincinnati was palpable, as forward Kevin Denkey explained, "The energy was really low," a sentiment he shared in the wake of the home defeat, a concerning signal considering the high stakes of the game, Area Sports Network reported. Despite finishing the regular season with a winning record and witnessing coach Pat Noonan becoming the winningest manager in MLS history for his first 90 regular season matches, expectations were not met.
As the Thanksgiving week begins, FC Cincinnati faces the daunting task of roster decisions with 14 players on expiring contracts, decisions that need to be made by Wednesday at noon, according to an article by Area Sports Network. This comes after a campaign where the offensive lineup was consistently under scrutiny, with the team often winning by slim margins and failing to show the spirited comeback expected in the playoffs.
The chemistry—or lack thereof—between new signings Kevin Denkey and Evander has been particularly noticeable, they've struggled to connect on the field resulting in a minimal number of passes completed between each other during the crucial playoff game, "Evander completed one pass to Denkey, and Denkey completed two passes to Evander," during a match where both played a full-90, Area Sports Network pointed out. With the current Designated Player spots already taken, the club is now in a position to make tough decisions as they can only keep three out of four key players: Evander, Denkey, the high-performing Brenner, or Miles Robinson.
As the off-season movement starts, eyes will be on FC Cincinnati's choices that will define the future of the team and whether they can turn promising regular-season performances into playoff success. Supporters and analysts alike await these developments after witnessing a season that had its high points but culminated in a decisive playoff defeat at the hands of Messi and Inter Miami, who advance to their first Eastern Conference Final in franchise history, as OurSports Central confirms.
.jpg){kind=link}