February 21, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Minnesota United forward Kelvin Yeboah (9) is stopped during the first half against Austin FC at Q2 Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Image FC Cincinnati plays Minnesota United for the fourth time in 11 days on Saturday afternoon in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Cincinnati won 4-0 against O&M FC of the Dominican Republic in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup first round on February 18, and then won 2-0 against Atlanta United in their MLS opener last Saturday, with goals from Kevin Denke and Nick Haglund.
Pat Noonan’s squad faced Tigres of La Liga MX in the Champions Cup round of 16, beating the Dominican side 9-0 in the second leg on Wednesday to take the series 13-0 on aggregate.
Now Cincinnati (1-0-0, 3 points) faces a quick turnaround for a road trip to chilly Minnesota, where high temperatures are expected to reach 23 degrees Saturday.
“What we need to focus on now is to quickly change direction on Saturday, which is going to be a tough game and a tough atmosphere and conditions,” Noonan said. “We have an important game on Saturday, so we won’t talk about Tigres until we need to.”
In Wednesday’s win, Cincinnati had four players from the club’s academy team or second division score their first goals with the first team, setting a team record for points in a game.
Minnesota (0-0-1, 1 point) was held to a 2-2 tie against Austin FC in its league opener last Saturday. Kelvin Yeboah equalized in the 90th minute, Drake Callender, the 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, and Dayne St. Clair, who left for Inter Miami, made four saves in his debut for the Loons.
“It’s a great result,” Minnesota coach Cameron Knowles said. “It’s a point on the road. Coming back from two downs, scoring late, having the substitutes make an impact, all really positive things. … I thought overall we had a really good performance from the guys in the first game.”
The team has remained quiet on whether Colombia forward James Rodriguez will make his debut on Saturday. The 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner signed a contract with the Loons on February 6.
Rodriguez, 34, has not played in a competitive game since November 8 and returned to full training this week.
–Field level media
