FC Cincinnati vs Charlotte — Major League Soccer: stats, lineups & analysis
HighlightsMajor League SoccerYouTubeMatch Events
- 2′FC Cincinnati, goal:1–0assist
- 7′Charlotte, goal:1–1assist
- 17′Charlotte, penalty goal:1–2Penalty
- 44′Charlotte, substitution:off
- Half-time1 – 2
- 51′FC Cincinnati, goal:2–2assist
- 55′Charlotte, goal:2–3assist
- 56′FC Cincinnati, substitution:off
- 70′Charlotte, substitution:off
- 74′FC Cincinnati, substitution:off
- 74′FC Cincinnati, substitution:off
- 76′FC Cincinnati, yellow card:
- 77′Charlotte, substitution:off
- 78′Charlotte, substitution:off
- 81′FC Cincinnati, yellow card:
- 83′Charlotte, yellow card:
- 84′FC Cincinnati, substitution:off
- 85′FC Cincinnati, substitution:off
- 90+1′FC Cincinnati, goal:3–3assist
- Full-time3 – 3
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FC Cincinnati
Charlotte
Match report
Denkey's stoppage-time leveller earns Cincinnati a 3-3 draw with Charlotte
FC Cincinnati and Charlotte shared six goals in a dramatic Major League Soccer meeting at TQL Stadium, the sides finishing level at 3-3 in a matchday 25 fixture that swung back and forth from the opening minutes.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Cincinnati made the perfect start when Pavel Bucha scored in the second minute, assisted by Tom Barlow, but Charlotte responded quickly through Liel Abada in the seventh minute before Pep Biel converted a penalty in the 17th to turn the contest around and send the visitors in 2-1 up at the interval.
The second half continued in similar fashion. Kévin Denkey levelled for Cincinnati in the 51st minute with A. Chirila's assist, only for I. Toklomati to restore Charlotte's lead four minutes later after a pass from R. Aloko. Denkey completed his brace deep into stoppage time, finishing off a Bryan Josías Ramírez León assist to make it 3-3 in the 90+1st minute.
Cincinnati dominated territory and chances throughout, recording 69 percent possession, 29 shots to Charlotte's eight, and 12 corners against three, yet could not turn that pressure into victory against a Charlotte side that made the most of its openings.
Kévin Denkey scored twice for Cincinnati, including the stoppage-time equaliser, and finished with a rating of 8.55, the highest of any player on the pitch.
Cincinnati's 29 shots to Charlotte's eight underlined how thoroughly the hosts dominated the attacking exchanges despite failing to win.
FC Cincinnati and Charlotte drew 3–3 (half-time 1–2).
FC Cincinnati met Charlotte in the Major League Soccer (Regular Season - 25). Kick-off was Saturday, 12 September 2026, 23:30 UTC at TQL Stadium. Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere. Attendance: 25,513.
Team pages: FC Cincinnati · Charlotte · Major League Soccer
Key moments
- 2' Goal: Pavel Bucha (assist: Tom Barlow) — 1–0
- 7' Goal: Liel Abada (assist: Allan Saint-Maximin) — 1–1
- 17' Goal (penalty): Pep Biel — 1–2
- 51' Goal: Kévin Denkey (assist: A. Chirila) — 2–2
- 55' Goal: I. Toklomati (assist: R. Aloko) — 2–3
- 90+1' Goal: Kévin Denkey (assist: Bryan Ramírez) — 3–3
Starting line-ups
FC Cincinnati (3-5-2)
Charlotte (4-3-3)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave FC Cincinnati 54%, the draw 23%, Charlotte 23%. It finished FC Cincinnati 3–3 Charlotte.
Level sides, home ground swings it — Nothing separates them on our strength rating, and Major League Soccer home advantage plus FC Cincinnati's control of the ball give FC Cincinnati the lean. The draw at 23% is nudged down by the same factors that shape the win chances.
Why FC Cincinnati in front?
Home ground, mostly. Almost nothing between them on our strength rating — 1596 to 1619. Sides this close won 43.1% of 15,973 home games (draw 26.7%, visitors 30.2%). Major League Soccer home sides out-perform the global norm — and the difference mostly flows to away wins (25.8% vs 30.2%). Major League Soccer homes won 49.3% of 5,159 games vs 44.9% across all 100,077 — outside the noise band, so the tally moves accordingly. FC Cincinnati hold 6 more possession points (50 to 44 in recent games) — and between equals, control has been worth something. Between evenly-matched sides, home teams with this control edge won 47.9% of 5,211 games, vs 44.0% when styles were level.
Why only 54%?
Because on our strength rating there is nothing in it. Level sides split the rest: the draw at 23% and Charlotte at 23%.
Why is the draw only 23%?
Between sides this level the draw starts at 26.7%. These teams' recent games average 3.1 goals — a typical goals environment. Games in that environment drew 24.6% of 25,048. The cool-off factor takes 1.6 points off the draw.
What did we measure but not count?
FC Cincinnati are missing 2 regular starters — Obinna Nwobodo, Samuel Gidi — about 17% of their usual starting-XI weight. Our measured receipt covers one-sided absences only, and the picture here isn't one-sided — both squads are short. Last 6 between them: FC Cincinnati 1 win, 2 draws, Charlotte 3 wins. Most recently Charlotte 2–2 FC Cincinnati, 4 months ago. Fixture history hasn't carried forward once class is level: past leaders won just 28.1% of 5628 such games — no measurable edge, 0 points. The other measured facts on this page scored nothing either.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the FC Cincinnati vs Charlotte final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this Major League Soccer fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from FC Cincinnati 3–3 Charlotte. Explore more on the FC Cincinnati and Charlotte team pages or the Major League Soccer page.