Soccer
FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan insisted his side are “ready to restart” in MLS after the World Cup break.
The Orange and Blue entered the break off the back of a 6-2 win over Orlando City, which ended a three-game winless run and saw them move up to seventh in the Eastern Conference.
However, their first game back is no easy task as they host Western Conference leaders the Vancouver Whitecaps at TQL Stadium.
Cincinnati have been busy during the break, defeating both Burnley (3-1) and Honduran side CD Olimpica (5-0) in friendlies, which Noonan believes show the progress his team have made.
“We’re ready to restart. Prepared…we’ll see,” Noonan said after the win over CD Olimpica.
“You can have good results, you can see progress. But now the most important thing is against Vancouver, showing that progress and being ready to perform and do it when it’s when it matters in the table.
“That’s not to say these games don’t matter, but they don’t count as far as points.
“So that’s part of it, and we’ve made good strides, but I want to see that play out in a positive way against a top team in our league.”
Repping FCC everywhere this summer! pic.twitter.com/pIaovkkFXz
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) July 18, 2026
The Whitecaps were set to return to MLS action last week, but saw their clash with the Chicago Fire postponed until October.
Vancouver have been in action this month, defeating Cavalry 5-2 across two legs (4-1 win and 1-1 draw) to reach the semi-finals of the Canadian Championship.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
FC Cincinnati – Evander
In Cincinnati’s last game before the break against Orlando, both Kenji Mboma Dem and Evander tallied braces.
The only other time that Cincinnati had multiple players score two goals in a league match was in July 2022 when Brandon Vazquez and Brenner did so against Inter Miami.
Evander also entered the World Cup break in stunning form, directly contributing to goals in each of their last five MLS games (seven goals, five assists).
Vancouver Whitecaps – Brian White
Brian White had two goals and two assists in his final match before the break, his second game with four goal contributions for the Whitecaps.
White has scored double-digit goals for the Whitecaps for the fifth straight season, while no other player in club history has more than two 10-goal MLS seasons.
MATCH PREDICTION – VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN
Vancouver are on 32 points through 14 matches this season, their most at this stage of a season. Five of the previous six teams to reach 32 points in the first 14 games of a season went on to win the Supporters’ Shield.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, lost only one of their final nine matches before the break (W3 D5), a 5-3 defeat to Inter Miami.
Cincinnati allowed 22 goals over that run, becoming the first team in MLS history to concede 22 or more times in a nine-game span and lose fewer than two matches during that time.
Cincinnati and Vancouver have met three previous times, most recently in June 2023. The last two meetings between the sides have been drawn while the lone win in the series belongs to the Whitecaps, a 2-1 away victory in August 2019.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
FC Cincinnati – 25.2%
Draw – 22.3%
Vancouver Whitecaps – 52.5%
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