Cincinnati saw a hard-fought victory as Sergio Santos scored a decisive goal, helping FC Cincinnati secure a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution at TQL Stadium on Saturday night. This marks Cincinnati’s first home victory against New England, a feat they had not yet achieved in previous encounters.
The game remained without a tally until the 65th minute when Pavel Bucha set up Santos, who netted his first goal of the season. Santos has now scored eight of his career 27 goals while with Cincinnati, having previously put up impressive numbers over four seasons with Philadelphia Union. Bucha’s assist marked his third of the season, continuing his playmaking prowess after achieving five assists last term in 33 starts.
Roman Celentano played a crucial role by securing the win with a clean sheet, his third this season, which brings his career total to 27 shutouts in 97 starts. On the other side, New England’s goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic made four saves, two of which came in the goalless first half, holding off Cincinnati’s attempts before the breakthrough.
Before this game, New England was the only team in the Eastern Conference that Cincinnati had not defeated at home, with a disappointing record of 0-4-1 against the Revolution. This victory also marked the first match Cincinnati won this season without Kévin Denkey scoring the game-winner. With this win, Cincinnati improves their home record to 3-0-1.
Under the guidance of coach Pat Noonan, who was a prominent player drafted in the first round by the Revolution in 2003, Cincinnati continues to improve. This match marked the club’s 200th game since its inception into the league in 2019, boasting an overall record of 68-86-46, but shining brightly with a 54-27-28 record under Noonan. Notably, they have been dominant in narrow victories, triumphing in 31 one-goal matches since 2023, considerably more than any other team.
New England’s struggles continue, having only scored four goals this season under the leadership of Caleb Porter. Ivacic alone has let in seven goals over six starts, evidencing challenges on both ends for the Revolution. Looking forward, the Revolution will head to face Atlanta United on Saturday, while Cincinnati will take on D.C. United the same day.