FC Cincinnati face off with Tigres UANL in the second and deciding Leg of their Round of 16 matchup in the Concacaf Champions Cup on Tuesday night with a chance to advance to the quarter finals for the first time in club history.
After a 1-1 draw in Leg 1 last week, the second game of the series promises to be a competitive match. FC Cincinnati could guarantee their path onward in the tournament with a victory or a favorable draw in regular time. Given the score is even at 1-1 with Tigres having one away goal, any draw where FCC scores more than one goal would also see them on to the quarterfinals—in addition to a win.
It will be an uphill challenge. Historically, MLS clubs have struggled to find results when traveling to Mexico for Champions Cup matches. Similarly, FCC is operating on just two days of rest after earning a victory on Saturday in league play. Regardless of the rest and historical precedent, the FCC is looking to go into this game strong and earn a positive result.
"No different than any other game… a quick turnaround is not something that is new to us. I'm confident the guys will take in the information and adjustments, and we'll put together a strong performance," Pat Noonan said Monday from a press conference in Monterrey, Mexico ahead of the match. "I'm not going to add any additional pressure to the group based on knowing that if we don't get a result, that's the end of the tournament. I want these guys to be confident. I think they are confident."
"We saw some good things to take away from leg one that hopefully, we can make a few adjustments to to be a little bit better on both sides of the ball," Noonan continued from the press conference. "We want to be confident, mindful and respectful of our opponent, but try to do the things that we know we could do well to advance."
Last season, FC Cincinnati traveled to Monterrey, Mexico, to take on the cross-town rivals of their Tuesday night foes, CF Monterrey. In that match, FCC went into the second leg down a goal, so the improved situational standing (entering with a draw) may change the game state of the match. But regardless of what the situation is, FC Cincinnati intends to enter looking to compete and put itself in the best position it can to advance.
"I think there's probably a plan on their end to be aggressive and want to get ahead of us. I think that's natural. But being at home, being away, that doesn't always change how coaches approach these games. It might look very similar to leg one. It might look completely different based on that Home and Away factor," Noonan explained. "But we have to be prepared for a strong start against a very challenging team and make sure that we get our pressure right, make sure we're organized defensively, and then with the ball, we have to have the confidence to move it in certain ways where we think we can gain an advantage."
If FC Cincinnati advance they await the winners of the series between Herediano and LA Galaxy. The Costa Rican side enters the second leg at LA up 1-0. That quarterfinal series would not begin, at least, until April 1.
FC CINCINNATI at Tigres UANL (LIGA MX) – Tuesday, March 11, 2025 – 10:30 p.m. EDT – Estadio Universitario
Watch (English): FS1
Stream (English): FoxSports.com and Fox Sports App
Watch (Spanish): TUDN
Stream (Spanish): ViX
English Local Radio: iHeart Media ESPN 1530
Spanish Local Radio: La Mega 101.5 FM
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
A spot in the quarterfinals up for grabs – FC Cincinnati seek a spot in the Champions Cup Quarterfinals, which would mark a monumental first in the club’s history. If the Orange and Blue advance, the club would take on the winner of LA Galaxy and Costa Rica’s CS Herediano in a two-legged series early next month.
Herediano won leg one at home last week, 1-0, with the series shifting to Dignity Health Sports Park this Wednesday.
FC Cincinnati against Liga MX – Tuesday is FC Cincinnati’s eighth match all-time against Liga MX competition. The Orange and Blue are 3-2-2 in the seven prior matches against Mexican clubs.
Tuesday also marks just the second match for Cincinnati in Mexico, with the prior matchup coming at this stage last year in the Champions Cup Round of 16 second leg. That match at nearby Estadio BBVA in Monterrey finished in a 2-1 defeat for FCC at Rayados.
Another quick turnaround – Both teams are coming off league wins, with Tigres defeating Club Querétaro by a 1-0 scoreline on Friday night and FC Cincinnati coming off a 2-0 clean sheet win over Toronto FC.
FC Cincinnati historically are strong in matches in quick succession. Under Head Coach Pat Noonan, since 2022, FC Cincinnati are 17-6-7 in 30 matches playing a game just three days following another, across all competitions
Non-MLS play – Tuesday will mark the 35th non-MLS Regular Season match for FC Cincinnati since joining MLS in 2019. The club is 16-8-10 in the prior 34 matches, and 3-5-2 on the road
Team of the matchday – On Monday, Yuya Kubo was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 3. His 88th minute goal sealed Cincinnati’s 2-0 win over Toronto as Kubo was named to the weekly MLS best for the fifth time in his career.
SCOUTING TIGRES UANL (3rd in LIGA MX Clausura, 7-3-1, 22pts, qualified as 2023-2024 Apatura runners-up)
Tigres UANL, located in Monterrey, Mexico, come into this tournament with a wealth of experience and looking to add to their trophy case. Winners of this tournament in 2020 and runners-up in 2015-16, 2017-18 and 2019, Tigres are a perennial candidate for going all the way in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Founded in 1960 as the official team of the state university of Nuevo León (the region in Mexico Monterrey is in) Los Tigres have only spent one season outside the Mexican top division in their history. In 2023, they won their most recent league title, marking their eighth in league history by defeating Chivas in the final of the Clausura tournament that season.
Tigres UANL, located in Monterrey, Mexico, come into this tournament with a wealth of experience and looking to add to their trophy case. Winners of this tournament in 2020 and runners-up in 2015-16, 2017-18 and 2019, Tigres are a perennial candidate for going all the way in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Founded in 1960 as the official team of the state university of Nuevo León, Los Tigres have only spent one season outside the Mexican top division in their history. In 2023, they won their most recent league title, marking their eighth in league history, by defeating Chivas in the final of the Clausura tournament that season.
Last Tuesday’s first leg was the first match as manager for recently retired Tigres defensive midfielder Guido Pizarro, with Pizarro retiring from play to take the job. Pizarro, 35, made 388 appearances for Tigres in his 11-year career with them after joining from his native Argentina. He has also made four senior national team appearances for Argentina in his now-ended playing career.
Nicolas Ibañez scored the lone goal for Tigres in the first leg. He also scored the lone goal in Tigres’ win on Friday night against Querétaro. While Cincinnati rotated in their weekend match, Pizarro sent out the exact starting XI from last Tuesday’s leg one in Cincinnati as he did against Querétaro.
