FC Cincinnati v Chicago Fire: Noonan feeling optimistic despite Denkey suspension

FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan believes his team will cope without the suspended Kevin Denkey when they face the Chicago Fire this weekend.

Denkey was shown two yellow cards in the space of three minutes during Cincinnati’s 1-1 draw with Toronto FC last time out.

Cincinnati have now received a red card in each of their last four MLS games, winning just one of those matches (D1 L2).

Denkey is also the club’s top scorer in the league this season, with two goals from seven games, while he netted 16 times in 33 MLS matches in 2025.

Noonan has backed the likes of Gerardo Valenzuela and Kenji Mboma Dem to provide cover for Denkey, but he also knows Cincinnati must fix their disciplinary issues.

Noonan said: “We’ve talked about it this week, just with Kevin’s suspension and how we want our attacking structure to look, to begin the game.

“Personnel, balance, all of it and Dado [Gerardo Valenzuela] missed the time from his suspension, and I think he lost some game minutes there.

“But Kenji has done a really good job with his minutes, and so, both of them have been talked about pretty consistently as far as options go.

“The biggest concern is four games in a row now where we don’t finish the game with 11 men.

“That’s a discipline issue, and whether it’s frustration on an individual level or collectively, that can’t carry over into affecting the team to finish the game.”

A little stoppage time magic from Kenji Mboma Dem earns the @curritoeats Play of the Match! pic.twitter.com/SUbNtOU9Hb

— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) April 12, 2026

Chicago have enjoyed a strong start to the 2026 campaign, sitting second in the Eastern Conference with 13 points from seven games.

The Fire also progressed to the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open Cup during the week after defeating Detroit 2-1 at Keyworth Stadium.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

FC Cincinnati – Ayoub Jabbari

Jabbari delivered an assist for Mboma Dem’s goal against Toronto, with both players entering the game in the second half.

It was the first time multiple substitutes combined for a goal in the regular season for Cincinnati since July 2024, when Corey Baird, Lucho Acosta and Aaron Boupendza did so.

Chicago Fire – Maren Haile-Selassie

Haile-Selassie ended his streak of 21 straight MLS matches without a goal (including playoffs) with Chicago’s lone goal against Atlanta United on Saturday.

Haile-Selassie’s last strike prior to that goal drought also came against Atlanta.

MATCH PREDICTION – FC CINCINNATI WIN

Cincinnati won both of their meetings with Chicago in 2025, with a 3-2 road win and a 2-1 victory at home.

Each of the last 11 regular-season meetings have been draws or decided by a single goal, the second-longest active such streak in any MLS fixture (Chicago versus New England Revolution, 14 straight).

Cincinnati earned a 1-1 draw against Toronto FC on Saturday thanks to a Mboma Dem goal in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.

It was the club’s third goal in the 90th minute or later in the 2026 regular season, after having two such goals in the entire 2025 season.

Chicago, meanwhile, followed their 1-0 win against Nashville SC with a 1-0 victory over Atlanta. The Fire are looking for three straight regular-season games with a shutout victory for the third time in club history, doing so in August 2006 and July 2023.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

FC Cincinnati – 44%

Draw – 26.8%

Chicago Fire – 29.2%