FC Cincinnati went to Portland and, for about half an hour, looked like they were gonna roll right over the Timbers. Three goals before halftime, crowd dead quiet, and honestly it felt like a done deal. Easy night, right? Well… not exactly.
That’s the thing about soccer. It doesn’t always stay neat. What looked like a blowout turned into a scramble, and Cincinnati left Providence Park with a 3-2 win that was a lot messier than it should’ve been. Still, it’s another three points. Their ninth win away from home this season, nobody else in MLS has matched that. And yes, they’re still leading the Supporters’ Shield race.
The fast start
Ten minutes in, Kévin Denkey, finally back in the starting lineup, pounced on his chance and scored. Twenty-five minutes gone, Pavel Bucha smashed in the second after a slick ball from Evander. And then, of course, it had to be Evander. Back in Portland, facing his old team, and he buries one from distance.
Cold. That’s his 20th this year, just one short of the club record. At 3-0 in under 40 minutes, it looked brutal for the home fans. But here’s the thing: the game wasn’t over. Not even close.
The pushback
Two minutes later, Kevin Kelsy cut the lead. Quick move in the box, goal. Suddenly the stadium woke up. You could feel the noise again, the tension. By halftime it was 3-1 and you knew this wasn’t going to be smooth sailing.
Second half, same story. Portland kept pressing, Cincinnati started to wobble. At the 68th minute, Kelsy again, this time from the spot. Calm penalty, 3-2, game on. And from then until the final whistle, Cincinnati were just… hanging in there. Clearing long balls, wasting time, waiting for it to end.
When it finally did end, they had the win. Ugly or not, still counts. Nine road wins, top of the East, top of the Shield race. But let’s be real: they won’t want too many nights like this one.