Eastern Conference rivals clash Saturday afternoon when FC Cincinnati host Atlanta United on the first day of the season.

Cincinnati is coming off a 2025 season where it finished second in the Eastern Conference and beat its archrival, the Columbus Crew, in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The road ended there, as Cincinnati fell 4-0 to eventual MLS Cup champion Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“The majority of the focus is on our progress,” head coach Pat Noonan said. “We’ll continue to emphasize our play and always keep guys up to speed with what each game will likely look like.”

With the dynamic offensive duo of Evander and Kevin Denkey returning, complemented by a defense led by Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson and local product Nick Hagglund, expectations are once again high for Cincinnati heading into 2026.

Evander and Denkey combined for 33 goals in 2025, while Cincinnati’s backline was the anchor in allowing just 40 goals (1.18 per game) in the regular season.

Atlanta is coming off a disappointing 2025 season. The club finished in a tie for second-to-last in the East with just 28 points and missed the playoffs for only the third time in nine MLS seasons.

The Five Stripes hired a familiar name, Gerardo “Tata” Martino, to be their head coach this season. Martino led Atlanta to the MLS Cup title in 2018, just their second season of existence.

First up for Martino: fixing the defense. Atlanta conceded 63 goals in the 2025 regular season and scored 38.

“I think the only thing missing is now it’s time to compete,” Martino said. “We have to find a way to neutralize a very key player for them in Evander. He’s a player who can be difficult to mark because he plays free and pops up in different spaces and can cause a lot of damage in certain moments.”

These teams played to a 2-2 draw in Cincinnati last March, and Atlanta won 4-2 at home in May.

–Field Level Media