FC Cincinnati Score a Baker's Dozen Goals on Aggregate and Beat O&M FC.

CINCINNATI, OH - FC Cincinnati put up a baker's dozen goals across two matches against O&M FC, moving on to the Round of 16 in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

"I was pleased with the professional approach," Pat Noonan commented after the second leg victory at TQL Stadium on Wednesday night, a lopsided 9-0 victory and a 13-0 aggregate win against O&M FC from the Dominican Republic.

FC Cincinnati saw six players score their first goals for the club across the two legs. Tom Barlow, formerly of Red Bull New York and Chicago Fire in MLS, scored the first goal in the D.R., before Ayoub Jabbari scored a brace in the second half off the bench. Barlow joined the club as a free agent in January of 2026, and Jabbari joined the Orange and Blue on loan in August 2025, before joining the club on a permanent transfer worth $2.4 million in January after the expiration of his loan from French Ligue 2 side Grenoble Foot 38.

Four players scored their first first-team goals in the home fixture for FC Cincinnati.

Kenji Mboma Dem scored the opener in the 9-0 win at TQL Stadium, one of two goals he scored as the left wingback for FC Cincinnati. FC Cincinnati drafted Mboma Dem from the University of Dayton in the second round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, with the 56th overall pick. The Frenchman signed for MLS NEXT Pro side FC Cincinnati 2 before signing a contract with the first team in July 2025. Mboma Dem predominantly featured as a No. 10 for FC Cincinnati 2, now featuring as a left-sided wingback in both legs of the CONCACAF Champions Cup matches against O&M FC.

When asked about the transition, Mboma Dem responded, "Very different. Still getting accustomed to the position, but I'm here to help the team. There are some aspects of my game and how I've grown to play the game, and some IQ to understand the position and how I can help offensively and defensively as well."

Ademar Chavez made his FC Cincinnati debut as a halftime substitute, and scored three minutes into the match. The former LAFC academy product signed a homegrown contract with FC Cincinnati in January 2026, after joining the FC Cincinnati academy in 2024 from LAFC.

Chavez spoke about the experience: "It was kind of a suprise for me, coming on at half time. I was really excited, I didn't really expect it. But just coming on, it was a cool moment for me and being able to play with all the guys was nice."

"To be honest, yes. Nervous, excited, a lot of emotions going on," Chavez continued when asked about if he was nervous coming on. Recalling the day and walking into the stadium with his kit hanging from the locker, Chavez continued, "Honestly, a moment I've dreamt of since I was a kid. It was another surreal moment for me. Kind of in shock, like, 'Wow, this is like, my jersey's here. I made it.' Now, I gotta go on the field."

Stiven Jimenez also scored his first goal for FC Cincinnati. Jimenez made his senior debut on June 21, 2023, against Toronto FC at age 15, becoming the youngest player in club history to appear in a match, and the fifth-youngest player in MLS history at the time. Since then, the midfielder has played limited minutes for the first team, and has dealt with injuries that limited him to playing just 37 matches for both FC Cincinnati and FC Cincinnati 2 across 2024-25. "Just really happy to score my first professional goal with Cincinnati," Jimenez said after the match.

Jimenez credited Ricardo "Ricky" Perez, saying the goal was for him. "I just celebrated with him [Perez] because he means a lot. He has always helped me through the academy, through my way up through the first team, and I really dedicated that goal to him because he always helped me on and off the field and always pushed me and he was always there for me, no matter what. Celebrating with him, it means a lot to me, because he has always been there and we came up at the same time to the first team. It just really means a lot to me."

Finally, Stefan Chirila scored his first FC Cincinnati goal with the final goal of the match. "It means a lot," Chirila said when asked about that first goal, "It always means a lot to be on the field with the first team and I always try to go out there and give my all, and I'm super grateful to get my goal, my first goal."

Chirila also played on the same pitch as his brother Andrei for the first time for FC Cincinnati. It was Andrei's through ball in to Ayoub Lajhar that set up Stefan's goal. "It was a beautiful ball," Stefan Chirila credited to his brother Andrei, "without his pass, Ayoub [Lajhar] wouldn't have gotten to the end line and I wouldn't have gotten the ball. It was a great pass."

Pat Noonan, following the 9-0 win at home vs O&M FC. (Photo, Kenta Hagiwara)

When asked about the development of the young players through the FC Cincinnati Academy and MLS NEXT Pro, Pat Noonan responded,

"Certainly, the bridge from our Academy to MLS NEXT Pro and in the minutes and developmental pathways for these guys, it's a different timeline, based on how these guys perform, what's ahead of them, as far as our first-team roster. For somebody like Stiven, and he spent a majority of his time with the first team in training, but he still gets games, and it's helped him to stay fit, stay sharp, stay competitive, and you have to have the right mentality. He's done that. For somebody like Andre, you can see spending time at that MLS NEXT Pro level and now understanding how that positions him in the first team. He's certainly paid his dividends."

"Tonight was a good showing for the club, for MLS NEXT Pro, for these kids, specifically. It's only one game, and you try to help them understand [that they should] enjoy this moment, rightfully, and then put it past you and figure out how to continue to move forward.”

MATCH 1 LINEUPS:

O&M FC (4-2-3-1): 1 Bello; 2 Melo (C), 22 Castillo, 3 Olasagasti, 17 de la Rosa; 5 Velasco, 6 Cuello (10 Báez 63') ; 7 Báez, 19 Gómez, 21 Paredes (11 Manterola 32'); 32 Caicedo (16 Ramírez 81')

Head Coach: José Aparício

Unusued Substitutes: 4 Romero, 13 Gelbentzu, 20 Cuello, 23 Villar, 24 Abreum, 26 Matos, 27 Sabala, 30 Sánchez, 51 Villar

FC Cincinnati (3-4-1-2): 18 Celentano; 3 Flores, 12 Robinson (C), 88 A. Chirila; 24 Smith, 5 Nwobodo, 27 Anunga, 29 Ramírez; 10 Evander; 16 Barlow, 9 Denkey

Head Coach: Pat Noonan

Unused Substitutes: 4 Hagglund, 11 Gidi, 13 Louro, 15 Hadebe, 19 Chirila, 20 Bucha, 31 Dowd

MATCH 2 LINEUPS:

FC Cincinnati (3-5-1-1): 13 Louro; 24 Smith, 3 Flores, 88 A. Chirila; Powell (C), 5 Nwobodo (11 Gidi 84'), 27 Anunga (20 Bucha 69'), 37 Jimenez, 17 Mboma Dem (55 Lajhar 69'); 22 Valenzuela (30 Chavez 46'); 16 Barlow (19 S. Chirila 46')

Head Coach: Pat Noonan

Unused Substitutes: 4 Hagglund, 9 Denkey, 15 Hadebe, 18 Celentano, 31 Dowd, 99 Jabbari

O&M FC (4-2-3-1): 13 Gelbentzu (23 Villar 76'); 2 Melo (C) (20 Cuello 7'), 3 Olasagasti, 22 Castillo, 17 de la Rosa (30 Sánchez 76'); 6 Cuello (24 Abreu), 5 Velasco; 7 Báez, 10 Báez (16 Ramírez 46'), 19 Gómez; 11 Aldazabal

Head Coach: José Aparício

Unused Subnstitutes: 1 Bello, 4 Romero, 21 Paredes, 26 Matos

MATCH 1 STATS (OYM/CIN):

Possession (%): 32/68

xG: 0.45/3.23 Shots: 9/17

Shots on Target: 0/11

Fouls: 12/18

Passes: 259/559

MATCH 2 STATS (CIN/OYM):

Possession (%): 58/42

Shots: 24/5

Shots on Target: 14/0

Fouls: 11/4

Passes: 475/351

Attendance: 11,114

MATCH 1 SCORING SUMMARY:

12' Tom Barlow (Assist: Kevin Denkey)

33' Kevin Denkey (Assist: Obinna Nwobodo)

86' Ayoub Jabbari (Assist: Obinna Nwobodo) 90'+2 Ayoub Jabbari (Assist: Dado Valenzuela)

MATCH 2 SCORING SUMMARY:

18' Kenji Mboma Dem (Assist: Obinna Nwobodo)

27' Dado Valenzuela (Assist: Obinna Nwobodo) 33' Gabriel Castillo (OG)

35' Tom Barlow (Assist: Brian Anunga)

48' Ademar Chavez (Assist: Kenji Mboma Dem)

58' Kenji Mboma Dem (Assist: Stiven Jimenez)

68' Stiven Jimenez (Assist: Obinna Nwobodo)

78' Alvas Powell (Assist: Ayoub Lajhar)

86' Stefan Chirila (Assist: Ayoub Lajhar)