Leagues Cup: FC Cincinnati vs C.F. Pachuca

August 4, 2026

By FC Cincinnati

August 5^th, 2026

FC Cincinnati defeated CF Pachuca, 3-1, Tuesday evening at TQL Stadium on the opening day of Leagues Cup 2026 Phase One play.

Leagues Cup: FC Cincinnati vs C.F. Pachuca

The Orange and Blue remain unbeaten in Leagues Cup openers after four years of the competition.

After Pachuca’s Adrian Alcaraz opened the scoring in the 8th minute, Cincinnati stormed back – scoring three unanswered goals to beat Los Tuzos in the first-ever matchup against the Liga MX opponent.

Evander opened Cincinnati’s scoring in the 18th minute with a laser strike from outside the 18-yard box, his second goal from distance in as many matches and his 12th goal in Cincinnati’s last 12 matches. An attack developed by a trio of passes from Evander, Bryan Ramirez and Gerardo Valenzuela led to Evander’s world-class goal from distance. The Brazilian did not need much space to take a touch, use his right foot and curl the ball into the far upper right corner of the net.

CINCINNATI, OHIO - AUGUST 04: Evander #10 of FC Cincinnati before a Leagues Cup match against C.F. Pachuca on August 4, 2026 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. (FC Cincinnati)

As halftime approached, Bryan Ramirez found Pavel Bucha at the back post to put Cincinnati ahead in the 39th minute. Bucha dribbled down the near side towards goal, switching fields and finding Ramirez on the far side near the goal box. The fullback danced his way through heavy traffic before sneaking a cross in between the backline and keeper for an awaiting Bucha who used his right foot to calmly place the ball out of reach of a diving Carlos Moreno.

Substitute Kenji Mboma Dem put the game out of reach in the 70th minute when he and Ender Echenique combined for Cincinnati’s third unanswered goal. A long ball from Evan Louro guided Echenique down the near side of the pitch. The Venezuelan dashed down the sideline, cutting toward the middle of the box and leaving the ball in open grass for an incoming Mboma Dem whose left boot drove the ball into the back of the net.