FC Cincinnati opens 2022 TQL Stadium home schedule against D.C. United

FC Cincinnati's home opener should serve as an early season gut-check for head coach Pat Noonan and his side.

Cincinnati's 2022 Major League Soccer opening match was its least competitive since joining the league in 2019, and by Nonnan's own admission was out of hand by the final whistle. 

The 5-0 result at Austin FC's Q2 Stadium quickly cast doubt on the modest forecasts for improvement many pundits held in preseason for Cincinnati, but the club can use Saturday's match against D.C. United at TQL Stadium (6 p.m.) to stabilize itself and restore the measured optimism many hold for the season. 

The response in training leading up to United's visit, Noonan said, was positive. 

More:Here's what you need to know for FC Cincinnati's home opener at TQL Stadium

"It was a good response. We had some good conversations early in the week just in terms of the result and how it got there, things that we can improve on," Noonan said. "Small details – certainly things that when you look back at the game, are fixable and easy to identify.

"And then there's some situations that we looked at where, 'how can we be better and more consistent with our defensive shape and some of the rotations?' And when we're moving forward with the ball, finishing plays off ... I said it before: I was very pleased with how we created chances. Now it's about execution and finding ways to get confident in finishing those plays off."