HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (July 26, 2026) – New England Revolution II (9‑4‑6; 36 pts.) opened a three‑match road swing by battling FC Cincinnati 2 (4‑13‑2; 16 pts.) to a 2–2 draw on Sunday night at NKU Soccer Stadium, before falling in the penalty shootout, 3-1.

Revolution II rallied from a 1–0 deficit, with Swedish defender Gabe Dahlin netting his first professional goal in the 15th minute and Venezuelan midfielder Carlos Zambrano delivering the go‑ahead strike in the 57th. However, Cincinnati found a late equalizer, leveling the match at 2–2 to send the game to a penalty shootout, where the home side secured the extra point.

FC Cincinnati 2 found the breakthrough 12 minutes into the contest, with Leonardo Orejarena getting on the end on a corner kick at the back post. Orejarena controlled the cross and connected with Stefan Chirila, who ripped a low, driven shot from outside the box that snuck past a diving J.D. Gunn.

Revolution II wasted no time finding the equalizer, with Dahlin striking just three minutes later. New England held possession along the right flank before Homegrown midfielder Cristiano Oliveira laid the ball off to fellow Academy product Logan Azar. The 16‑year‑old Hudson, Mass. native one-touched a lofted ball into the path of Dahlin, who chipped the goalkeeper for his first professional goal. Oliveira matched the team lead with his fourth assist, while Azar logged his first professional helper before competing in tomorrow's 2026 MLS NEXT All-Star Game.

New England nearly seized the lead in the 18th minute when Zambrano took on his defender inside Cincinnati’s box and drew a foul for a penalty. The Venezuelan midfielder stepped to the spot aiming to tuck his attempt inside the left post, but the shot drifted just wide of the frame. Shortly before halftime, Zambrano generated another chance, crossing the ball into the box for forward/winger Myles Morgan. The Canada native launched into a diving header, but Cincinnati goalkeeper Fabian Mrozek smothered the effort to preserve the 1–1 scoreline heading into the break.

New England came out of intermission with momentum, taking the lead in the 57th minute. As the home side attempted to build out of their own half, Zambrano forced a turnover just outside the box and buried his shot home. The tally marked his third straight match on the scoresheet, including back‑to‑back goal‑scoring performances. However, Cincinnati pulled level at 2–2 through Chirila, with just under ten minutes remaining in regulation.

New England produced one last promising look at the end of regulation. Oliveira whipped a ball into the box for Morgan, whose headed effort sailed just over the woodwork, sending the match into the ensuing penalty kicks. Mrozek made two saves in the shootout, helping his team to a 3-1 win to secure the extra point.

Revolution II continue their three-match road stretch, traveling to Eastern Conference rival Red Bull New York II on Sunday, August 2. The 7:00 p.m. ET match at MSU Soccer Park streams live on MLSNEXTPro.com and the OneFootball platform.

MATCH NOTES

• Revolution II have collected points in all three of their meetings with FC Cincinnati 2 this season (2-0-1), and they hold a 5-5-3 record in the all-time MLS NEXT Pro series.
• New England claimed points in its fourth straight road game tonight, holding a 3-1-3 road record this season.
• D Gabe Dahlin scored his first professional goal tonight, his fifth goal contribution of the 2026 campaign. The Sweden native recorded his 15th start of the season and posted a career-high three shots.
• M Carlos Zambrano tallied his second consecutive goal-scoring performance and led the team with three key passes tonight. The 21-year-old now leads the team with nine goal contributions in his debut professional campaign and has etched his name on the scoresheet in six of his last eight appearances.
• M Logan Azar earned his first MLS NEXT Pro assist. The Hudson, Mass. native tallied his third consecutive start in Revolution II's midfield, his sixth of the season, and completed 100 percent of his passes in a 90-minute shift.
• Azar, 16, now departs for tomorrow's 2026 MLS NEXT All-Star Game in North Carolina.
• M Cristiano Oliveira recorded his fourth assist of the season, tying the team-leading mark. The Homegrown product, a native of Somerville, Mass., played 90 minutes in his 10th start of the 2026 campaign.

GAME CAPSULE
Revolution II Match #19
New England Revolution II 2 (1) at FC Cincinnati 2 2 (3)
July 26, 2026 – NKU Soccer Stadium (Highland Heights, Ky.)

Referee: Stefan Perri
Assistant Referee: Art Arustamyan
Assistant Referee: Katarzyna Wasiak
Fourth Official: Salvador Flores

Weather: 81 degrees and sunny

Scoring Summary:  
CIN - Stefan Chirila (Leonardo Orejarena) 12'
NE - Gabe Dahlin 1 (Cristiano Oliveira 4) 15'
NE - Carlos Zambrano 5 (Unassisted) 57'
CIN - Stefan Chirila (Yair Ramos) 81'

Misconduct Summary:
NE - Gabe Dahlin (Yellow Card) 10'
NE - Chris Mbai-Assem (Yellow Card) 30'
CIN - Stiven Jimenez (Yellow Card) 49'
NE - Eric Klein (Yellow Card) 73'

New England Revolution II: J.D. Gunn; Chris Mbai-Assem (Joe Buck 43'), Jake Shannon, Gabe Dahlin; Eric Klein (Levi Katsell 80'), Logan Azar; Makai Wells (Shuma Sasaki 85'), Carlos Zambrano (Aarin Prajapati 80'), Cristiano Oliveira; Myles Morgan, Matthew Jean Baptiste (Sharod George 80')

Substitutes Not Used: Zach LaPierre, Max Weinstein, Daniel Dixon, Josh Macedo

FC Cincinnati 2: Fabian Mrozek; Andrei Chirila, Landon Born, Noah Gassan (Deiver Mosquera 46'), Charles Holmes; Ayoub Lajhar, Leonardo Orejarena (Camden Sphire 46'), Stiven Jimenez (Yair Ramos 71'), Stefan Chirila (C); Cheikhou Niang (Nathan Gray 65'), Kristian Fletcher (Mathias Vazquez 84')

Substitutes Not Used: Benjamin Saunders, Chance Malilo, Jack Mize