It was another action-packed week in Cincinnati, including a visit from Messi, the Ohio Cup, and an NCAA Tournament appearance. We have everything from FCC’s duel with Miami to NKU Softball’s experience in the NCAA Tourney. Looking into this week, we have conference tournaments, pivotal matchups, an opportunity for the Reds to stop their skid, and more!
Pro Sports
Bengals
The Bengals released their schedule for the 2026 season this past week. Here it is:
- Week 1: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Sunday, Sept 13 (1:00 p.m. ET)
- Week 2: at Houston Texans — Sunday, Sept 20 (1:00 p.m. ET)
- Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers — Sunday, Sept 27 (1:00 p.m. ET)
- Week 4: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars — Sunday, Oct 4 (1:00 p.m. ET)
- Week 5: at Miami Dolphins — Sunday, Oct 11 (1:00 p.m. ET)
- Week 6: Bye Week
- Week 7: at Baltimore Ravens — Sunday, Oct 25 (1:00 p.m. ET)
- Week 8: vs. Tennessee Titans — Sunday, Nov 1 (1:00 p.m. ET)
- Week 9: vs. Atlanta Falcons (Madrid, Spain) — Sunday, Nov 8 (9:30 a.m. ET)
- Week 10: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers — Sunday, Nov 15 (8:20 p.m. ET)
- Week 11: at Washington Commanders — Monday, Nov 23 (8:15 p.m. ET)
- Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints — Sunday, Nov 29 (1:00 p.m. ET)
- Week 13: at Cleveland Browns — Sunday, Dec 6 (1:00 p.m. ET)
- Week 14: vs. Kansas City Chiefs — Sunday, Dec 13 (4:25 p.m. ET)
- Week 15: at Carolina Panthers — Sunday, Dec 20 (1:00 p.m. ET)
- Week 16: at Indianapolis Colts — Saturday or Sunday, Dec 26–27 (Time TBD)
- Week 17: vs. Baltimore Ravens — Thursday, Dec 31 (8:15 p.m. ET)
- Week 18: vs. Cleveland Browns — Saturday or Sunday, Jan 9–10, 2027 (Time TBD)
Notable Dates: First off, the game in Madrid with Atlanta is a big deal. It is the only game in Spain for the whole NFL season, so Cincy must impress the Spaniards. Week 17 stands out, as it is a Thursday Night Football clash on New Year’s Eve with their division rivals… and the return of Trey. Another key date is Week 14, when Patrick Mahomes and Co. make their return to Cincinnati in what will be a fiery game.
We will have a full schedule breakdown and predictions soon!
As for this week, there are no important events scheduled for the Bengals.
FCC
It was a tough week for Cincy, as they only picked up one point in two games.
May 13th | Inter Miami beats FC Cincinnati 5-3 | TQL Stadium
This matchup created a massive amount of buzz in the Queen City on 513 day. Whenever Messi comes to town, the people go crazy. Lionel delivered early, putting in a goal in the 24th to go up 1-0. Kevin Denkey put in a response off a penalty in the 41st minute. Shortly out of the break, Pavel Bucha punched one in (49′) to give FCC the lead and send TQL into a frenzy. Messi, however, was not going to let that slide; just six minutes later, he scored again. Only nine minutes after that, Evander responded again and gave FCC a 3-2 lead. Cincy was looking strong, but under the surface, a collapse was brewing. Mateo Silvetti netted a goal to even it up at the 79th. Just four minutes later, Miami scored yet again. This time, it was Germán Berterame. Just when you thought they were done, in the 89th they forced an own-goal by Roman Celentano to take a 5-3 lead. Cincy put up a valiant 75 minutes, they just couldn’t close it out.
May 16th | San Diego ties FC Cincinnati 3-3 | TQL Stadium
This game was a short turnaround on the road for FCC, and they fought till the very end. Kenji Mboma Dem got the scoring started early for the Garys (11′). San Diego’s X-Factor, Marcus Ingvartsen struck back in the 32nd. It was 1-1 at the half. Coming out of half, Tom Barlow netted a goal of his own (50′). After around 15 minutes of no action, Amahl Pellegrino tied it up for San Diego. The game slowed down at 2-2 up until the 90th minute. In the 96th minute, Marcus Ingvartsen struck again and it seemed over for FCC. Instead of laying down and taking the loss, Cincy did what they have done so many times. They made an attack down the field and Tom Barlow delivered in the 98th minute to force a 3-3 draw. Full-time. This team never gives up and has a certain clutch factor that could make a huge impact if Cincy can make the playoffs.
Moving to this week, Cincy has a matchup with Orlando City on Saturday.
Orlando has struggled so far this season, as they find themselves with 14 points, positioned at 10th in the MLS Standings. City struggle greatly with defending their own goal, letting up 38 goals compared to the 21 they have scored. Orlando will also not be at their best fitness, as they play Atlanta in the U.S Open Cup on Wednesday. Their main weapon on offense is Martin Ojeda, who has nine goals in 14 games. No one else on their squad has scored more than twice. This is a game that FCC should and needs to win. They need to start moving out of the middle pack of the standings while it’s still relatively early.
Prediction: FCC wins 3-1 – this is a vital matchup before FCC moves into the World Cup break and will have an extended layoff while the World Cup is played in the US! The break lasts from May 25 through July 17. FCC Resumes play on 7/22 against Vancouver.
Reds
The Reds had another rough week, going 2-4. Here is a recap of each game.
May 12th | Nationals beat Reds 10-4 | Great American Ballpark
Washington went yard early, hitting three solo home-runs by the 4th inning. Matt McLain and Tyler Stephenson both hit groundout fielder’s choices to make it 3-2. Shortly after, the Nationals continued their tear, smacking three more home runs and an RBI double to make it 10-2. JJ Bleday brought two guys in to make it 10-4, and that was it for Tuesday.
May 13th | Nationals beat Reds 8-7 | Great American Ballpark
This may have been the low point of the week for the Reds. Cincinnati put up five runs in the first inning alone, off a JJ Bleday RBI double and a grand slam by Tyler Stephenson. In the next two innings, the Nationals put up five runs to even it up. It went into extras at 6-6. Daylen Lile opened up extras with a two-run dinger to take an 8-6 lead. Here is the drama, Spencer Steer hit a home-run to tie it up 8-8. However, after reviewing the play, the officials ruled fan interference as a man reached over the wall to catch it. The home run was forced to become a RBI double and the Reds were not able to make up that last run.
May 14th | Reds beat Nationals 15-1 | Great American Ballpark
This was a complete breakdown of the Nationals pitching staff. All players that had RBIs were: Matt McLain, Jose Trevino, Ke’Bryan Hayes, JJ Bleday, and Dane Myers. JJ put up the most, with four RBIs.
May 15th | Reds beat Guardians 7-6 | Progressive Field
This looked to be a turning point in the week for the Reds after last game’s domination. The game started relatively slow, with the Reds taking a 3-0 lead after five innings. After the top of the 8th, the Reds led 6-1. However, the Guardians unloaded in the 8th to make it 6-5. JJ Bleday hit into a fielder’s choice in the 9th to make it 7-5. The Guardians were not able to make this up in the 9th and Tejay Antone got the save.
May 16th | Guardians beat Reds 7-4 | Progressive Field
The Reds took a 4-2 lead early due to a Dane Myers home run, Sal Stewart bases-loaded walk, and a Spencer Steer double. However, that is all the Reds would score and the Guardians pounced on Cincy late.
May 17th | Guardians beat Reds 10-3 | Progressive Field
Cleveland went yard six times and the Reds were never really in this game. The lone positives were an Elly De La Cruz home run, a Nathaniel Lowe RBI single, and a Dane Myers RBI single.
The Reds match up with the Phillies and Cardinals this week, here is a quick rundown of each squad.
May 18th-20th | Reds @ Phillies | Citizens Bank Park
The Phillies are a very talented team, and they are currently sitting at 24-23 (2nd in NL East). They are a strong group on the pitching side of the ball. Their pitching staff leads the league in strikeouts, with 452. Individually, players to look out for are Brandon Marsh (4th in the league in batting average), Kyle Schwarber (Leads league in HRs), and Christopher Sanchez (4th in league in ERA and 1st in strikeouts).
Goal: Two Wins
May 21st-23rd | Cardinals @ Reds | Great American Ballpark
This is a huge series for the Reds, as they have struggled greatly in inter-divisional matchups so far. The Cards are sitting at 27-19 (2nd in NL Central). The Cardinals have a strong bullpen, as they are second in the league in saves with 17. This is mainly due to their ace closer, Riley O’Brien (13 saves). This is a series that the Reds must win to turn around their current trajectory.
Goal: Two Wins
College Sports:
From a college standpoint: we are working to add in X, UC, and NKU womens hoops into the coverage. We are also finalizing what our coverage for other local teams will look like. As of now, we expect to add in UK, Louisville, Wright State, Dayton, and Ohio State all for mens hoops. If there’s another program you want added, let us know!
What a week in the college world around Cincinnati! Softball and baseball continue to dominate headlines. NKU landed another international piece, and now local eyes shift toward baseball conference tournaments now!
Nationally, softball is entering the super regional time of the year, which means another action packed weekend.
Cincinnati:
The Bearcats baseball team closed out the regular season this weekend with a series win over Texas Tech. They went 2-1 and ended up as the #6 seed in the Big 12 tournament in Surprise, AZ this week. They got that ever elusive double bye which should set them up well, though, their path is not easy having to face off with Arizona State late on Thursday night (11:00ET first pitch – ESPNU).
The Bearcats are clearly in position to make the NCAA tournament. Current projections have them as a 2 seed heading into play. However, nailing down where they end up is more difficult. In the below region, they’re projected out to Nebraska with the closest regional being in Chapel Hill, NC. I do think there is an outside chance that if they win the Big 12 tournament, and then some other teams take a bad loss or two, UC could slide into that 16th spot and potentially host a regional. I would say that’s highly doubtful at this time, but not impossible. The Sansom Sports Media team will have a bigger preview launching Tuesday for the Big 12 tournament on Tiktok/Insta (@BracketNKY).
The Bearcat golf team is in Texas from 5/18-5/20 for regional play in the NCAA tournament. After day 1, Cincinnati is +7 and T10th in the Bryan regional. Connor McNeely led the Bearcats with an even par day and sits T24. Here’s the scoreboard link for UC’s regional: https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournaments/243259
Xavier:
Xavier baseball played a really cool game at GABP on Thursday after the Reds finished up. However, Creighton won that one. X rebounded and won their next 2, clinching a SHARE of the Big East regular season crown with SJU and UConn. Xavier will take on UConn on Wednesday at 6:30 at Prasco Park in Mason! Admission, parking, food are all free! Make sure to PACK PRASCO! Here’s the full bracket. Hunter will be on site for all of the action except for the first matchup on 5/20. Charlie will be on site on Thursday for all of the action!
Monday brought some tough news for Xavier baseball next year as Connor Misch, star first baseman will transfer out of the program after being hurt this year.
https://x.com/misch_connor/status/2056357338693472609?s=20
X’s mens golf team is in the Corvallis Regional where they currently are finishing up their opening round but at the time of this article, they sit at T5 and 5 under-par on the day! Cayse Morgan is leading the way with a -3 performance so far. Here’s the scoreboard link for X’s regional: https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournaments/243261
X’s womens golf team finished 9th in the Louisville regional and did not move on.
Xavier Finishes Ninth at NCAA Louisville Regional
NKU:
NKU’s staff continued to light up the international recruiting trail this week, adding Gabrielius Jokubauskas from Lithuania. You can read more about him here: https://sansomsportsmedia.com/2026/05/16/norse-stay-international-breaking-down-gabrielius-jokubauskas-commitment-to-nku/
NKU softball went down to Knoxville this week and played Tennessee close before falling late and then fell 8-0 to Indiana in their second matchup. NKU’s season ended on a great note with a long winning streak and a championship. This squad has nothing to hang their heads about!
Coach Morgan Gerak stepped down as HC on Monday afternoon. I’ll have more information as I am able to gather it!
NKU baseball took down Elon on Thursday in 10 innings before dropping 2 games to USC Upstate to end the regular season. They will now head to Dayton to play in the Horizon League Tournament! They face Milwaukee at 11AM on Thursday 5/21.
Miami:
Miami baseball won the MAC regular season championship this weekend, closing the year out with a sweep of Akron this weekend. They now turn their attention to the MAC tournament and will face either Toledo or Ball State on 5/21 @ 2:00 ET in Avon, OH.
Miami golf is also in the Bryan regional and currently is in 12th place after a +10 day to kick things off. Michael Weber leads the way for the Redhawks, tied for 36th at +1. Here’s the scoreboard link for Miami’s regional: https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournaments/243259
