Troy Lesesne is determined to avoid a snowball effect after seeing D.C. United suffer two heavy defeats in the space of three games, ahead of hosting FC Cincinnati.

D.C. were thrashed 6-1 by the San Jose Earthquakes last week, with their third straight defeat leaving them 12th in the Eastern Conference.

Just two weeks earlier, Lesesne saw him team go down 4-1 at Orlando City, and he knows any more results of that nature cannot be tolerated.

"We have to continue to stay together, we have to continue to fight," Lesesne said.

"I said this a couple of weeks ago with Orlando, that the result was an outlier, but now you have seen two of these results and it's just not good enough.

"We can let it snowball into multiple goals against. It's something we have to really address very quickly."

Cincinnati, on the other hand, are going well, sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference with 13 points from their first seven games.

The Orange and Blue have won back-to-back games, beating the New England Revolution 1-0 last time out despite having five first-team players unavailable. 

"It's one of our best wins, if I'm being honest, just the circumstances and some bodies that we're obviously missing from last week," Noonan said after the game. 

"It challenged us. We're obviously stretched thin, but it clearly didn't affect the group because they were ready to play and got the clean sheet.

"We created some good looks, had good discipline, good composure and deserved to win the game. I'm really, really proud of the performance."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

D.C. United – Christian Benteke 

Benteke scored D.C. United’s lone goal last time out, a header assisted by Derek Dodson. 

It was Benteke's 14th headed goal in MLS, more than any other player since he made his debut in the competition in 2022.

FC Cincinnati – Roman Celentano

Cincinnati have kept three clean sheets in their first seven league matches this season, including in their 1-0 win over New England last Saturday, after managing just two in their last 21 league matches last year. 

They have not kept consecutive clean sheets in league play in two years (three straight in March-April 2023). Can goalkeeper Celentano help them do so here?

MATCH PREDICTION – FC CINCINNATI WIN

Cincinnati have won three of their last five meetings with D.C. (D1 L1), who had gone unbeaten in the first seven games between the teams (W4 D3).

D.C. come into this one off the back of a crushing 6-1 loss to San Jose, the fifth time in the last five seasons they have lost a match by five or more goals. 

They suffered just three such defeats in all competitions in their first 25 years of existence.

It will surprise nobody to learn, then, that Cincinnati are favourites. 

With 13 points from seven matches to start 2025 after totalling 17 and 12 through seven matches in the last two years, they are one of two teams, along with the Columbus Crew, to earn at least 12 points through seven matches in each of the last three campaigns.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

D.C. United – 32.6%

FC Cincinnati – 42%

Draw – 25.5%