Kevin Denkey powers FC Cincinnati to beat Tigres

Kevin Denkey scored early and late as FC Cincinnati rolled to a 3-0 win over visiting Tigres UANL on Thursday in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champion Cup round-of-16 series.

The two-game, total-goal will conclude on March 19 in San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico.

The victorious team will advance to oppose the Vancouver Whitecaps or the Seattle Sounders in the quarterfinals.

Cincinnati needed less than six minutes to jump on top. Ender Echenique squared a pass from the right side of the 18-yard box to Denkey, wide open 8 yards in front of the net for an easy putaway.

Tom Barlow completed an end-to-end team counterattack to double the lead in the 53rd minute. Denkey capped the scoring in the 83rd minute.

Gerardo Valenzuela split the defense with an excellent long-range pass, and Denkey blasted a low right-footed shot from just outside the box past Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman.

Paul Arriola scored two goals as visiting rolled past Vancouver, a 2025 finalist in the event.

The series will finish on Wednesday in Spokane, Wash. A Whitecaps turnover set up a Sounders counterattack in the 45th minute, with Jesus Ferreira squaring the pass across the 18-yard box for Arriola to drive an 8-yard shot into a vacated net.

Arriola’s second goal featured a bit of luck. Seattle’s Kalani Kossa-Rienzi dribbled free down the right flank and sent a cross to the middle.

A Whitecaps defender blocked the pass, but it bounced right into Arriola and flew over the goal line in the 58th minute.

Paul Rothrock added the last goal in the 70th minute. A cross intended for Danny Musovski missed its intended target but went all the way through to Rothrock, when knocked it in at the far post.