Even though the question touched on tender old scar tissue, FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan was a good sport about it.

His team had just vanquished one ghost from the past by ousting the Columbus Crew in Round One of the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, avenging a galling home loss to their Hell is Real rivals in the Eastern Conference Final two years ago.

Now they would face Inter Miami CF , the adversary that inflicted similar heartbreak on Cincy a couple of months earlier in that 2023 campaign, storming back from a 2-0 deficit to win an epic US Open Cup semifinal duel on penalties after 120 minutes of riveting back-and-forth action had left the two sides deadlocked at 3-3.

FCC marched to the Supporters’ Shield that year, but those two setbacks denied them the chance for a hist

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