Facing one of their biggest matches of the season, FC Cincinnati will be without one of its best players.

Striker Kevin Denkey won't be able to add to his 12-goal MLS total in Wednesday's mouthwatering home clash against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, with the Togolese international sidelined with an unspecified leg injury on the MLS Player Status Report for Matchday 25.

Denkey has arguably lived up to what was an MLS record for an incoming transfer fee when Cincy signed the striker last winter for a reported $16 million, averaging about 0.61 goals per 90 minutes. He went all 90 minutes in the loss to Columbus on Saturday, in which Cincy stormed to a two-goal lead through Pavel Bucha and Evander inside five minutes, only to give it all back and more.

Cincinnati is still expected to have Evander available, a genuine MVP candidate, with 13 goals and eight assists entering Wednesday's tilt. But they'll lose the dual threat that is one of only a few in MLS that can rival Miami's Messi and Luis Suarez. And the stakes for Wednesday's clash couldn't be more critical in terms of the East race and Cincy's confidence.

A victory over Messi could be a major statement of resilience following the Columbus defeat, and potentially lift the Southwest Ohioans back above Philadelphia into the top spot in the Eastern Conference table.

A loss could see Miami -- which has won five in a row in the league while getting an MLS record five consecutive braces from Messi -- move within a single point while still carrying three matches in hand.

The Black-and-Gold announced Tuesday what was feared on Saturday night, that center back Aaron Long will miss the remainder of the 2025 campaign with a non-contact injury picked up in Saturday's 2-0 victory over FC Dallas.

Long exited in the 76th minute of the home triumph. While the initial reports that it was an Achilles injury rather than an ACL tear were briefly encouraging, the club revealed Long suffered a rupture of the tendon and would need surgical repair.

The 32-year-old, who was once a regular in the U.S. men's national team picture under previous manager Gregg Berhalter, had made 15 starts for the Black-and-Gold.

After missing roughly six weeks with a stubborn ankle injury that healed more slowly than initial expectations, D.C. striker Christian Benteke is dealing with another ailment, this time in his thigh.

The 2024 MLS Golden Boot Winner has been limited to 15 MLS appearances in 2025, and somewhat surprisingly came off the bench for a 34-minute shift in D.C.'s 2-1 defeat at the LA Galaxy on Saturday night, the first game played under interim boss Kevin Flanagan.

He still leads D.C. with six MLS goals, last finding the net in a 2-1 home win over the Colorado Rapids on May 3.

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