New York City FC fall 1-0 to FC Cincinnati in playoff opener
Courtesy: New York City FC
By Chris Tsakonas
New York City FC’s first playoff match since 2022 ended in defeat as FC Cincinnati earned the 1-0 win in Game 1 at TQL Stadium tonight. Yamil Asad scored the game-winning goal for Cincinnati in the 51st minute.
Slow start
Both sides got off to a sluggish start in this match, with neither side recording a shot through the opening 20 minutes. That changed after FC Cincinnati got the first shot of the match from Yuya Kubo in the 20th minute, as they went into halftime with a 6-3 edge over New York City in total shots.
New York City didn’t create a shot until the 28th minute when a shot from Santi Rodriguez was easily stopped by Roman Celentano. New York City couldn’t create high-percentage looks, as New York City went into the halftime break with just 0.21 expected goals.
Cincinnati breaks through
In the 51st minute, Cincinnati turned that momentum into a goal. After a Kubo shot was deflected across the six-yard box by Matt Freese, it fell to an unmarked Lucho Acosta on the left side of the box. Acosta floated the ball back across to set up the winning goal from Asad.
It was the second time this season that Asad scored a pivotal goal against New York City this season, as he had the equalizer in New York City’s 4-2 loss to Cincinnati in the Leagues Cup group stage in August.
Second half struggles cost New York City
On the other end, New York City searched for an equalizer - but couldn’t generate consistent pressure. After Asad opened the scoring in the 51st minute, New York City created just four more shots for the rest of the match - and none of those chances had a higher expected goal total than 0.04.
“It's a difficult place to come. They have a flat back five [with] two midfield players in front, so the offensive moments that you have are going to be minimized here - the data will show that from every team,” head coach Nick Cushing said after the match. “I thought we had a lot of moments, some good moments in high press, in transition moments where we just didn't get the last bit right.”
While Cincinnati didn’t find a second goal, it wasn’t for a lack of opportunities as they finished with a 22-6 edge in total shots and a 3.8-0.3 advantage in expected goals.
New York City will also be short a starter in the second match of this series, as Tayvon Gray will be suspended after he was sent off in the final seconds of the match after he was called for a foul on Acosta.
Next Up
Facing elimination, New York City FC will return to the five boroughs for Game 2 of the series at Citi Field on Saturday afternoon. Live radio commentary from Glenn Crooks and Matty Lawrence will get underway at 4:45 p.m. and can be heard on the New York City FC Network at newyorkcityfc.com/radio or the Apple TV home radio feature.