New York City FC suffered defeat in Game 1 of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs against FC Cincinnati.
A single goal from Yamil Asad handed Cincy a 1-0 victory.
Here are Five Points from the game.
Tight Game
The MLS Playoffs pits the best teams in each conference together, so it was no surprise Monday was a tight game.
Both league meetings between New York City FC and FC Cincinnati were decided by a single goal. The early parts of the first half saw both teams unable to carve out clear-cut chances.
Yamil Asad’s second-half strike gave Cincinnati the win, but if City are to go back to TQL Stadium for game three they should feel able to get a positive result.
“I don't think there was ever a point in this game where we felt out of it,” Keaton Parks said after the game. “I think we fought hard from the beginning till the end. We gave up a sloppy goal. It's playoffs. You all know how it is - one mistake can lead to the loss.”
Scrappy
The stat sheet made for interesting reading after Wednesday’s game.
City managed only 20 more passes than their opponents, while the foul count saw Cincy commit 20 fouls to City’s 11. Those two stats highlighted the stop-start nature of the contest and how that impacted New York’s ability to get into a rhythm in possession.
If the team can improve that aspect of the game when the two teams reunite on Saturday it will hopefully form the foundation of a positive result.
Two Halves
City made their way into the locker room at halftime in a fairly solid position. They had limited Cincinnati in an attacking sense and also managed to carve out some opportunties of their own.
The hosts responded well after halftime and were able to score in the 51st minute through Yamil Asad. The players and staff will have been frustrated to give up a goal so early into the half, and it made it difficult for them to enact their game plan when chasing the game. The challenge now will be maintaning that consistency through 90 minutes and trying to claim victory on Saturday.
Almost
An injury time freekick gave City a late-in-the-day chance to find an equalizer.
Santi Rodríguez’s half-volley was inches away from silencing TQL Stadium and was a subtle reminder of how quickly the game of soccer can turn on its head.
Rodríguez will have finished the game frustrated he did not convert given his ability with the ball, but come Saturday, City just need those inches to swing the other way to do something special and take this to a game three.
Move On
It’s easy to be hung up on Monday’s result, but City knew the series would not be decided on Monday.
The first game was always likely to be a difficult game to dissect with both teams eager to feel their way into the series. While Monday didn’t represent the result City wanted they also know the task. A win is needed on Saturday and a win is what they will pursue at Citi Field.
