The first game in the Best-of-3 format began in TQL Stadium, where Cincinnati took on NYCFC. The best-of-3 format is still new, so watching the first game’s development was rather interesting. It was an intense game, with two different approaches led by the context of the game. As the possessive team and hoster, Cincinnati tried to impose the game’s rhythm, while NYCFC adopted its more pragmatic side and tried to be more direct than usual.

Goalscorers:

FC Cincinnati Goals: Yamil Asad 51’

The first minute showcases some of the keys Nick Cushing and Pat Noonan tried to implement. Cincinnati, as usual, has three at the back, two wingbacks, and a very mobile front three. The right side was a back-and-forth. Through the first half, Yedlin could enter the New York area and shoot, pass, and attack by surprise. The offensive output was incredible, even if he did not take advantage of said situations.
On the other hand, his back was easily exploited as Santi and O’Toole were able to connect and win that area. The first approach of the game in the first minute was O’Toole winning the position to Yedlin. However, passing to each other was the only thing they did because they were always outnumbered in the final third. Cincinnati won the battle in the midfield, and the help from the midfielders made it almost impossible to build up anything. City’s midfield has the same player profile, and none of them can transport the ball quickly enough to the front 3, which led to some isolation. Without being able to rest on possession and without anyone connecting the attack with the midfield, they relied on long balls, which were always won by Cincinnaty’s defense.

Like most of the first part of the season, Santi was forced to do both the job of a winger and the playmaker, and while he was able to connect some passes and produce some approaches, because he was the only attacking threat, it became very predictable. Wolf and Martinez lived on an isolated island because involving them in any attack was impossible. While Gray and Wolf lacked some defiance, Cincinnati was a very aggressive team; they did very high pressure, which resulted in City losing many balls. New York could only break lines because of some individual brilliance in a specific moment.
There was always time and space for the front three in those times. Even some, very few times this happened, and when it did, no one had the inspiration to produce something of worth.
Cincinnati also struggles to create something, tho. While they had possession and made some changes in orientation very effectively, the City’s defense could control most of the situation in the final third. Cincinnati was very dense and predictable when attacking in static. It was attacking in transition where The Garys looked more dangerous. Their intensity, high pressure, and having four midfielders made it easy to recover the ball very high on the pitch and establish themselves in City’s half. Kubo and Acosta were the most advanced players, and Orellano was behind them, but they often moved so much that Acosta moved in all directions the play was heading. Orellano and Kubo were moving to the left side for the most part, attracting some marks and creating space for the wingbacks to attack by surprise. More often than not, something happened when Acosta had the ball in his feet.

Both teams went to halftime scoreless. The first half was very evenly matched, but Cincinnati had a tactical win.
But Noonan move a little bit. Powell came in for Yedlin at the beginning of the second half. A tactical change is that Orellano was the advanced player, and his speed produced some problems for City’s defense. Cincinnati shifted their attack from left to right. Even with Martins doing some intelligent corrections, it was not enough to stop the Cincinnati goal. A recovery by Asad, or in Santi’s missed possession, Asad passes to Orellano, who timed correctly a through ball to Kubo, who crosses the ball; nobody can touch the ball until Acosta, at the other side, crosses again, and this time it finds Asad’s head, totally alone in the box. City’s passive attitude in defense once again punishes them.
Nick Cushing reacted, and with the introduction of Maxi Morales, City could build up from the back and connect with the attack a little more. Pereas matched the midfield with Cincinnati, moving to the right to neutralize that side.

From that moment forward, the game broke, and many more recoveries led to chances from recoveries and attacks in transition.
Cincinnati was closer to a second goal than City to the first.
Orellano hitting the woodwork and some of Cincinnati’s shots going straight to Freese were testaments to the attack’s lack of accuracy.
Both coaches tend to make very late substitutions, so changing the momentum was difficult when the players came in. City tried to keep the ball and attack while Cincinnati waited and countered.
However, I think Cushing was very late in bringing Julian, a more proper winger who could actually thread the space between the defense and midfield, especially since Wolf was totally alone on the right—or changing anything. While their options were limited, the team struggled to produce constant threats in attack. Then again, since there is no worry about the scoreline, it is just a matter of losing or not losing; the team could give up and think for the next game and put all attacking options without worrying about conceding the second goal.
Some approaches look promising in the heat of the moment, but it was a tough night for any attacker in the match. In the last 20 minutes, both teams capitalized on each other’s mistakes but could not produce a promising chance. There were some, of course. For the Boys in Blue, Santi came close after a series of rebounds in the area on the corner, but his shot went wide.
As the few minutes added almost ended, Gray was shown a very tricky red card. While the contact is undeniable, I think the movement is natural, and the way it produces it is more due to the height difference than anything. VAR did not intervene for a check, so a red card for Gray forced him to miss the next game and ended the match on a pretty grey night for Gray… and New York City.