PREVIEW | FC Cincinnati hosts Game 3 at TQL Stadium in a win-or-home game against NYCFC

FC Cincinnati and New York City Football Club meet for the sixth time this season, and this time the season is on the line.

The Orange and Blue and NYCFC enter Game 3 of the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs with a split series, each winning on their home fields. As the higher seed, FC Cincinnati has earned the right to play on home turf in the decisive third and deciding game of the series.

The two teams met twice in the regular season (as they do every year), once in the League Cup and now for the third time in the playoffs. The sixth game of the season represents a club record for games against one team. With familiarity comes understanding. While the stakes couldn’t be higher for a game against a familiar opponent, the way the two teams play is unlikely to surprise anyone.

“I think … the teams’ approach won’t be significantly different from Games 1 and 2,” FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said Thursday. “Like I said, we know the circumstances and we know what the result means, but I don’t expect anything to change drastically because it’s the third game and a win-or-win scenario .”

“The margins are slim, even for teams that have been dominant all year or top teams in the league. You go into playoff games and it’s difficult. You could see the teams getting that second leg win because they’re playing at home and, you know, in front of their fans, and the data will show you that they win a lot more at home. It’s hard to go out there and get results. This of course gives the lower seeds the momentum to go into Game 3 and, if you will, upset the higher seeds. But it’s still difficult, it’s still difficult to win in the playoffs.”

A win on Saturday gives FC Cincinnati another home playoff game as the New York Red Bulls upset the Columbus Crew in their first round matchup, meaning the FCC will be the higher seed in that matchup. A win would mark the third year in a row that FCC and the New York Red Bulls have faced off.

FC Cincinnati vs. New York City Football Club – Saturday, November 9, 2024 – 4:00 p.m. ET – TQL Stadium

Electricity: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

TV Talent (English, Apple): Tyler Terens (PxP), Kyndra de St. Aubin (Analyst)
TV Talent (Spanish, Apple): Oscar Salazar (PxP), Jamie Macias (Analyst)

Radio (English): Fox Sports 1360

Radio (Spanish): La Mega 101.5 FM

Radio Talent (English): Tom Scholar (PXP), Kevin McCloskey (Analyst)
Radio Talent: (Spanish): Gustavo Luques (PXP), Jose Romero (Analyst)

Be sure to follow @FCCincinnati TwitterInstagram and Facebook for live updates from the game.

The clash with NYCFC will be the sixth time FC Cincinnati have met them this season. The FCC emerged victorious in all three games at the TQL Stadium.

In the league game at TQL Stadium on Saturday, March 23, Luciano Acosta scored a goal to give FC Cincinnati a 1-0 win. In his FCC career, Acosta has six goals and four assists against NYCFC.

However, the Leagues Cup game at the TQL Stadium was full of energy and interest as FCC stormed back to claim a 4-2 win after trailing 2-0 with just over ten minutes to play. Yuya Kubo, Pavel Bucha, Yamil Asad and Sergio Santos all contributed to the group stage victory.

In the 2-3 loss at Red Bull Arena, Acosta scored a PK in the 69th minute. Corey Baird scored in the 90th+6. A goal was also scored in the minute, giving the FCC a last glimmer of hope, but the orange-blues ultimately failed to equalize.

In the first game of the best-of-3 series, FC Cincinnati won with a 1-0 result at TQL Stadium. In the second game, NYCFC won the second game 3-1.

Get ready to experience TQL Stadium like never before! The Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs will be even more exciting with a new synchronized pre-game light show for all fans in attendance! Download the FC Cincinnati app and you can help light up TQL Stadium with your phone. Join us in this amazing experience and let’s make Cincy shine together.

Open the FC Cincinnati app on your mobile device and tap the Light up Cincy Card on the home screen.

Tap the “Accept and Continue” button to agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Click the “Next” button when you hear the announcement in the stadium that the light show is about to begin. This step only works on match day at the stadium.

Click the Enable Microphone button to enable microphone permissions. Microphone permissions are required to activate and synchronize the light show. This step only works on match day at the stadium.

Click the Enable Camera button to enable microphone permissions. Camera permissions are required for light show functions. This step only works on match day at the stadium.

Keep your FCC app open on the Waiting to Sync page and let the show begin! The three buttons allow you to take photos and videos and switch to the rear or front camera of your device. This step only works on match day at the stadium.

This is it – From now on in 2024, every game will be win or win. The club’s 18th single-elimination game in the knockout round since 2019 will take place on Saturday. The Orange and Blue were 7-5-5 in their 17 previous wins. or home games (2-3 on penalties).

Early day at TQL Stadium – FC Cincinnati will have a rare afternoon kickoff (4 p.m. or earlier) on Saturday. It will be just the FCC’s 10th home game in the Queen City with an early kickoff. The club has a 2-4-3 record in such games at home. Of course, this does not apply to July 28, 2023, when FCC and Chivas resumed the final half hour of the 2023 League Cup at 2:00 p.m. after bad weather interrupted the game in the 60th minute the night before.

Long and winding road – FC Cincinnati’s 45th competitive game in 2024 will take place on Saturday (23.15.6). It comes a year after FCC played a club-record 46 games (26-6-14).

Best of 3 – The best-of-3 series of the first round of the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs between FC Cincinnati and New York City has reached the third game. At this point, the clubs already know each other well, with the sixth meeting of 2024 taking place on Saturday between FCC and NYCFC. It is the first time in club history that FC Cincinnati will play the same opponent six times in one year.

Snubbed – Surprisingly, Luciano “Lucho” Acosta was not named a finalist to repeat as Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player this season. Acosta had more goal contributions in 2024 than in 2023, setting a single-season club record with 33 goal contributions (14 G, 19 A).

Scouting NYCFC (12/14/8, 50 points, 11th in the Eastern Conference)This is the first time FC Cincinnati and NYCFC will meet in the MLS Cup Playoffs, but these two teams have little familiarity with each other in cup competition in recent years. The two met earlier this season in the Leagues Cup, where FCC emerged victorious, and again in the US Open Cup in 2023, where FCC also won 1-0 at Yankee Stadium.

NYCFC missed the playoffs in 2023, but made it in each of the previous three seasons and won the MLS Cup in 2021. 2023 was NYCFC’s first season since its inaugural year in 2015 in which they failed to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The New York squad was led offensively this season by two outstanding players. Santiago Rodriguez was the engine of the attack, starting 32 games and scoring 12 goals and 10 assists. Costa Rican star Alonso Martínez leads the team with 16 goals despite starting just 19 games this season. The international had a breakout season in 2024 after playing just 30 minutes last season, but only joined the club in August following a move from Alajuelense.

In goal for NYCFC is standout goalkeeper Matt Freese, who, although not a finalist for Goalkeeper of the Year, was on the shortlist for most of the season. Freese started every regular season game for NYCFC this season and only failed to play all 90 minutes of a game once when he was sidelined due to injury. He made 121 saves and conceded 45 goals, for a save rate of 72 percent.

Defensive midfielders James Sands and Keaton Parks were instrumental in NYCFC’s success in 2024, each completing over 87 percent of their passes. Defenseman and designated player Thiago Martins (who goes by the nickname “Thiago”) leads the team in passes, with 2,034 passes completed and a completion rate of over 90 percent.

Head coach Nick Cushing is leading NYCFC in his third year as top boss at the club. Prior to his appointment as manager in 2022, he served as an assistant at NYCFC from 2020 to 2022. However, Cushing is a long-standing member of the “City Football Group”, the organization that includes NYCFC and, in particular, Manchester City in the English Premier League. Prior to his appointment in the United States, Cushing was head coach of Manchester City’s women’s team from 2013 to 2020, which is his only other coaching role.

The last time NYCFC and FC Cincinnati played each other, New York used a 4-2-3-1 formation, but varied this shape at times. In their last game, a 2-0 loss to CF Montréal, NYCFC used a 4-3-3 formation and continued to use a 4-4-2 formation as recently as September. When NYCFC came to Cincinnati in March, they mostly used a 3-4-2-1 formation, but have largely abandoned that, having only resorted to it once since March 31st.