FC Cincinnati will travel to the Northeast to face NYCFC at their temporary stadium for this match, Red Bull Arena. The regular season is closing out and it is becoming clearer where each team is going to finish.
THE OPPOSITION
NYCFC has just one victory in their last seven matches. That victory came over the weekend when they smashed the Red Bulls 5-1 in the Hudson River Derby. In that span, their form has been chaotic; 13 goals scored and 15 conceded.
One of NYCFC’s biggest strengths is their deep offense. They have multiple game-changers within the squad, like Santi Rodriguez, Hannes Wolf and Alonso Martinez. Young attackers like Julian Fernandez, Agustin Ojeda and Jovan Mijatovic are also behind them.
According to Transfermarkt, their squad is tied for the youngest average age at 23.9. Since their team is filled with younger and unproven players, they don’t have a clear weakness. Their defense is one of their weaknesses, but they haven’t conceded near the most amount of goals in the league—nor have they scored the most.
They are a young team with depth that is led by Nick Cushing who wants to prioritize an exciting, attacking style of play. That has led them far above the playoff line, but there is still more to be done.
Their objective in these last three games is to at least secure fourth place. But with a victory over this Cincinnati side, they could conceivably make a run for third.
THE ORANGE & BLUE
FC Cincinnati now knows the limits of what they can do in the regular season—third place being their likely finish. The Shield has been all but secured by Miami and Columbus is almost assured at least second place with a game in hand. But there will still be hope if they can win this match.
They fell 2-1 at home to LAFC. David Martinez took the lead in the first half and held it before Luca Orellano equalized with another wonder strike. However, Denis Bouanga scored the near-post-winning goal. FCC dominated possession and had more shots, but in the end just weren’t able to capitalize.
Injuries have been the main issue within the squad. It completely destroyed the defense and impacted other areas of the pitch as well, most notably with Lucho Acosta. A lack of consistent form has also followed from this—making every match a question mark.
Chidozie Awaziem subbed off early with an injury, but according to Tom Bogert it is “not believed to be long term.” Laurel Pfahler did state that he would be unavailable for this match, though.
They’ll also have to deal with the inevitable rotation that comes with playing a match just a few days prior. Kubo and Santos also left the match with slight issues, so it’s unknown how much they’ll be involved.
That rotation will make this one just as uncertain as the rest. A win would be a huge result, boosting confidence heading into these last two matches and the postseason.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Alonso Martinez is NYCFC’s player to watch. He has 14 goals and three assists on the season, including a brace in their last match that saw him win the league’s Player of the Matchday. It wasn’t expected, but he has become their best attacker.
Luca Orellano is unsurprisingly Cincinnati’s player to watch. With three goals and an assist in his last three matches, he has continued to prove himself as a spectacular player in this team. He is the best player on this squad not named Lucho Acosta.
WHAT TO EXPECT
This match has high stakes for being in the regular season. Both sides are trying to finish with a high seeding in the East. They have both been inconsistent lately and are looking to find momentum in the postseason.
You can expect a fast-paced match. NYCFC looks to be a mostly attacking-focused team, while Cincinnati will try to absorb the opposition and build from there.
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