NYCFC scored the lone goal of a rainy match at Citi park in the 9th minute, as Argentinian winger Julián Fernández slipped away from his marker and fired a shot into the bottom left corner. Things only continued to get worse for FC Cincinnati when New York was awarded a penalty in the 13th minute after Alonso Martínez went down under contact from Miazga. The Orange and Blue lucked out when Martínez’s effort ricocheted off of the post. He later struck the woodwork again and missed a clear header to increase the lead. Matt Miazga nearly brought FCC level following a corner, but his volley struck the woodwork. Despite being an end-to-end, high-energy contest, NYCFC made the most of their home-field advantage and brought an end to FC Cincinnati’s five-game winning streak.
Pat Noonan on the difference between the first half and the second half:
“Our pressing. Our pressing wasn’t good enough for the first half, and it caused us to have to defend in unnecessary ways closer to goal. They certainly have creativity and good one-v-one attackers, some good crossing moments, but yeah, we just put ourselves in too many difficult spots, and then composure with the ball was poor. So it’s hard to have any rhythm in the game when you don’t do those two things.”
First Half
The early stages of the match featured an energetic, back-and-forth tempo. NYCFC attempted to take control of the midfield by ditching their typical formation and instead opting to deploy a box-shaped four-man unit centrally, which proved to be a massive advantage in the first half. FC Cincinnati appeared flustered during the opening 25 minutes, struggling to establish rhythm and clarity in their defensive assignments. However, as the half wore on, the squad began to settle in, showing better awareness in marking and improved organization without the ball. Roman Celentano was called into action multiple times and delivered several key saves, helping keep the deficit to just 1-0 heading into the break.
Formation Change
FCC returned from halftime with a tactical adjustment, switching to a back four and introducing two substitutions in Dado Valenzuela and Sergio Santos in an effort to improve press coverage and play a more aggressive style of soccer. Despite getting more chances on goal in the second half, FCC struggled to break down NYCFC’s midfield structure consistently and continued to face difficulty maintaining possession in advanced areas.
Second half
FC Cincinnati came out swinging in the second half. Dado Valenzuela quickly made his presence known with a pair of threatening shots that were skillfully taken care of by NYCFC Keeper Matt Freese. He would face a barrage of attempts off the foot of FC Cincinnati’s attack, but none of the 11 attempts would find the back of the net. Despite getting more chances on goal in the second half, the Garys were unable to find and equalizing goal before the final whistle.
Postgame
The Orange and Blue were held scoreless for the first time since a 2-0 loss at Charlotte FC on March 15. It also marked their first 1-0 defeat since July 17, 2024, against Chicago Fire FC. Goalkeeper Roman Celentano recorded four first-half saves, his second-highest total in a single half this season. His season-best remains five second-half saves, recorded on March 29 at Nashville SC. Yuya Kubo returned to action for the first time since March 22 against Atlanta United FC, and defender Teenage Hadabe was available but did not play.
Quick Recap
Shots: 19 / 13
Shots on Goal: 5 / 4
Saves: 4 / 4
Corner Kicks: 7 / 6
Fouls: 11 / 16
Offside: 2 / 2
Possession: 51 / 49
Goals:
NYC – Julián Fernández 9’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Matt Miazga (Yellow Card) 12’
NYC – Matt Freese (Yellow Card) 39’
NYC – Hannes Wolfe (Yellow Card) 72’
NYC – Justin Haak (Yellow Card) 75’
CIN – Evander (Yellow Card) 90’+2
OFFICIALS
Referee: Drew Fischer
Ast. Referees: Lyes Arfa, Jeffrey Swartzel
Fourth Official: Guido Gonzales Jr.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero
AVAR: Jonathan Johnson
Next Match
MLS Regular Season: vs Austin FC, TQL Stadium, 7:30 p.m. May 10; AppleTV+
Recommended for you
