The 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs are back, and FC Cincinnati hosts the opening match in their Round One, Best of 3 series with NYCFC. The new playoff format, first instituted in 2023, makes it so this match is not a knockout match. Still, the intensity of the playoffs will be there, with the chance to start a championship run on a high note.
"It feels different, it should. And you realize that you have to be very connected in every aspect of the game," Pat Noonan said Saturday morning ahead of the Monday night match. "So many little things become so much more important at this stage that you have to get right."
FC Cincinnati enters the playoffs on a high after defeating Philadelphia Union 2-1 on Decision Day and equaling an MLS record for road victories in a season. The playoff calendar has allowed for extra time off, as FCC will kick off on Monday night, meaning they will have an extra two days to prepare than the usual one week.
The extra time gives Noonan and his staff the opportunity to continue the work done before that Philadelphia match—work that, Noonan says, paid off with a strong performance and result.
"It's just given us a couple days to start the conversations about some things that we'll do on both sides of the ball and like the lead up to Philly, I think we saw improvements of the understanding of some of those ideas in moving players around to try different things and have guys be prepared to do different things," Pat Noonan explained. "Oftentimes at the end of (playoff) games, it could look frantic. And when there's desperation you see things that you typically don't see, I think I said that in the previous years. Players in different spots, or a very aggressive approach or a very defensive approach, depending on the game state, you see a lot of that at the end of these games. So everybody just needs to be so tuned in as the games are progressing (and) to understand how they can impact the game late."
FC Cincinnati has made the playoffs for the third straight season and won their opening-round match in each of those years. With that third consecutive clinch, FCC became just the second Cincinnati-based top division pro sports club to make the postseason in three straight seasons.
With a win, FC Cincinnati could clinch their spot in the Conference Semifinals should they win Game 2 next week at Citi Field. Should this match be tied after 90 minutes, a winner will be decided in a penalty shootout. Last season, FC Cincinnati secured their spot by defeating the New York Red Bulls in PK's in Game Two at Red Bull Arena.
FC Cincinnati vs New York City Football Club – Monday, October 29, 2024 – 6:30 p.m. ET – Citi Field
HOW TO WATCH
Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Traditional: Fox Sports 1
TV Talent (English, Apple): Chris Wittyngham (PxP), Lori Lindsey (Analyst)
TV Talent (Spanish, Apple): Oscar Salazar (PxP), Jamie Macias (Analyst)
TV Talent (English, FS1): Mike Watts (PxP), Tony Meola (Analyst)
Radio (English): Fox Sports 1360
Radio (Spanish): La Mega 101.5 FM
Radio Talent (English): Tom Gelehrter (PXP), Kevin McCloskey (Analyst)
Radio Talent: (Spanish): Gustavo Luques (PXP), Jose Romero (Analyst)
Against NYCFC
The matchup with NYCFC marks the fourth time FC Cincinnati has met them this season. In both matches at TQL Stadium, FCC came out with the victory but in the most recent matchup (a trip to New York) FCC fell 3-2.
In the league match at TQL Stadium on Saturday, March 23, Luciano Acosta scored to give FC Cincinnati a 1-0 victory. In his FCC career, Acosta has scored six goals and four assists against NYCFC.
The Leagues Cup match at TQL Stadium, though, was full of energy and interest as FCC stormed back to earn a 4-2 victory after being down 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 3-2 loss at Red Bull Arena, Acosta scored a PK in the 69th minute. Corey Baird also scored in the 90+6 minute to give FCC a last grasp at hope, but The Orange and Blue ultimately could not find the equalizer.
Light Up Cincy
Get ready to experience TQL Stadium like never before! Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs are about to get more exciting with a new pre-match synchronized light show, and all fans in attendance can be a part of it! Download the FC Cincinnati App and you’ll be able to help illuminate the TQL Stadium with your phone. Join in on this amazing experience, and let's Light Up Cincy together.
Step 1
Open the FC Cincinnati App on your mobile device and tap the Light up Cincy Card on the home screen.
Step 2
Tap the “Accept & Continue” button to agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Step 3
Click the “Continue” button when you hear the in-stadium announcement that the light show is about to begin. This step will only work in-stadium on matchday.
Step 4
Click the “Enable Microphone” button to enable microphone permissions. Light show activation and synchronization require microphone permissions. This step will only work in-stadium on matchday.
Step 5
Click the “Enable Camera” button to enable microphone permissions. Light show features require camera permissions. This step will only work in-stadium on matchday.
Step 6
Keep your FCC App open on the “Waiting to Sync” page and let the show begin! Use the three buttons to capture photos, record videos, and flip to your device’s back or front facing camera. This step will only work in-stadium on matchday.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
Monday Monday – Monday will mark just the second match on a Monday for FC Cincinnati since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2019. The only prior time came this season, ironically also against New York City FC, in Leagues Cup 2024 on August 5.
Post Season Play – Monday will be FC Cincinnati’s 29th non-MLS Regular Season match in official competition since joining the league in 2019, the ninth this season. FCC are 13-6-6 in the 25 prior matches. While Monday’s match is not technically a must-win, the club is 7-5-5 in 17 prior win-or-go home matches (2-3 in shootouts).
Familiar Foe – Monday night marks the fourth time in 2024 that FC Cincinnati and NYCFC have met, after two MLS Regular Season battles and in the Leagues Cup Group Stage. Only two previous times have FC Cincinnati met a single club 4+ times in a year, including
facing the New York Red Bulls five times in 2023 and Columbus Crew four times in 2020. Depending on how the Round One Best-of-3 series pans out, FCC and NYCFC could meet six times in competitive action this calendar year.
Rotation – In 42 matches across all competitions entering the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, FC Cincinnati did not repeat a positional lineup once. In fact, the same 11 players - regardless of position - have not played in the same Starting XI once this season. And there was rotation particularly on the backline. No backline (three center backs, two wing backs) for FC Cincinnati positionally played together more than two times. Only once did those backlines play together without change in consecutive matches (July 6 vs Inter Miami CF; July 13 vs Charlotte FC).
Snubbed - Luciano ‘Lucho’ Acosta was surprisingly not named a finalist this season to repeat as Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player. Acosta provided more goal contributions in 2024 than he did in 2023 by setting a single-season club record with 33 goal contributions (14 G, 19 A).
Scouting NYCFC (14-12-8, 50 points, 11th in Eastern Conference)
This is the first time FC Cincinnati and NYCFC have faced off in the MLS Cup Playoffs but these two sides are hardly unfamiliar with each other in Cup competition play over the last few years. The two met in the Leagues Cup earlier this season where FCC came out on top, 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 MLS Cup in 2021. 2023 was the first season since the 2015 inaugural year for NYCFC that they did not qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.
The New York squad has been led this season offensively by two stand out contributors. Santiago Rodriguez has been the engine for the attack, starting in 32 matches and scoring 12 goals with 10 assists. Costa Rican star Alonso Martínez leads the team in goals with 16 despite only starting 19 matches this season. The international has enjoyed a breakout season in 2024 after playing just 30 minutes last season, but only joined the club in August after transferring in from Alajuelense.
In net for NYCFC is standout keeper Matt Freese, who, despite not being named a finalist for Goalkeeper of the Year, was on the shortlist for much of the season. Freese started every regular season match this season for NYCFC and only once did not complete all 90 minutes of a match when he was removed due to injury. He made 121 saves and conceded 45 goals for a 72 percent save percentage.
Defensive midfielders James Sands and Keaton Parks have been instrumental to NYCFC’s success in 2024, each completing over 87 percent of their passes. Defender and Designated Player Thiago Martins (who goes by the mononym ‘Thiago’) leads the team in passes, with 2034 completed and an over 90 percent completion rate.
Head Coach Nick Cushing leads NYCFC in his third year with the club as the top boss. Prior to his appointment as manager in 2022 he served as an assistant from 2020 to 2022 with NYCFC. Cushing though is a longtime member of the “City Football Group” the organization that owns NYCFC and most notably Manchester City in the English Premier League. Prior to his American appointment, Cushing was the Head Coach of the Manchester City Women’s Team from 2013 to 2020, which is his only other coaching role.
Last time NYCFC and FC Cincinnati faced off, The New Yorkers deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation but have at times varied that shape. In their most recent match, a 2-0 loss to CF Montréal, NYCFC used a 4-3-3 formation and have used a 4-4-2 formation as recently as September. When NYCFC came to Cincinnati in March, they were using a 3-4-2-1 formation most but have mostly abandoned that having only used it once since March 31.
