New York City FC (NYCFC) head coach Nick Cushing believes his side can win Game 2 of their best-of-three playoff series against Cincinnati if they produce a similar performance to the one that saw them lose the opening game 1-0 on Monday night.
Yamil Asad’s scrappy goal six minutes into the second half proved the difference in Game 1 as Cincinnati made the most of home-field advantage to take a 1-0 series lead ahead of Game 2 at Citi Field on Saturday.
NYCFC struggled to create clear-cut chances during Monday’s defeat, but Cushing insists that they did enough to prove that they are capable of taking the series to a third and decisive game in Cincinnati on Nov. 9.
“If we play this same game tonight at home [on Saturday], and we execute in the moment, we can definitely win it,” Cushing said.
He said his side will have to take their chances on Saturday if they are to keep the series alive, stating that he expects a tight game against a Cincinnati side that won the Supporter’s Shield last season and finished third in the Eastern Conference this campaign.
“As you go through these playoff games, there is no easy game,” he said. “It’s about playing winning football, and we fought right to the end. We had many moments. We have to execute in the moments better.”
Cushing said each of his players knows their job ahead of Saturday’s season-defining game at Citi Field, adding that his side cannot afford to dwell on Monday night’s result.
“We know we have to win at home, and we’re going back to a place where we know we’re going to have all our people behind us,” Cushing said. “For us, it’s not about dwelling on this game. It’s about moving on now.”
Midfielder Keaton Parks described Monday’s playoff opener as a closely-fought encounter decided by a sloppy goal and promised to do “whatever it takes” to take the series to a third game in Cincinnati.
“I don’t think there was ever a point in this game where we fell out of it. We fought hard from the beginning until the end,” Parks said. “Now we bring it home and get a win in front of our fans.”
