New York City FC (NYCFC) head coach Nick Cushing admitted that his side missed an opportunity by losing at Montreal on Decision Day, leaving NYCFC in the unseeded places for the upcoming MLS Cup.
NYCFC’s defeat in Montreal condemned Cushing’s side to a sixth-place finish in the Eastern Conference and a first-round playoff meeting with Cincinnati in a best-of-three series, with two of those meetings taking place in Ohio.
Cushing admitted that it was frustrating to miss out on the chance to leapfrog fourth-place Orlando, who lost at home to Atlanta United on Decision Day, opening the door for NYCFC to steal a seeded position at the final hurdle.
Instead, it was NYCFC who was leapfrogged on the final day, with Charlotte jumping above New York into fifth to set up a play-off tie against Orlando.
Cushing’s side now heads into a best-of-three series with Cincinnati knowing that they must win at least one of the two away games if they are to advance in the MLS Cup. Worse still for Cushing’s side, NYCFC has not won at Cincinnati since 2021, a run of four games consisting of three defeats and a single tie.
In this season alone, NYCFC went down to a 1-0 defeat at Cincinnati early in the regular season before blowing a two-goal lead there in the Leagues Cup group stages in an eventual 4-2 defeat.
However, Cushing and his troops can take heart from a deserved 3-2 victory over Cincinnati at Red Bull Arena at the beginning of October, with Cushing’s side withstanding a late fightback to claim a deserved three points.
He also pointed to the opening 75 minutes of their Leagues Cup encounter, a period NYCFC dominated and established a two-goal lead, only to concede four times in the last ten minutes.
Cushing said he expects three closely fought encounters over the three-game series and said seeing out victory in October’s meeting at Red Bull Arena was a positive for his side.
“They’re a direct team,” Cushing said. “They cross the ball. The nature of their players is that they never give up, so we’re fully aware that in these three games, there’s going to be periods where we’re going to have to absorb some pressure. We’re going to have to defend the goal – that is play-off football in the MLS.
“The fact that we’ve played well in all three games (against Cincinnati this season), the fact that we’ve won the last one, is definitely something that we take as a positive.”
Cushing said his side’s away form and performances have improved compared to last season but added that NYCFC’s performances away from home have been “streaky”, with his side often drawing games that they should won.
He encouraged his players to approach the post-season with the mindset that the playoffs are a new season and to play brave, attacking football in their two away games against Cincinnati.
“You have to win the game (in the playoffs),” Cushing said. “Whether it’s home or whether it’s in a difficult place, you’ve just got to go and play really brave football. You’ve got to defend well. You’ve got to defend set plays well, and you’ve got to take your chances.”
NYCFC improved on a disappointing 2023 season that saw them miss out on a place in the MLS Cup on Decision Day, and Cushing said finishing in the top seven and qualifying automatically for the MLS Cup was the minimum requirement for the 2024 season.
“We finished sixth and we wanted to get fourth, but to be two points off fourth and to be in the mix, I think is probably where we are this year,” Cushing said. “The aim for me and for the staff and for the club is to now find the solutions, find the reasons, find the strategy on how we get into the three, two or one positions.”
NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese described the play-offs as a clean slate and an opportunity for a fresh start but added that the nine-day period between the defeat to Montreal and the opening game of the Cincinnati series was an opportunity to reflect on the regular season and learn from the good periods and the bad.
“Despite some improvements and a more successful campaign this year than last, I think there’s more work to be done, and we can show that right now in play-offs,” Freese said.
Freese also believes the previous meetings with Cincinnati this season can be a source of confidence for NYCFC.
“They’re a top team,” Freese said. “They’re very well coached and they have fantastic players. (Luciano) Acosta is one of the best players in the league.
“We were with them in the first game, it was a very close game, and then the second (league) game, we won at home. So I think it’s important to take confidence leading into this two or three-game stretch against them.”
Kevin O’Toole, who has made the left-back berth his own this season, said the team is in confident mood ahead of the series opener in Cincinnati on Monday, stating that he believes NYCFC has the ability to string a run of results together in the play-offs if it can build momentum in the best-of-three first round.
“It’s been somewhat of a trend in our form this season that if we get a win, we tend to follow it with another, so I think this first game is super important,” O’Toole said.
O’Toole also looked ahead to the prospect of playing against a Cincinnati back-five and said NYCFC’s philosophy will not change despite playing against a contrasting style.
“It’s a team we’ve faced quite a lot over the last couple of seasons, and so I think we understand what they bring to the table, and we know now for us what can work against their system.”
NYCFC opens its best-of-three series at Cincinnati on Monday, Oct. 28, before a return trip to Citi Field on Saturday, Nov. 2. If required, a series decider will take place in Cincinnati on Saturday, Nov. 9.
