Yerson Mosquera got the all-important goal in the 94th minute to send FC Cincinnati to the Eastern Conference Final.
Alvaro Barreal placed a pinpoint ball into the box which was met by Ian Murphy who headed it into the path on Mosquera. Mosquera then controlled well before firing the ball expertly past goalkeeper Andre Blake into the bottom right corner.
After a lengthy check from the Video Assistant Referee for a possible offside on Murphy was completed and ruled the goal good and the Union’s season over.
FC Cincinnati will take on the Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference Final on December 2.
Philadelphia must beat last season's Supporters' Shield winners and hope CF Montreal and D.C. United both lose, to New York City and Charlotte FC respectively, to extend their season.
The Union have only missed the playoffs in two of their nine full campaigns under Curtin, but they are on the brink of doing so following back-to-back defeats to Orlando City (2-1) and the Columbus Crew (3-1).
Ahead of this weekend's Decision-Day clash with Cincinnati, Curtin said: "At this time of year you have to do the little things right and we didn't [versus Columbus].
"It's not in our control anymore, so we'll need some help. What we can control is getting a win at home against a strong Cincinnati team, something we're more than capable of.
"Obviously we've let ourselves down in recent weeks, we've played some great opponents and had chances to get back into games.
"But if we're honest, we were outplayed by Orlando and Columbus, those two teams are a level above us right now. Now it comes down to Decision Day."
Cincinnati have already clinched their playoff place but have suffered three straight defeats to Los Angeles FC, NYCFC and Orlando.
Speaking after their most recent loss, winger Yamil Asad said he would prefer the Orange and Blue to make their mistakes before the postseason begins.
"This is tough because we are close to the playoffs, this is the third loss in a week," Asad said.
"But I think it's better to happen now and fix all of these bad things that we did and be focused on and keep doing the right things."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Philadelphia Union – Andre Blake
Philadelphia have scored 61 goals but sit below the playoff line entering the final day of the season.
No team in MLS history has scored 62 or more goals in a regular season and missed the playoffs (35/35 entering 2024).
If they are to sneak into the postseason, they may need a big performance from Blake, whose save percentage of 75% is the second-best of any MLS goalkeeper with at least 10 appearances this year.
FC Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta
Acosta has recorded 93 goal contributions over the last three seasons (41 goals, 52 assists), more than any other player over a three-season span in MLS history (Sebastian Giovinco – 92 from 2015 to 2017).
MATCH PREDICTION – PHILADELPHIA UNION WIN
Cincinnati enter the final match of the season with 10 away wins already 2024. The most road wins in a single season in the post-shootout era (since 2000) in MLS is 11, set by Montreal in 2022 and matched by Inter Miami this season.
They face a daunting task in looking to match those feats, though. The Union knocked Cincinnati out of this year's Leagues Cup in the last 16 with a 4-2 away win on August 13.
The Union have taken 10 points from their last five home league games (three wins, one draw, one defeat), scoring 13 times in those matches, and simply must win.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Philadelphia Union – 46.8%
FC Cincinnati – 26.8%
Draw – 26.4%
Lewis Morgan, who scored 14 goals in the regular season, had put the Red Bulls ahead with a rifled strike from outside the box in the 48th minute at Red Bull Arena.
But Cincinnati replied with two goals in the final 15 minutes to secure their spot in the Conference Semifinals where they will face top seed Philadelphia Union. Fourth-year franchise Cincy had finished last in the Eastern Conference during its previous three campaigns.
Cincy thought they had an equalizer in the 60th minute when the Red Bulls failed to clear a long throw and Junior Moreno's strike was deflected in, but that was by an offside Jeff Cameron.
But the visitors found an avenue back when Red Bulls defender Andres Reyes clumsily brought down Alvaro Barreal, with Luciano Acosta stepping up to send Carlos Coronel the wrong way with the 74th-minute penalty.
New York were stunned when Cincy took the lead with less than five minutes of regulation time left as Vasquez sidefooted home substitute Sergio Santos' left-flank pass.
Cincy goalkeeper Roman Celentano denied Aaron Long's 88th-minute header, while Red Bulls defender Sean Nealis headed over in stoppage time.
LA Galaxy moved into the Conference Semifinals where they will face LAFC after a 1-0 home victory over Nashville at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The hosts thought they had gone ahead in the 50th minute when they raced forward in a four-on-two situation with Riqui Puig laying off for Javier Hernandez to fire home but the goal was disallowed on review after a Ronald Araujo foul in the build-up.
Pink-haired Araujo, who hit the post with a wayward 60th-minute cross, made amends when he headed in Samuel Grandsir's cross from the byline on the right side.
Galaxy could have added another but Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis made saves from Riqui Puig and Kevin Cabral late.
Caden Clark had put the Red Bulls up with a spectacular goal early in the second half but last season's Western Conference top spot finishers hit back.
Gadi Kinda netted a 59th minute penalty with Hungarian forward Daniel Salloi putting KC ahead barely 60 seconds later with a simple close-range finish.
New York City were also opening day losers, blowing a 1-0 lead to go down 2-1 at D.C. United.
City, who reached last season's play-offs, went ahead on the quarter hour from Valentin Castellanos.
But United responded by taking the lead before the interval with a sensational long-range drive from Brendan Hines-Ike and another from Russell Canouse, coming from a perfectly executed corner routine.
10-man Revolution hit back, Pato debut
Last season's semi-finalists New England Revolution fought back from two goals down to claim a thrilling 2-2 draw away to Chicago Fire.
Revolution, who were reduced to 10 men in second-half stoppage time after a DeJuan Jones red card, trailed 2-0 after 11 minutes following goals from Robert Beric and Luka Stojanovic.
Polish attacker Adam Buksa and Gustavo Gou netted in the following 15 minutes to level the match.
New England debutant Edward Kizza should have scored the winner when he struck the crossbar with an 87th minute header.
Victor Wanyama was among the goals as Montreal eased past Toronto 4-2 in their Canadian clash, while former Brazil international Alexandre Pato debuted for 2020 quarter-finalists Orlando City who had a scoreless draw with Atlanta United.
However, Pato limped off in the 80th minute with an apparent knee issue which will have Orlando sweating on scans.
Los Angeles FC started the new season with a solid 2-0 victory at home over newcomers Austin with goals from Corey Baird and Jose Cifuentes.
Nashville fought back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Cincinnati thanks to Randall Leal's 64th minute long-range curler, while Dallas and Colorado also played out a 0-0 draw.
Premature substitution
LAFC coach Michael Bradley admitted he "might have jumped the gun" when he accidentally subbed off star Mexican attacker Carlos Vela in the 22nd minute after he waved in his direction. In hindsight, Vela was calling for treatment from a trainer after picking up a knock.
Teenager's special strike
The Red Bulls went ahead when 17-year-old midfielder Clark fired in a superb volley out of mid-air. The teenager appears a star in the making.
Saturday's results
Montreal 4-2 Toronto FC
Orlando City 0-0 Atlanta United
Los Angeles FC 2-0 Austin
Sporting KC 2-1 New York Red Bulls
FC Dallas 0-0 Colorado Rapids
DC United 2-1 New York City FC
Chicago Fire 2-2 New England Revolution
Nashville 2-2 Cincinnati
Galaxy in Florida
There's three games on Sunday including a glamour fixture between David Beckham's Inter Miami against his former club Los Angeles Galaxy.
Nashville had gone ahead in the 28th minute from Hany Mukhtar's penalty but Hernandez was the centre of attention once again.
The former Manchester United forward failed to convert a 97th-minute penalty attempting a Panenka last Sunday against Sporting KC, spurning a hat-trick and winner.
Hernandez stepped up again in the 55th minute after being bundled over by Shaquell Moore but had his low shot tipped around the post by goalkeeper Joel Willis.
With their season on the line, the Galaxy earned a late reprieve after a penalty was awarded for a Walker Zimmerman handball following VAR review, with the defender receiving a second yellow card.
But Riqui Puig grabbed the ball and took the responsibility instead of Hernandez, before firing just beyond Willis' fingertips for the goal.
The result means the Galaxy are winless in three games and sit eighth in the Western Conference on 40 points.
Western Conference leaders LAFC stumbled again, suffering their fourth loss in their past five games with a 2-1 defeat to Dallas.
Jesus Ferreira boosted his claims on a spot in USA's World Cup squad with a double for Dallas, while LAFC were reduced to 10 men after Ryan Hollingshead's 13th-minute red card.
Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union showed why they are arguably the best team in the MLS with a 5-1 thrashing of Orlando City securing their fifth straight victory.
Lewis Morgan scored a 78th-minute penalty to help New York Red Bulls secure a 2-1 home win over New England to firm up their grip on third in the east.
New York City suffered their seventh defeat from their past nine games, going down 1-0 to Charlotte.
Brenner scored a hat-trick as Cincinnati extended their unbeaten run to nine games, winning 6-0 over San Jose Earthquakes
Thiago Almada fired in a golazo as Atlanta United defeated Toronto 4-2, while Inter Miami slumped to a third straight loss with a 3-1 defeat at Chicago Fire.
Seattle Sounders toppled Austin 3-0, Houston Dynamo and Sporting KC drew 0-0, Portland Timbers edged Minnesota United 1-0, Colorado Rapids beat Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 and Real Salt Lake and DC United ended goalless.
A Patryk Klimala brace secured the win for New York, including a penalty in the 91st minute, as they claimed top spot in the East on goal difference over Philadelphia Union. Both are on 17 points, but Philadelphia are still to play Nashville on Sunday.
Chicago also scored from the penalty spot to hit the lead, with Xherdan Shaqiri converting in the 16th minute after Ashley Fletcher was judged to have handled the ball.
New York regrouped after a weather delay which forced the two sides off, and substitute Klimala eventually restored parity after a fine assist from Luqinhas in the 75th minute.
A clumsy challenge at the death from Miguel Navarro handed New York the chance to snatch an otherwise even contest, and Klimala calmly put his penalty away for the three points.
Orlando City also moved to 17 points with a 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC on Saturday, but have played 10 games in comparison to NYRB's nine and Philadelphia's eight.
Montreal CF and Columbus Crew kept within touching distance after respective wins over Atlanta and DC United meanwhile, and in Saturday's other Eastern Conference matchup, Cincinnati beat Toronto 2-1.
New England Revolution joined Inter Miami as one of the six teams on 10 points in the East, with Damian River and Adam Buksa giving them a 2-0 victory.
In the West meanwhile, Austin FC also came from behind to go top of the conference, beating Texan rival Houston Dynamo 2-1 but in much less dramatic circumstances than NYRB.
Sebastian Ferreira put the Dynamo ahead in only the fifth minute, but Daniel Pereira was able to equalise before the interval.
Sebastian Driussi kept up his recent goal-scoring form and provided the eventual winner for Austin in the 66th minute, finding a pocket of space in the penalty are before rifling into the top corner.
Los Angeles Galaxy lost ground despite dominating the game, losing 1-0 to Real Salt Lake after Marcelo Silva's goal in the 49th minute.
A Mark-Anthony Kaye goal on the counter in injury time secured a 2-0 win for the Colorado Rapids over the Portland Timbers, while Sporting KC and FC Dallas played out a 2-2 draw.
Roldan stepped up to slot home the winning penalty after a 0-0 draw on Monday, putting the Sounders a game up in the best-of-three series.
Adalberto Carrasquilla saw red for his part in a fracas midway through the second half at Lumen Field, where Erik Sviatchenko's miss in the shootout proved costly.
The Sounders were ultimately worthy winners, though, given they had 19 shots to Houston's seven, with the visitors failing to get a single attempt on target and mustering just 0.45 expected goals (xG) before penalties were required.
And Seattle held their nerve in the shootout, converting all five of their penalties.
In Monday's other playoff game, Yamil Asad grabbed FC Cincinnati's winner in a 1-0 victory over New York City FC.
Luciano Acosta, the 2023 MLS MVP, delivered a brilliant cross from which Asad headed home in the 51st minute.
Teenage Hadebe, Luca Orellano and Nicholas Gioacchini squandered chances to put Cincinnati 2-0 up, but NYCFC could not make their luck count, and their frustration was compounded when Tayvon Gray was dismissed for a flailing arm into Acosta's face.
Acosta was excellent throughout, creating seven chances in total and having four shots.
He has now recorded 14 goal contributions in his career against NYCFC (six goals, eight assists).
"I knew [Acosta] was going to play the ball to me," Asad said. "It's too easy to play with him. He's our MVP, he played a great game."
The MLS expansion side had suffered back-to-back losses after creating league history by winning their first five games but responded at CityPark.
Jared Stroud fired in a third-minute opener from a set-piece before Eduard Lowen lashed home a volley in the 39th minute.
Kyle Hiebert glanced in Stroud's cross in first-half stoppage-time and St Louis did not relent after the break, with Nicholas Gioacchini adding another from Rasmus Alm's classy touch in the 53rd minute.
It was five in the 57th minute when Alm's rifled strike from outside the box hit the post and deflected in off goalkeeper Roman Celentano.
Sergio Santos grabbed a consolation for Cincy, who were unbeaten coming into this encounter.
Dairon Asprilla netted an early goal of the year contender with an acrobatic bicycle kick to equalise for Portland Timbers before they raced away with a 4-1 win over Seattle Sounders.
Asprilla brilliantly netted in the 71st minute before Portland added a further three goals in the final 20 minutes, meaning Seattle slipped from top spot in the West.
Sean Zawadzki netted a 90th-minute equaliser as Columbus Crew pinched a 1-1 home draw with 10-man New England, who move up to top spot in the Eastern Conference ahead of Cincinnati.
Lorenzo Insigne returned from a groin injury as Toronto drew 2-2 with Atlanta. Toronto have drawn four games in a row.
DC United ended their six-game winless run with a 1-0 victory over last-placed Montreal, while New York Red Bulls' streak without a win extended to four games after a 1-1 draw with Houston Dynamo.
Keaton Parks and Maxime Chanot scored excellent early goals as New York City moved up to fifth in the East with a 2-1 win over Nashville.
Austin drew 0-0 with Vancouver Whitecaps, while Orlando City rallied from behind to get past Minnesota United 2-1.
Bernard Kamungo scored an 88th-minute winner as Dallas moved up to fourth in the West with a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake, while San Jose Earthquakes crushed Sporting KC 3-0 with a Jeremy Ebobisse double.
Struggling Charlotte drew 2-2 with Colorado Rapids and Philadelphia Union's winless run extended to five games with a 2-2 draw at Chicago Fire although they fought back from 2-0 down.
City had made MLS history by winning their first five games but that was ended by the Loons with Amarilla drilling home the spot kick after a needless challenge by Kyle Hiebert.
Hiebert brought down Amarilla just inside the box with a rash tackle when Jakob Nerwinski appeared to have Kervin Arriaga's wayward pass under control.
Substitute Samuel Adeniran came closest to equalising for St Louis, with a 95th-minute shot going over the bar after a great first touch from Klauss' right-wing cut back.
St Louis remain top of the table with 15 points from six games, but unbeaten Minnesota climb up to fourth in the Western Conference.
Cincinnati continued their impressive start to the season with a 1-0 home triumph over Inter Miami who slumped to their fourth straight defeat.
Yerson Mosquera scored the 45th-minute winner for Cincy, who are top of the Eastern Conference.
Giorgos Giakoumakis scored an early winner as Atlanta United moved up to second in the East with a 1-0 home win over New York Red Bulls, who are down in 12th in that conference.
Jordan Morris and Leo Chu scored first-half goals as Seattle Sounders stayed second in the West with a 2-1 victory at LA Galaxy, who are without a win and have only three points from five games.
LAFC remained unbeaten and third in the West despite a 0-0 draw at the winless Colorado Rapids, while SJ Earthquakes climbed to fifth with a 2-1 victory over Houston Dynamo with all three goals coming from penalties.
Vancouver Whitecaps snapped a run of three straight draws with a resounding 5-0 win over 10-man Montreal with Simon Becher scoring a double. Becher is the fastest player (87 minutes) in MLS history to score his first four goals.
Franck Boli rescued a 1-1 draw for Portland Timbers at Dallas, Chicago Fire and DC United drew 0-0 and Nashville triumphed 2-0 at Orlando City.
Federico Bernardeschi netted another spectacular goal with a strike straight from a corner in Toronto's 2-2 home draw with Charlotte.
Sporting KC remained winless after a 0-0 draw at Philadelphia Union, New England drew 1-1 with New York City and Real Salt Lake suffered their fourth straight loss, going down 4-0 to Columbus Crew.
It was a dramatic evening for Martins who inexplicably back-passed the ball into his own net in the 22nd minute with goalkeeper Sean Johnson well off his line.
It went from bad to worse for Martins in the 76th minute when he was sent off for a last-man foul for City, who had lost six of their previous seven games coming into the clash at Citi Field.
Martins' foul was originally deemed a penalty but that was changed to a free-kick following VAR consultation to ease some pain for the Brazilian defender, who became only the second player in MLS history to score an own goal and get sent off in the same game.
In between that, City had equalized via Gabriel Pereira's 41st-minute header from Tayvon Gray's cross from the right flank.
The home side dominated the chances, with 22 shots including eight on target but could not find a winner, not helped by their numerical disadvantage.
City substitute Heber came closest, cannoning a shot into the woodwork with a long-range effort in the 72nd minute.
The draw lifts Cincinnati into the playoffs spot in the Eastern Conference with 39 points from 29 games, while City are fourth with 46 points from 30 games.
Goals from Lewis Morgan and Luquinhas secured the three points for NYRB, with Morgan scoring his seventh for the season, heading in from a corner in only the second minute.
Luquinhas assured the three points in the 56th, spectacularly chipping over Quentin Westberg from outside the penalty area after Tom Barlow was initially denied when put through one-on-one.
With only one win in their previous six games, the three points were critical for Gerhard Struber's side.
The Philadelphia Union could only secure a 1-1 draw at home to Cincinnati, meaning they join New York City on 26 points at the top of the Eastern Conference, but City are still to play on Sunday against the Colorado Rapids.
An Ercan Kara brace helped Orlando City move into fourth position in the East, backing up from Wednesday's draw in New England to beat Houston Dynamo 2-1.
They leapfrogged CF Montreal, who lost 1-0 to a ten-man Austin FC, following Maxi Urruti's goal in the 67th minute.
Elsewhere in the East, Chicago Fire defeated DC United 1-0 in the battle between the conference's bottom-placed teams, while Columbus Crew and Charlotte played out a 1-1 draw.
There were also stalemates at the top of the Western Conference, with Los Angeles FC and the Seattle Sounders managing a 1-1 draw, as well as Los Angeles Galaxy and Portland Timbers.
It allowed Real Salt Lake to move two points from LAFC, following their 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes in Saturday's final game.
Salt Lake captain Marcelo Silva opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after Jefferson Savarino's flick-on from a corner, and Savarino doubled the margin in the 81st with a fine solo effort.
The Vancouver Whitecaps stayed within touching of the West's playoff spots, meanwhile, defeating FC Dallas 2-0.
Last year's Supporters' Shield champions have won their last six matches, equalling the best streak in their league history, which they achieved last campaign.
They trail Eastern Conference leaders Inter Miami by just one point with a game in hand, having turned their season around after a slow start.
Noonan believes time spent on the training ground, particularly with offseason arrivals, has been the major factor.
"I think it's just about the understanding of some of the roles. With new faces, that always takes time," Noonan said.
"We've had 13 or 14 games together now and with games and with time, there's better chemistry, better understanding of relationships."
On Toronto, he added: "It's been a good week for them, and I think in terms of structure and personnel, there's a lot of things that are similar."
Toronto are fifth in the Eastern standings after crushing rivals CF Montreal 5-1 in their last league game.
They followed up that win by beating Saint-Laurent 8-1 in the Canadian Championship on Tuesday, and boss John Herdman is delighted to see their forwards enjoying themselves.
"They're just enjoying their football at the minute, really enjoying it," Herdman said. "I've got to tip my hat to the lads. I just can't wait to see this whole team playing together.
"I think there are more levels here and I can't wait to keep pushing for them in the next three or four weeks."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Toronto FC – Lorenzo Insigne
Federico Bernardeschi scored his first career hat-trick in Toronto's derby win last week, but then picked up a late booking that will cause him to be suspended for this game.
Six of the eight hat-tricks scored by Toronto players in MLS have now been scored by Italians, with Sebastian Giovinco netting five. With Bernardeschi out, Insigne must step up.
FC Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta
Acosta has contributed to at least one goal in a club-record eight straight matches, after recording a goal and two assists in a 3-1 win over St. Louis City last week.
The only longer streak in MLS since the start of last season was a nine-game run by the Columbus Crew's Cucho Hernandez, from April to June 2023.
MATCH PREDICTION – FC CINCINNATI WIN
Toronto ended a four-match losing streak against Cincinnati on February 25 with a scoreless draw on the road.
Cincinnati had won six of the previous seven meetings between the teams, in a run dating back to the start of the 2021 season (one defeat).
The Orange and Blue are favourites for this battle between Eastern Conference contenders, having won 30 of their last 49 regular-season games dating back to October 2022. No team in the post-shootout era has ever won 31 times in a span of 50 matches.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Toronto FC – 22.7%
FC Cincinnati – 56.4%
Draw – 20.9%
Union took an early lead after Lukas MacNaughton's 16th-minute own goal before Denmark international Uhre bagged a double before half-time.
Uhre added a third in the 56th minute to round out his hat-trick, tapping in Julian Carranza's low ball across goal and put the contest to bed.
Toronto pulled one back through Italy international Lorenzo Insigne in the 66th minute, before Richie Laryea's stoppage-time consolation.
New England reinforced their grip on top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 2-1 home win over Sporting KC, who are last overall.
Giacomo Vrioni netted a first-half brace for the Revs, but Sporting pulled one back in the 50th minute from Johnny Russell, only to be reduced to 10 men when Andreu Fontas was sent off 10 minutes later.
The Revs are ahead of second-placed Cincinnati on goal difference, with Cincy winning 2-1 over Portland Timbers after strikes from Sergio Santos and Brandon Vasquez.
New York City moved up to fourth in the East with a 3-1 home win over Dallas sparked by Santiago Rodriguez's double.
Western Conference leaders St Louis City were denied victory after Michael Barrios' 90th-minute equaliser as they drew 1-1 at Colorado Rapids.
St Louis remain top in the West but only on goal difference from Seattle Sounders who condemned Minnesota United to three straight losses with a 1-0 victory.
Denis Bouanga netted his seventh goal of the MLS season as LAFC drew 1-1 at Nashville, while LA Galaxy snapped their winless start to the campaign with a 2-0 home victory over Austin.
Inter Miami's losing run extended to six in a row, compounding the pressure on boss Phil Neville, as they went down 1-0 at Houston Dynamo.
Real Salt Lake beat San Jose Earthquakes 3-1, Charlotte defeated Columbus Crew 1-0, struggling Montreal edged New York Red Bulls 2-0 and Christian Benteke scored as DC United won 3-1 at Orlando City.
Goals in the second half from Carlos Vela and Jose Cifuentes handed LAFC the three points, to put them three points clear of Austin FC, who have a game in hand.
James Igbekeme missed from close range for the Crew in the third minute and with the majority of possession, failed to create anything of substance from that point.
LAFC were able to punish them in transition through Vela in the 62nd minute, darting in behind the defensive line before finishing past Eloy Room.
Cifuentes doubled the margin in the 73rd minute, left with a relatively simple finish after Cristian Arango claimed the ball just outside the penalty area in a comical loss of possession from a Crew goal kick.
The win moves LAFC to 26 points from 13 games but elsewhere in the Western Conference, Nashville SC were unable to move to fourth, twice letting the lead slip in a 2-2 draw with Atlanta United.
In the Eastern Conference, DC United and Toronto FC also played out a 2-2 draw, while Tommy McNamara's spectacular finish in the 89th minute handed the New England Revolution a 3-2 win over Cincinnati.
Cincinnati announced Stam as their new coach on Thursday, with their Twitter post accompanied by a composite image that included a man who resembled the Dutchman.
But the pictured man, who was also bald and dressed in a shirt, tie and large coat, turned out to be Ajax youth coach Tinus van Teunenbroek.
The mishap quickly went viral and left Cincinnati's media team red-faced, particularly after official accounts of fellow MLS clubs chimed in on the replies of the corrected follow-up tweet.
Each one posted a welcome message and an accompanying image of a different bald man – examples ranged from Jason Statham to Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers films.
Unsurprisingly Stam was asked about the mishap during his presentation news conference on Friday, but the former Manchester United and Milan centre-back, who cut an intimidating figure on the pitch, took it in good humour.
"Everything was going well and I know you're aiming a little bit at this picture that came out," Stam said when asked how it felt to 'go viral'.
"Yesterday [Thursday] was a busy day, a hard day, a lot of talking and a lot of meetings, so eventually we used a doppelganger to do the picture."
Stam was then asked what he thought about the MLS clubs' replies. He said: "I've seen it – somebody sent it to me and I can appreciate that as well.
"At a certain time we need to have a bit of a laugh. If we play against each other and we come out on top with a win, then we can have a laugh – that's what we're trying to do."
The Dutch journalist who asked the questions explained to Cincinnati's press officer that he was addressing the "elephant in the room", but further questions on the matter seemed to be discretely discouraged when she responded: "Well, no, we have Jaap in the room today, so we're good there."
Stam is returning to management for the first time since resigning as Feyenoord boss in October, as he quit following a 4-0 defeat by Ajax less than five months after succeeding Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Cincinnati are in their second MLS season and lost the first two matches of the 2020 Eastern Conference campaign prior to the coronavirus-enforced pause.
The bizarre incident occurred in stoppage time with the Red Bulls trailing 2-0 after Yearwood conceded a foul near the sideline, with the Englishman kicking away the ball in frustration.
Yearwood's errant kick cannoned into two young fans in the front few rows at Red Bull Arena, with a boy seen crying afterwards while a young woman seemed dazed. Yearwood immediately realised his error and attempted to apologise to the fans, by climbing into the stands but that effort was not accepted by those close to the shaken-up supporters.
The Red Bulls crowd could be overheard chanting against Yearwood before referee Timothy Ford gave him his marching orders.
The incident capped a poor night for the home side, with goals from Mikael Uhre and Daniel Gazdag clinching the win for Union, who sit top of the Eastern Conference.
Gazdag's goal, which came after Julian Carranza dispossessed Aaron Long, was his 18th of the campaign.
Dallas scored three goals in three minutes as Dallas firmed up their grip on a playoffs spot with a 3-0 road win over Minnesota United.
Michael Boxall netted a 55th-minute own goal before Alan Velasco curled in a right-foot strike less than a minute later.
Two minutes later, Velasco cannoned an effort into the crossbar with Jesus Ferreira glancing home their third after Sebastian Lletget collected the rebound and whipped in a cross.
Franco Fragapane was sent off for Minnesota, who also lost Emanuel Reynoso to a worrying ankle concern.
Cincinnati extended their unbeaten run to seven games and moved into the playoffs spots in the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 home win over Charlotte after goals from Nick Hagglund and Luciano Acosta.
Hany Mukhtar scored a double as Nashville claimed their fourth straight win and moved up to fourth in the west with an impressive 4-0 victory over Austin.
Columbus Crew missed a golden opportunity for three points with a 0-0 draw against struggling Chicago Fire.
