Nick Cushing is relishing the “underdog” title put on his New York City FC side as they prepare for their first-round playoff tie against FC Cincinnati.
The Pigeons finished the regular season with a 2-0 defeat to CF Montreal but had already confirmed their spot in the postseason with an impressive victory over rivals, New York Red Bulls.
Cushing acknowledged his side could have finished further up the Eastern Conference rankings, but said his team have shown positive signs they can compete in the playoffs.
“Whether we are the underdog or not, we always fancy ourselves,” Cushing said. “I have huge belief in every guy in that dressing room, and they have huge belief in each other.
“We’ve had some disappointing results and that’s why we sit where we do in the league. The most consistent teams are at the top, but we have also shown a positive reaction to those difficult results.
“For us, it’s about taking the positives. We have always done that. We have always faced up to the areas we need to improve and have always fronted the disappointment.
“We’ve had some top games against Cincinnati, and we’re confident we can put performances in, and we’re motivated for the end.”
Cincinnati, meanwhile, ended the season third in the division, finishing their campaign on a high with a triumph over the Philadelphia Union away from home.
The Orange and Blue have struggled for continuity within their squad in the regular season, with coach Pat Noonan forced to play 42 different line-ups in all 42 matches across all competitions.
Noonan deployed winger Luca Orellano, who has been shortlisted for MLS Newcomer of the Year, as a striker, with the Argentine impressing in that role.
And the Cincinnati boss believes that Orellano can make an impact in a more central role, but said improvements were needed for the visit of NYCFC.
“Yeah, there was a bit of risk in that," Noonan said of starting a player in a new position in such an important matchup.
"If you're looking at our goal threats, as far as personnel and who's contributed pretty consistently, it's been the three that were up top today, with Lucho, Yuya and Luca.
"There were still a few moments where I think he could have been more patient. But, for having not played in that specific role up to this point, I thought he did a good job."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
FC Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta
Acosta has been the standout player for Cincinnati during the regular season, with his 30 goal contributions in the MLS the highest in the division (level with Lionel Messi and Evander).
He has recorded 13 goal contributions in his career against NYCFC (six goals, seven assists), including contributing to eight goals in his last five MLS matches against the Pigeons (four goals, four assists), contributing to at least one goal in each of those games.
NYCFC – Alonso Martinez
Martinez has scored eight goals in nine appearances since the MLS returned from the Leagues Cup break in August, tied with Messi and Luis Suarez for the most goals in the league in that time.
The Costa Rican has scored one goal against Cincinnati in his three appearances against them, but has only won one match against the Orange and Blue (L2).
MATCH PREDICTION: FC CINCINNATI WIN
This will be the first postseason meeting between Cincinnati and NYCFC. The Pigeons defeated Cincinnati in the last meeting between the two sides, after the Orange and Blue had won the previous five fixtures in all competitions.
Despite being favoured by Opta’s data-led simulations, Noonan’s side won only one of their final six regular-season home matches (D1 L4), including losing the last two in a row at TQL Stadium. Cincinnati had lost six of their previous 39 home league games before losing four of the last six.
But NYCFC have struggled away from home. They won only one of their final 13 away matches in all competitions (D6 L6) dating back to June. That run included a 4-2 loss against Cincinnati in the group stage of the Leagues Cup in August.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
FC Cincinnati – 46.9%
Draw – 26.4%
NYCFC – 26.7%
2024 Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Six-A-Side Football Competition kicks off with community unity and exciting matches
The 2024 Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Six-A-Side “Peace Through Sports” Football Competition kicked off on Sunday, uniting Waterhouse and neighboring communities at the Red Stripe headquarters on Spanish Town Road. Organized by the Pocket Rocket Foundation, the event aims to foster peace through sport, creating a space for community building and camaraderie.
The opening ceremony featured a vibrant dress parade, with Basement taking the top spot for best-dressed team, followed by Friends For Real in second place and Boom Riddim in third. This year also marked the first time Corporate Jamaica was invited to field teams, highlighting the tournament's growing influence as a platform for positive community engagement.
The day’s matches saw Ball Spot claim a 3-1 victory over Basic, while Legacy edged past Boom Riddim in a tight 3-2 match. The fixture between Fesgas and Youths United ended in a scoreless draw, showcasing strong defense. In another close game, Friends For Real earned a 1-0 win against Basement.
Ashoka delivered an impressive performance, defeating Dream Team 4-1, while Real City closed out the day with a narrow 1-0 victory over tournament hosts Red Stripe.
The competition, part of Fraser-Pryce’s ongoing commitment to community development, reinforces the power of sports as a unifying force and a way to promote peace among communities.
LAFC edge out Vancouver as Orlando take the advantage against Charlotte
Denis Bouanga and Cristian Olivera were on target as Los Angeles FC edged out the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 on Sunday.
LAFC, the 2022 MLS Cup champions, will book their place in the next round should they win north of the border next week.
Ryan Gauld netted in the 94th minute for the Whitecaps, but it was too little, too late for the Canadian side, who hammered the Portland Timbers in the wildcard round.
LAFC have now won seven straight playoff games against Western Conference opponents, while Bouanga has netted eight goals in nine postseason appearances.
Hugo Lloris, however, says LAFC must sharpen up.
"The performance is not [good] enough, but we got the result so that's the most important thing," Lloris said.
"We need to increase [our levels] if we want to have ambition. A win is a win, so that's positive, but there were things we need to fix if we are to improve."
Elsewhere, Orlando City also made a winning start to their playoff campaign as they beat Charlotte FC 2-0.
Facundo Torres put Orlando ahead in the 32nd minute at Inter&Co Stadium, with Martin Ojeda doubling the hosts' tally 14 minutes from time.
A frustrating day for Dean Smith's Charlotte team was compounded when Pep Biel was sent off late on, though they will at least have home advantage when they look to turn the best-of-three series around next time out.
Simeone shoulders responsibility for Atletico defeat
Diego Simeone took full responsibility for Atletico Madrid's disappointing performance after their unbeaten LaLiga run ended with a 1-0 loss at Real Betis on Sunday.
Atleti failed to recover from Jose Maria Gimenez's fourth-minute own goal and wasted the few chances they created in a game riddled with errors that the coach blamed on himself.
Hosts Betis had 24 shots to Atleti's 10, albeit both teams only got three attempts on target.
Simeone, though, accepted Atleti were not up to standard, as his team lost their 24th game in all competitions in 2024, which is their joint-worst total in a calendar year under the Argentine's tutelage.
"I didn't prepare this match well. I am responsible for the plan not working," said Simeone, whose side lost 3-1 to Lille in the Champions League in midweek.
"Starting with myself first, we have work to do and things to improve. I didn't imagine anything different. The new players need to keep adapting, and I need to get more out of their strengths.
"Betis are a competitive team who have improved as they showed today, they outplayed us. We clearly couldn't play our game.
"This happened to us against Lille last week, we fell behind in the game and that didn't allow us to level this game.
"Ultimately, as a coach, I have to resolve these situations first and have a clear idea (of tactics) so that the players can perform in the way I like."
Atleti's first defeat of the season leaves them fourth in the Spanish top flight on 20 points, two clear of Betis and ten behind leaders Barcelona.
They face UE Vic in the Copa del Rey on Thursday before hosting Las Palmas in LaLiga three days later.
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