FC Cincinnati (No. 3) travel to New York City FC (No. 6) on Saturday, looking to complete the sweep in their Round One Best-of-3 Series.
How to watch & stream
When
- Saturday, Nov. 2 | 5 pm ET/2 pm PT
Where
- Citi Field | Flushing, New York
Following a 1-0 win in Game 1, FC Cincinnati are just one win away from facing either Columbus Crew (No. 2) or New York Red Bulls (No. 7) in an Eastern Conference Semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24. Should NYCFC force a Game 3, the series decider will be played on Nov. 9 at TQL Stadium.
If a Round One match is tied after regulation time (90 minutes), no extra time will be played. There will immediately be a penalty kick shootout to determine the winner.
- Seed: Eastern Conference No. 6
- Regular season: 50 points (14W-12L-8D)
New York City will need to rebound following a Game 1 loss in which they were thoroughly outplayed by Cincy, despite the 1-0 scoreline.
However, hope is not lost for NYCFC. The Cityzens owned the second-best home record in the Eastern Conference in the regular season and will look to lean on a boisterous crowd to boost them to victory and force a pivotal Game 3.
NYCFC need star forward Alonso MartÃnez (16g/3a) and midfielder Santi RodrÃguez (12g/10a) to cause a hampered Cincinnati backline problems, while MLS All-Star defender Thiago Martins and goalkeeper Matt Freese will look to keep Cincy's attack at bay.
Crucially, defender Tayvon Gray will miss Game 2, following his late red card on Monday night.
- Seed: Eastern Conference No. 3
- Regular season: 59 points (18W-11L-5D)
FC Cincinnati cruised to a playoff-opening victory on Monday night, dominating play and outshooting New York City 22-6 en route to a 1-0 win.
After a shaky end to the season, the victory instilled confidence in the squad and moved Cincy to within one game of a place in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and a potential date with Hell is Real rivals Columbus Crew, should they defeat the New York Red Bulls.
Yamil Asad scored the lone goal in Game 1 and was named Player of the Match. He, along with stars Luciano Acosta (14g/19a) and Luca Orellano (10g/7a), will look to slam the door on NYCFC, while a backline spearheaded by USMNT center back Miles Robinson will attempt to shut down New York City's attack.
