Nick Cushing acknowledged the importance of New York City FC’s supporters at Citi Field for Game 2 of their best-of-three series MLS playoff clash with FC Cincinnati.
Yamil Asad’s only goal handed the Orange and Blue a slender advantage heading into their upcoming encounter, though the Pigeons head coach was confident about his sides chances on home soil.
NYCFC won 10 games at Citi Field during the regular season, with only Inter Miami (11) winning more in the Eastern Conference.
And Cushing believes that his players must start the game well to ensure their home fans generate an “incredible” atmosphere to push them over the line.
“We love playing at home in front of our people,” Cushing said. “I said post-game - irrelevant of what happened in Cincinnati - we're now playing in front of our people, and that is where we play our best football, but we need everybody behind us.
“The players are incredibly hungry. They have a huge desire to win this football game and to make sure that we win the game with our people. They've been amazing all season. I can always go back to the Miami game [this season]. That was incredible.
“It was actually interesting because the Miami game at Yankee Stadium was an amazing game in front of our fans. Our fans delivered so much for us, but the last playoff game I did at Citi Field was also against Miami.
“That was an incredible atmosphere and a good performance from the team. We know that if we play well and we start well we get our people behind us, and that is our aim.”
Pat Noonan, meanwhile, expects another difficult “chaotic” playoff encounter, evident when NYCFC’s goalkeeper Matt Freese was sent up from the back late on to try and steal a point in the opening game.
Cincinnati boasts an impressive record away from home, though, and Noonan said the ending of their previous match was a timely reminder to his players about the aggressive nature of the postseason.
“On Monday, we experienced what it looks like when there is no aggregate, and that’s teams going for it with no repercussions if they concede another goal,” Noonan said.
“We have a one goal lead, and they were going after it. You could see it when the goalkeeper came up at the end. It’s a little bit chaotic, so you must be prepared for it.
“That was a good reminder of what the game can look like when you’re playing with a lead and, on the other side of it, the ability to go after it in a very aggressive way to find the leveller – that was the reminder we needed from that particular game.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
NYCFC – Alonzo Martinez
Since his move to NYCFC in August 2023, Martinez has found home comfort at Citi Field, netting 11 of his 16 goals in the 2024 regular season on home soil.
Along with team-mate Santiago Rodriguez, who scored in 10 of his 12 games at home, the Pigeons, along with Inter Miami (Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez), were the only two teams to feature two different players with 10 home goals this term.
Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta
Acosta continued his fine regular season form into the postseason, setting up Asad for the only goal in Cincinnati’s 1-0 win in Game 1 on Monday.
The Argentine has now scored (three) or assisted (three) in six of Cincinnati’s 10 all-time playoff goals.
MATCH PREDICTION: NYCFC WIN
The Pigeons have won five of their seven home matches against Cincinnati (D1 L1), though both of Cincinnati’s games away from home against NYCFC have come in their three visits since 2022.
NYCFC have lost only four of their last 25 home matches in all competitions dating back to late August 2023 (W15 D6). They have won their last two home matches, scoring three goals in each, including a 3-2 win over Cincinnati in October.
However, Cincinnati, along with Inter Miami, won 11 away matches in the 2024 regular season, equalling CF Montreal’s single-season MLS record set in 2022. They only managed two wins in their last six on the road (D1 L3) though, after winning nine of their first 11 away matches in 2024 (D1 L1).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
NYCFC – 43.7%
Draw – 26.8%
Cincinnati – 29.5%
Bayern Munich 4-2 Heidenheim: Musiala stars as leaders pull further ahead
Jamal Musiala came off the bench to score twice as Bundesliga leaders defeated visitors Heidenheim 4-2 to maintain their unbeaten start.
Vincent Kompany's side, who suffered a 1-0 cup defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, were without the injured Harry Kane, Manuel Neuer and Serge Gnabry for the home contest.
And the Bavarians got off to a good start when an unmarked Dayot Upamecano headed in the opener in the 19th minute.
But Upamecano's defensive error five minutes into the second half allowed Mathias Honsak to latch on to his poor back pass and fire past Daniel Peretz to make it 1-1.
However, Musiala, introduced straight after that goal, took just five minutes to make an impact as the 21-year-old's low drive from the edge of the box restored Bayern's lead.
Another Bayern substitute, Leon Goretzka, then added a third with a deflected shot in the 84th minute before Heidenheim pulled a goal back through a Niclas Doresch tap-in.
Musiala then settled the nerves for the hosts as he ran onto a through ball from his own half before scoring in the stoppage time to make it 4-2 with his eighth league goal of the season.
The result sees Bayern extend their lead at the top to six points over second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, while Heidenheim remain in 16th place.
Data Debrief: Bayern can't stop scoring
Bayern Munich have now scored in each of their last 20 games in the Bundesliga, scoring an incredible 57 goals during that run.
They are also the only side to have scored in each of the 13 games in the German top-flight this season.
Kompany's side, who are unbeaten after 13 games in the Bundesliga, have now matched their last joint longest unbeaten streak, which ran from May 2023 to November 2023.
Heidenheim, meanwhile, have lost five games on the trot now - their longest losing streak in the league since at least the 2004/2005 season.
Reggae Boyz and West Ham's striker Michail Antonio involved in motor vehicle accident
Jamaica's Reggae Boy and West Ham United striker, Michail Antonio, was involved in a road traffic accident on Saturday, the Premier League club confirmed in a statement.
“The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the club are with Michail, his family, and friends at this time," West Ham said in a brief message shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Details regarding the severity of the incident remain unclear, with the club promising to provide further updates in due course.
"West Ham United can confirm striker Michail Antonio has today been involved in a road traffic accident. The club will issue an update in due course," the statement read.
The news has sparked concern among fans and the footballing community, with many offering their own messages of support for the player, who has been a key figure for both club and country.
As more information becomes available, supporters of the 34-year-old forward, known for his contributions on and off the field, will be hoping for a positive outcome.
Gimenez a doubt for Sevilla clash, says Atletico boss Simeone
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has revealed Jose Maria Gimenez could be a doubt for his side's LaLiga meeting with Sevilla on Sunday.
The 29-year-old suffered an ankle injury in training on Friday and Simeone said he will take a late call on the defender's involvement in the home contest.
Gimenez has been a bedrock in defence as Atletico go into the game on the back of four consecutive victories in the Spanish top flight. They have also won eight in a row across all competitions.
"We'll see," Simeone said when asked about an update on Gimenez.
"When he wakes up [on Sunday], he'll say he's ready to play because we know him. From there, we'll assess."
Gimenez has appeared in all but two of their 15 LaLiga matches this season, with Simeone's side third with 32 points.
Atletico defeated Cacereno 3-1 in the second round of Copa del Rey on Thursday and they have now scored 14 goals and conceded just once in their last three matches.
"There are always different moments in the season and now we are trying to take care of the run we have," Simeone said ahead of the Sevilla clash.
Ahead of the meeting in Madrid, Simeone was also full of praise for Rodrigo De Paul, who has one goal and three assists in the league.
"He has absolutely everything, and he has shown it in recent games," the Atletico boss said.
"He competes in all the arenas, whether it is the Champions League or the cup, as he should and as the people of Atleti want.
"He knows what the fans expect from him, and hopefully he can maintain this level because he has what it takes. We are going to demand the maximum from him because he occupies a position that requires a lot of demands."
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