New York City FC had to win at Citi Field to keep their season alive and they did just that, holding on to beat FC Cincinnati 3-1 at Citi Field.
This was a much improved attacking performance from New York City, with two first-half goals helping wash away some of the stink of that playoff-opening 1-0 defeat at TQL Stadium in Game 1 of this series.
Alonso Martínez got his 18th goal of the year in all competitions, club captain Thiago Martins scored his first-ever NYCFC goal, and Santiago Rodríguez converted a late win-sealing penalty kick. It was just enough to send these two teams back to Ohio for a decider next Saturday night.
• Some performance from Justin Haak, who these days looks less like a central midfielder filling in as a center-back, and more like a proper center-back who has always played the position.
•It got nervy late for NYCFC, as Cincinnati had all the momentum and much of the ball chasing for a late equalizer that would have sent the match to penalties.
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