The first half of action Saturday night in Queens, New York, was as awkward and strange as the field the match took place on. A Frankenstein creation of mashing America's oldest pastime with the World’s Game on to one field. The Right Field Foul pole donning a Tifo, and the Pitcher’s Mound more often toed by Sean Manea than Lucho Acosta was just steps out of bounds in prime throw-in territory.
It was the locale for Game 2 of the MLS Cup Playoffs for FC Cincinnati and New York City Football Club. Regardless of its original intention and the challenges that it needed to adapt to because of its dimensions, it needed to be accounted for.
Unfortunately, it seems the adaptation took just a little too long for FCC.
NYCFC scored in the 22nd minute off a tightly knit sample of passing -- that a season's worth of playing on a narrow field had to have played a role in developing – then again on an unfortunate screened free kick that couldn't be cleared high and far enough for NYCFC to then rush to and head in.
"First half was, you know, below standard," Pat Noonan said in an honest evaluation of the night. "Certainly a little bit chaotic. We were playing a little too directly and not, I think, comfortable enough on the ball to be moving it a little bit side to side, and they were winning all the duels in the air and in the channels."
"The second goal is unfortunate. That makes it a tough mountain to climb in the second half. But I was really pleased with the response, I thought the guys came out and played well and created some good chances, put some good pressure on them."
FC Cincinnati grew into the game. They came out in the second half and put a scare into NYCFC, but couldn't punch through right away. But when Pat Noonan made the first move of the night (bringing on Sergio Santos for Yamil Asad), the chance creation doors flooded open. Eventually, Luca Orellano delivered a strikeback of FCC's own.
The next 30ish minutes were undeniably the Orange and Blues'. Yuya Kubo had cracks on target, Acosta created magic through the midfield, and Teenage Hadebe and Alvas Powell both had shots on target that required impressive saves to deny. However, a final push could not be found, and FCC dropped Game 2 of the series.
The two halves painted particularly different pictures of the game. Sure, the game state had NYCFC feeling more comfortable with playing defensively, but even after FCC had brought the game to within one, the pressure to equalize continued. The old adage of 'it was a tale of two halves,' may apply, but the outcome didn't come to a balanced account.
"It wasn't for a lack of opportunities or competing in the right way," Noonan continued. "I thought that part, the guys really improved within the second half. So tough loss, we turn it around and go again."
The three-game series nature of Round One in the MLS Cup Playoffs means that FCC can do just that, move on and go again. In the final few minutes of the match, Chidozie Awaziem got a little too physical trying to snuff out a run in the box and committed a penalty kick, earning a foul. NYCFC stepped to the spot and made the game 3-1, effectively killing the game. But a 3-1 loss is all the same as a 2-1 loss. There is no aggregate scoring, just a result.
So, FCC now returns to Cincinnati, and they return to TQL Stadium. A winner-take-all Game 3 was not what they wanted—ideally, they would have won Game 2 and made the point moot—but it's been what's presented, and the confidence earned over the last few weeks remains intact.
"We didn't want to take it to this point, but we're excited that it's back home and that we're going to be in front of our fans and playing on our field," DeAndre Yedlin said. "Guys are ready to go for next weekend already. That's just the mentality of this group."
FCC has been with a consistent starting lineup for three weeks now, and perhaps to correlating effect, they have seen improved results. The first half perhaps put a damper on that trend, but the second half brought back the evidence of improvement, leaving FCC still feeling and looking good entering the third game of the series.
Similarly, it wouldn't be in the nature of the FC Cincinnati players and coaches to place blame on a playing surface. Still, the dimensions of the pitch clearly played a part in the match. Now returning to TQL Stadium, the sample size of outcomes of late suggests the FCC defense is still poised to dominate when playing on their home grounds.
"Home for us is important. We know we're very strong there. In front of and with our fans, it's about going in a better way into game three," Sergio Santos said. "The field is good, our families are there, and our fans are with us at home, and they control the game. We will have a good training, work hard this week and sharpen up from the mistakes we made tonight."
"We're confident. It wasn't the result we were looking for. But there's no reason for guys to be discouraged or think that we don't have enough," Pat Noonan explained. "There was plenty there to take away, to know we can get better, to have a better result. But we also saw what it looked like in Game 1. So of course, there's enough with this group."
Luciano Acosta said earlier this week that he bases all things in football on confidence. That confidence is contagious and can be the edge in a matchup for both individuals and teams. NYCFC likely earned themselves some confidence in this victory. However, FCC seems to have not lost any confidence on their own. Perhaps instead of returning to Ohio and reeling and looking for answers after this defeat, they fly home with a clearer sense of what it takes to accomplish their goals.
"We know we let it slip tonight and I think in a sense we're even more ready for next week," Yedlin added postgame.
"I could see it in the locker room, the guys are going to move on from this pretty quickly. For a team that just lost a game, I think they recognize the good and the bad of the game to know they should feel confident going into Game 3," Pat Noonan added. "So at the moment, I don't think I need to say too much. I think they understand and we'll just have good conversations about this game and what we think needs to improve when we go back home."
From here on out, FC Cincinnati is walking the line without a net. Every match FCC plays or will play is a win-or-go-home all the way to the MLS Cup Finals. It is now time to either rise to the occasion or prepare for a long holiday.
And the evidence points to rising.
