New York City vs. Cincinnati player ratings

The most important New York City FC win of the season yielded a glowing set of player ratings. Four players were rated above 8.0 and head coach Nick Cushing got one of his best grades this season after guiding his team to a win to force a do-or-die Game 3 against FC Cincinnati.

The 3-1 triumph at Citi Field in Game 2 of the best-of-three Round One series of the MLS Cup Playoffs represented a return to form for a New York City attack made largely irrelevant in Game 1, yet it was the team's two central defenders and goalkeeper who earned your highest ratings.

That's not too surprising, given Thiago Martins (8.5) scored his first-ever goal for New York City, a goal that turned out to be the match-winner. Justin Haak (8.3) also put in what might have been a best-of-his-career performance while playing at center-back, and Matt Freese (8.9) made some crucial saves to preserve the NYCFC victory – the defensive spine of the New York City team delivered in Game 2.

Those three aforementioned players led the ratings pack, but the entire Starting XI averaged a solid 7.6 rating, a major improvement from Game 1 when a slightly different XI averaged a collective 5.3 for the 1-0 loss at TQL Stadium.

Read on for the full ratings, a spotlight on a standout part of that revitalized NYCFC attack, and more on your Player of the Match, Thiago Martins, who earned that honor from you the raters for the first time this season.

Note: FotMob ratings are in parentheses.