And just like that, New York City FC went from being in control of a well-worked game they were well on their way to winning, to being so comprehensively outplayed by FC Cincinnati that they are lucky to escape with a 4-2 scoreline.
Even the most devout New York City fan will tell you that Cincinnati fully deserved the win in this final Leagues Cup group stage match. Not only did they score those four rapid-fire goals in the final 11 minutes of regulation time, every one of them was quality. Rather than look at what went wrong for New York City – the giveaways, the defensive lapses, the lack of focus – let's examine what went right for a Cincinnati that were down 0-2 and found a way not only to win, but to hand NYCFC their biggest loss of the season.
It started with the substitutions made by Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan. After Thursday's labored 1-0 win over Querétaro FC, he started a heavily rotated side that came out strong but then faded quickly and didn't offer much of a fight as the game wore on. That changed when he made substitutions at the half. First, he brought on two defenders, shoring up the back line. Then, he added midfielders Pavel Bucha and Yuya Kubo in the 63rd minute to bring some bite to the attack. Finally, he brought on defender Yamil Assad and forward Sergio Santos.
It's no accident that all of Cincy's goals came from four of those subs, who attacked the game like it was winnable. And all of Cincy's goals were well-earned. There wasn't a cheap one in the bunch.
But the team's ruthlessness wasn't on full display until their fourth goal, when Santos scored in the 89th minute. Cincinnati were already up 3-2, and could have bunkered down to close out a win and lock in first place in East 1. That's what most teams would do. Instead, they tried this:
SERGIO WITH THE CHERRY ON TOP 🍒 pic.twitter.com/ij4TLTfElS
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) August 6, 2024
First, there was the clever pass from 19-year-old striker Geraldo Valenzuela, who let the ball gently bounce off the back of his neck and over New York City center-back Birk Risa into open space. Then, there was the hard run by Santos into the box: He wasn't going to let a defender catch up or shoulder him off the ball.
Finally, there was the shot, which was cool and composed. Santos sized up goalkeeper Luis Barraza, picked his spot, and calmly knocked the ball into the net.
There were none of the theatrical misfires you sometimes see in the New York City attack: The stumbling runs, the shots that go wide, the balls that are easily saved. Sometimes, it's as if NYCFC's forwards are playing in a reality that looks just like ours but is slightly distorted. They run on grass that is wetter, shoot at goals that are smaller, face goalkeepers that are bigger and faster. The end of the field they play on is more difficult than the other end.
There was no such drama with Santos. Instead, he made scoring look simple. He was gifted a chance by Valenzuela, and he took it.
Lesson learned.
