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New York City vs. Cincinnati: Rate the players

A quick turnaround after Saturday's Hudson River Derby meant New York City FC was back at Red Bull Arena for a midweek meeting with FC Cincinnati, a game NYCFC won with goals from Mitja Ilenič, Alonso Martínez and one Santiago Rodríguez's converted penalty won 3-2.

Not much could be seen after the 5-1 win over the Red Bulls, as a slightly different lineup scored a 16th-minute goal from Ilenič, his first NYCFC goal, to set the tone for the evening. The second half was full of goals, with each team scoring two goals, but NYCFC secured an important three points and stayed in fifth place in the MLS Eastern Conference with two games left.

This was New York City's first win over Cincinnati since 2021 and represented something of a statement against a team that NYCFC could face again in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

• Right-back has suddenly become a goalscoring position, with Ilenič scoring his first goal days after Tayvon Gray's first goal in the derby.
• Alonso Martínez's goal was another clinical finish – it's him El ClinicoAfter all – and he has now scored 15 goals this season.
• Nervous finish to this game as Cincinnati scored a second goal midway through 13 minutes of second-half stoppage time but never equalized.

The evaluation form will remain open until Thursday, October 3rd at 11:59 p.m. The results will be published on Friday morning, October 4th.



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