FC Cincinnati scored on both sides of halftime to reserve a spot for the Round of 16 in the MLS is Back Tournament, using a 2-0 victory to knock the New York Red Bulls out of the Group E contest.
Absorbing pressure with a five-man backline, Cincy won his second consecutive game behind game winner Yuya Kubo in the 43rd minute. He held on to a poor clearance by RBNY center Amro Tarek, and then drove home from 20 yards to the 1-0 lead.
Cincy doubled her lead in the 56th minute through Haris Medunjanin’s corner kick. The veteran midfielder curved into the service with the left that RBNY midfielder Florian Valot turned on and goalkeeper David Jensen stepped into his own net for the 2-0 backhand.
The Red Bulls now have a minus-3 goal differential, leaving Chris Armas’ team in tiebreaker. A goal would have kept them alive, but Omir Fernández missed a header on target in the 34th minute and the offense faltered with natural forwards Tom Barlow and Brian White who did not enter until the 80th minute.
Goals
- 43 ‘- CIN – Yuya Kubo | CLOCK
- 56 ‘- CIN – Florian Valot (OG) | CLOCK
The Man of the Party presented by Heineken
Yuya Kubo’s goal was somewhat against the run, but the designated player won’t mind at all. He took advantage of what the Red Bulls gave him, and now the Japanese striker has two goals for the year. Kubo seemed particularly strong on the ball, and held his ground with Jurgen Locadia still injured.
Three things
- THE PANORAMA: Cincy is not playing attacking and free football at the moment, but they do have consecutive wins under new manager Jaap Stam. They have doubled in defensive solidarity and team buy-in, reserving a place in the Round of 16. As for the Red Bulls, they lacked attacking spark after failing to score in their last two Group E games. the Big Apple are leaving.
- MATCH TIME: Yuya Kubo’s first match was impressive, but Florian Valot’s goal was deflated. It also sealed the Red Bulls’ game and gave Cincy a cushion that they would never give up.
- YOU MAY HAVE LOST: The Red Bulls attempted 51 crossings in goal, but were unable to pass any of that service to Cincy goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton. They also had a 67% -33% possession advantage and a 19-4 shot lead, but those stats mattered little when the final whistle blew.
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