New York City FC picked up a major win over FC Cincinnati on Wednesday and head coach Nick Cushing knows that his team needs to be clinical to continue their fortunes heading into the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. The team has shown real quality football through stretches of the season but also has had long stretches where they lapse and it nearly cost them the game against their opponents in midweek.
“You know the game is always going to ebb and flow,” said Cushing about his team’s inconsistencies. “You have to be clinical in your moment which I thought we were tonight and you have to defend strong. We’ll look at the two goals. We’re disappointed to concede two at home but it is what it is.”
While there may be some concern over the team’s lapses, one thing that cannot be understated is the tough competition that City has had to endure over the last two weeks. First it was midweek against Philadelphia where they were destroyed 5-1, then it was a dramatic 1-1 draw against Miami only to be followed by a resounded win in the Hudson River Derby. This game against Cincinnati showed the team’s grit, a characteristic that they’ll need heading into the playoffs.
Cushing and company may undersell the playoffs but the fact that the team is in the position they are in is quite remarkable. Last season City were unable to push through a late season surge and make the playoffs, a fact that Cushing constantly reminds the media of as it is viewed as a major failure on his part. One thing he hasn’t done, is take the credit for the rebuild which has seen the club find their most effective striker since Valentin Castellanos and displaying some of the bright young talent that in years past was buried by the necessity to play veteran signings.
“The one thing I know is, this group is the mosts honest and hardworking group you’ll ever see in MLS,” said Cushing in praise of his team. “We’ll figure out how to fix it very, very quickly.”
Next up for City is a Sunday home game against Nashville SC. While the opponents are already on the outside of the playoff picture, they have relished the chances at ruining the progress of others. City will need to remain focused in order to keep pace with Orlando City and New York Red Bulls in their hunt for home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
photo by Jordan Bank