FC Cincinnati prevailed 3-0 over New York Red Bulls in game one of a best-of-three series in MLS Cup playoffs, and head coach Pat Noonan hailed his teams effort in what he deemed a "physical game".
Alvaro Barreal kicked things off with a close-range strike from a tight angle, continuing to prove his case as one of the best full-backs in MLS in 2023.
MVP candidate Lucho Acosta added a second for Cincinnati in the 35th minute with wonder strike that got the fans at TQL Stadium on their feet. Dominique Badji looked certain to add the goal for the Orange and Blue, but Red Bulls goalkeeper Carlos Miguel raced off his line to half-way clear it away from danger.
The ball fell to the feet of Acosta, who chipped the ball in from roughly 35 yards out to put the home team 2-0 up. That wasn't Acosta's final say on the game, either. Just as normal time was coming to a close, Cincinnati scored one of the best team goals of all of 2023 - regular season and what little we've seen in the postseason combined.
Acosta pounced on a loose ball outside of New York's penalty area and looked up to see Barreal making a clever run in behind Red Bulls' backline. The 28-year-old sent Barreal through on goal with a perfectly-weighted lofted through ball, and Barreal flicked it up while in stride before sending it past Miguel to secure the win for Cincinnati.
"A good start to the postseason and a very physical game," Noonan said after the match. "A lot of duels and just a game where guys just needed to roll up their sleeves and battle. Very pleased with the overall performance from the guys and starting off with a strong win."
Although Red Bulls had more shots and weren't totally blown away on xG 0.95 - 0.59, Cincinnati did what they've been doing all of 2023: hitting teams in transition and being among the most clinical teams in the league.
"Over the past month, we haven't been our strongest," said Noonan. "Maybe it was what was at stake and the start of the playoffs, but they stepped up and knew the challenges that were in front of them, and I thought they managed the game in a pretty strong way.
"I think recognizing the importance of getting the first goal at home, playing with the lead, that matters, and we didn't talk about what their record was conceding. I think if you just look at the history in terms of scoring first or conceding first, what those numbers look like to go and win a game, but the focus was more on us getting the goal and how strong we are when we have a lead."
Cincinnati will aim to close out the series in game two on November 4 at Red Bull Arena, while New York will hope to keep their postseason dreams alive with a win.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Pat Noonan praises FC Cincinnati in 'physical game' against New York Red Bulls.