Cincinnati hopes to turn better form into better result at NYCFC

New York City FC will attempt to snap a four-match winless skid in league play on Wednesday night when they welcome FC Cincinnati to Yankee Stadium.

While NYCFC (3-3-2, 11 points) continued their downward spiral in terms of results with a 2-1 setback to Charlotte FC last Saturday, head coach Pascal Jansen remained positive two days later while speaking to reporters.

"We played a good game. It was a tough result, but game-wise, strategy-wise, play style-wise, it was a good game from our side, but unfortunately not good enough," Jansen said on Monday. "But it's something that helps you go forward into the next sequence of games."

Nicolas Fernandez continued his goal-scoring surge in the third minute of second-half stoppage time on Saturday. He has a team-best six goals in eight matches this season after totaling just three in 11 appearances (10 starts) in 2025.

"We were just talking about that today, that I've matched my (number of) league goals from last year," Fernandez said on Monday. "Every year, I set myself a target of what I want to achieve. Luckily, it's been happening this season. Just have to continue on that streak."

While NYCFC are 0-3-1 over their last four MLS matches overall, FC Cincinnati sport that same record on the road this season.

Cincinnati (2-4-2, 8 points) experienced a bit of a positive after recording its second straight draw with a 3-3 home decision versus the Chicago Fire on Saturday.

Evander converted a penalty kick in the 79th minute and played a role in Dje D'Avilla's own goal seven minutes later to help Cincinnati draw even from a 3-1 halftime deficit.

"Play-wise, there's been a lot of positives, but now that needs to translate into the wins," FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said on Tuesday. "... I've been more pleased in the last two games with some of the overall play despite those results not being what we'd like."

NYCFC posted a pair of 1-0 victories over FC Cincinnati last season.

--Field Level Media