FC Cincinnati has fallen to New York City FC in the first round of the MLS Cup. The two teams went 0-0 in regular time, before moving on to penalty kicks. There, New York narrowly squeezed out a win with a 5-6 score. This was the third game between the two teams in a best-of-three series, with each team having won one game already.

FC Cincinnati and New York City FC couldn't decide a winner after neither side scored over 90 minutes, but Matt Freese moved NYCFC on to the MLS conference semifinal after making three saves in the penalty shootout in which NYCFC had a 6-5 edge

Two other MLS Cup first-round series will finish Saturday. Charlotte FC managed for force a decisive third game against higher-seeded Orlando City. The game of the day will see Lionel Messi's Inter Miami host Atlanta United for a decisive Game Three in what has been a genuinely thrilling first-round series.