FC Cincinnati secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over New York City FC at TQL Stadium, thanks to a late winner from Evander. The home side drew first blood in the 11th minute through K. Mboma, but NYCFC responded swiftly, with Luighi leveling the score in the 21st minute, assisted by A. Ojeda. The match saw a flurry of yellow cards throughout, highlighting the competitive nature of the contest, with bookings for M. Miazga and O. Nwobodo for Cincinnati, and K. Parks, Luighi, N. Mercau, and S. Gidi for New York. Following a period of substitutions from both teams, the game remained deadlocked until the 90th minute when Evander, set up by G. Valenzuela, fired home the decisive goal, sending the home crowd into raptures and clinching all three points for FC Cincinnati.