Kévin Denkey’s goal in the 78th minute was enough for hosts FC Cincinnati to claim a 1-0 victory over the Columbus Crew in the opener of their Eastern Conference opening-round series on Monday.
Match 2 is Sunday in Columbus. A deciding match, if needed, will be on 8 November in Cincinnati.
No 2 seed Cincinnati were knocking on the door before the breakthrough against the seventh-seeded Crew.
Ender Echenique had a free run down the left channel and sent a ball to a marked Evander at the far post. He was able to get the ball in front where Denkey, who had 15 goals in the regular season, did not miss.
FC Cincinnati were comfortable with the lead, with 17 of their 21 MLS wins this season coming by one goal.
Cincinnati were the better side in the first half and were nearly rewarded with the lead in the first minute of stoppage time but Patrick Schulte’s fourth save was the difference.
After Denkey’s attempt from the top of the box was blocked, he gathered the ball and slipped it to his right to Brenner, who ripped a shot that Schulte got his right arm on to send it over the crossbar for a corner.
Schulte, who is in the running to be the third goalkeeper for the US at the 2026 World Cup, had an inconsistent regular season but he was sharp early.
In the 14th minute he made a double save, denying Evander’s shot from the right side of the box. The rebound went directly for a straight-on shot by Samuel Gidi that Schulte didn’t have to move to stop.
The Crew had one shot on target in the first half, coming before the half-hour mark when Max Arfsten got behind the defense and tried to beat Roman Celentano, but the shot was easily stopped.
Celentano made three saves while Schulte had four.
Crew leading scorer Diego Rossi (16 goals) was questionable because of a hamstring injury, but he started and played 75 minutes.
Minnesota United takes Game 1 over Seattle on PKs
Kelvin Yeboah, Nectarios Triantis and Joaquín Pereya converted penalty kicks as Minnesota United defeated the Seattle Sounders after a scoreless draw Monday night in St Paul, Minnesota in the opener of their best-of-three MLS Western Conference playoff series.
Game 2 is scheduled for next Monday in Seattle.
Minnesota’s Dayne St Clair, one of three finalists for MLS goalkeeper of the year, stopped a penalty kick by Seattle’s Alex Roldan, then watched as the Sounders’ Cristian Roldan put an attempt off the crossbar and Danny Leyva hit the left post.
The Sounders held 64% of possession and had a 15-11 advantage in shots, but couldn’t find the back of the net in regulation.
St Clair made a diving stop on a shot by Cristian Roldan in the 54th minute. There wasn’t another attempt on net until St Clair stopped substitute Danny Musovski from close range after a cross from Jordan Morris in the 80th minute.
Musovski had another chance in the opening minute of second-half stoppage time, but his header from five yards out after a cross from Morris sailed just over the crossbar.
Seattle had a 10-8 advantage in shots in the first half, though the Loons had a 4-2 edge in attempts on target.
Minnesota had the half’s best scoring opportunity on Bongokuhle Hlongwane’s breakaway from midfield in the ninth minute. Hlongwane dribbled into the penalty area before Sounders defender Jackson Ragen caught up with him and gave Hlongwane just enough of a shoulder-to-shoulder nudge to cause him to pull his shot just wide of the left post.
Seattle’s Alex Roldan cleared a Hlongwane shot off the goal line in the 18th minute and Minnesota’s Nicolas Romero did the same on Cristian Roldan’s header off a corner kick in the 22nd minute.
Seattle’s Stefan Frei made a diving stop on a shot from the right side of the penalty area by Triantis in the 41st minute.
