FC Cincinnati welcome New York City FC at TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio on Thursday, Aug 20 at 1:30 AM in a MLS fixture that's tighter on paper than the positions suggest — just 1 point split them in the table.

FC Cincinnati come into this fixture in mixed form (2W 2D 1L). New York City FC travel in mixed form (2W 1D 2L), which may hand the initiative to the hosts. FC Cincinnati won their last outing, while New York City FC suffered defeat — home advantage backed by momentum.

Head-to-head records offer little separation — FC Cincinnati and New York City FC have split their 10 meetings almost evenly (4W–2D–4W). Their last encounter ended in a 4–4 draw. These two tend to produce goals — averaging 2.8 per game in recent meetings.

Verdict: Little separates these two on form or history. Home advantage could be the deciding factor — a narrow FC Cincinnati win or a draw looks most likely.