NYCFC keeping big picture at forefront of long-shot hopes of MLS playoff run

When New York City FC begins its playoff run on Monday against FC Cincinnati, yes, a run at the MLS Cup will be the goal, but head coach Nick Cushing has bigger aspirations for however long his club lasts in the postseason. NYCFC finished sixth in the Eastern Conference standings — three points ahead of rival New York Red Bulls — but Cushing’s hope is for his squad to use the lessons from this postseason run to finish near the top of the table next year. “My dream is to get an Eastern Conference Final in New York,” Cushing told The Post. “This playoff run will be a great stepping stone into next season.We know that we finished sixth, but the reality is we were one game off of finishing fourth,” Cushing continued.

“The aim is to be [third], [second] or [first].Next year is going to be really critical in putting in the next stepping stone to that.

… Being able to go through this postseason and play against the teams that were above you, playing against the teams that were fighting for MLS Cup is a really good opportunity for the team.” New York City FC is making a return to the postseason after failing to qualify during the 2023 campaign and will have to go through FC Cincinnati, a club they’ve seen quite a bit this season.NYCFC faced Cincy as recently as Oct.

2 and had faced them two previous times — once in the regular season and once in the Leagues Cup. Cincy, the third-place finisher during the regular season, poses a tough challenge for NYCFC a year removed from winning the Supporters’ Shield and being one of the better offensive teams in Major League Soccer. Part of that stems from the play of Luciano Acosta, who is tied for the MLS assists lead with 19 and who Cushing pointed to as one of the biggest threats for FC Cincinnati. “I think it’s about condensing the space, making sure we don’t allow him time to find the offensive players that they’ve got,” Cushing said.“It’s about understanding the good stuff in the...