Kevin Denki's goal in the 78th minute was enough for hosts FC Cincinnati to win 1-0 over FC Cincinnati. Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference first-round series opener on Monday.
The second match will take place on Sunday in Columbus. The decisive match, if necessary, will take place on November 8 in Cincinnati.
No. 2 Cincinnati was knocking on the door before breaking through against the seventh-seeded team.
Ender Echenik ran down the left flank from a free kick and sent the ball to the marked Evander at the far post. He was able to move the ball forward, where Denki, who scored 15 goals in the regular season, made no miss.
FC Cincinnati had a commanding lead, winning by one goal in 17 of their 21 MLS wins this season.
Cincinnati were the better team in the first half and were almost rewarded with a lead in the first minute of stoppage time, but Patrick Schulte's fourth save made the difference.
After Denki's attempt from the top of the box was blocked, he collected the ball and passed it from the right to Brenner, who fired a shot which Schulte met with his right hand and sent the ball over the crossbar for a corner.
Schulte, who is in the running to be Team USA's No. 3 goalie at the 2026 World Cup, had an inconsistent regular season, but he showed sharpness from the start.
In the 14th minute, he made a double save, parrying Evander's shot from the right edge of the penalty area. The rebound followed directly from Samuel Guidi's direct shot, which Schulte didn't even have to move to stop.
In the first half, the Crew had one shot on target 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 and Schulte made four.
The team's top scorer Diego Rossi (16 goals) was a doubt due to a hamstring injury, but he started and played 75 minutes.
Minnesota United beat Seattle in first game on PKs
Kelvin Yeboah, Nektarios Triantis and Joaquin Pereia converted penalties as Minnesota United defeated the Seattle Sounders after a scoreless draw Monday night in St. Paul, Minnesota, in the first match of their best-of-three MLS Western Conference Playoff Series.
Game two is scheduled for next Monday in Seattle.
Minnesota's Dane St. Clair, one of three finalists for MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, stopped Seattle's Alex Roldan's penalty kick and then saw the Sounders' Cristian Roldan hit the crossbar and Danny Leyva's shot off the left post.
The Sounders had 64% possession and a 15–11 shot advantage, but failed to find the back of the net in regulation.
St. Clair stopped the game on Cristian Roldan's shot in the 54th minute. There wasn't another shot on goal until St Clair's stopped substitute Danny Musovski from close range from Jordan Morris' cross in the 80th minute.
Musovski had another chance in the first minute of second-half stoppage time, but his header from five yards from Morris' cross sailed just over the crossbar.
In the first half, Seattle had a 10-8 shot advantage, although the Loons had a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal.
Minnesota had the best scoring opportunity of the half on Bongokuhle Hlongwane's breakaway from midfield in the ninth minute. Hlongwane entered the box before Sounders defender Jackson Reagen caught up with him and pushed Hlongwane shoulder to shoulder just enough for him to fire a shot just wide of the left post.
Seattle's Alex Roldan saved Hlongwane's goal line shot in the 18th minute, and Minnesota's Nicholas Romero did the same after Cristian Roldan's header from a corner in the 22nd minute.
Seattle's Stefan Frey made a diving stop on Triantis' shot from the right side of the box in the 41st minute.
