Denkey brace leads Cincinnati to Eastern Conference summit

Kevin Denkey starred with a double to lead FC Cincinnati to a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City at TQL Stadium on Saturday.

Denkey netted his first of two goals minutes before half-time, volleying into the bottom right corner before making it a brace in the 78th minute, sweetly connecting another volley off Luca Orellano’s set-up.

Substitute Zorhan Bassong pulled a goal back late on for Sporting KC, though it was never enough to inspire a comeback.

The win extended Cincinnati's unbeaten streak to six matches, lifting them at least temporarily to the summit of the Eastern Conference, while Sporting KC remain in 13th place in the Western Conference.

Elsewhere, New York City FC edged out Toronto FC 1-0 in a hard-fought encounter at BMO Field.

An Alonso Martinez penalty was the only difference between the two sides, with the striker coolly slotting home his spot-kick in the 64th minute after drawing the foul from Kosi Thompson.

Martinez spurned a few good chances prior as well, but made amends with his penalty to extend NYCFC’s league-winning streak over Toronto to four matches.

NYCFC moved up to sixth in the East, while Toronto continued their poor start to the season, as they sit in 14th place with just seven points.

Data debrief: Cincinnati keep it close, NYCFC break out of the rut

Cincinnati have now won five straight regular-season matches by a one-goal margin.

In fact, 19 of Cincinnati’s 24 regular-season wins since the start of the 2024 season have been by that margin of victory. 

Despite Denkey's impressive performance, Cincinnati did not create a host of clear-cut chances, evidenced by their paltry xG of 0.85, while Sporting KC managed an even more modest 0.58 xG.

NYCFC, meanwhile, had Martinez to thank for ending their 189-minute MLS goalless streak. Entering their clash against Toronto, NYCFC had not scored since Martinez himself found the net in their 1-0 over Philadelphia Union on April 12.

Owing largely to Martinez's penalty, NYCFC came out on top on the xG front as well, their 1.35 xG narrowly trumping Toronto's 1.14.