Your starting signal on Tuesday: Columbus begins its search for an MLS Cup repeat this evening

Last game 1 of the first round tonight

Columbus hosts the Red Bulls at 6:45 p.m. ET (Apple TV – Free) and Real Salt Lake hosts Minnesota United at 8:50 p.m. ET (Apple TV – Free). Both games can also be watched on FS1 and FS2 (Spanish) in the US and on TSN and RDS in Canada.

Nashville and Toronto announce year-end moves

Nashville SC and Toronto FC have announced their year-end roster moves. Check out the individual decisions here.

Cincy throttled NYCFC and Seattle sneaked past Houston on penalties. Let's discuss it.

It only ended 1-0, but it could have been much, much worse for NYCFC. Cincy outscored them by 3.7 xG to 0.3 xG and was in complete control of this game from start to finish. The only saving grace for NYCFC is that they can return home for Game 2. They had the second-best home record in the Eastern Conference this season.

However, they didn't do themselves any favors in this final phase. Tayvon Gray received a red card in injury time and will miss Game 2. It's a long road back to this series for NYCFC. Things couldn't have gone better for Cincy.

So. This is what I wrote yesterday:

“Who will score in this series? It doesn't feel like either team has a player destined to change the series in the final third. So it really comes down to which goal-by-committee approach is more effective.

“That is if there are any goals in this matter. You could tell me there would be three 0-0 draws in the end and I wouldn’t even bat an eyelid.”

One down, two left. Seattle couldn't even find the net after Coco Carrasquilla's red card. This card could play an important role in Game 2, but last night it probably only contributed to an already predetermined outcome. Still, it seems likely that Houston will be without its best player in the deciding Game 2 after a penalty shootout fall.

Then again…probably another 0-0, right?

Two first round games for you tonight. Here's what you should pay attention to.

Here at The Daily Kickoff, we have no secrets. Columbus is the big favorite tonight. You don't even have to look past these teams' recent games to understand why. A heavily rotating crew overwhelmed the Red Bulls for 77 minutes, conceding two late goals, then taking the lead and still winning in stoppage time. A New York team fighting for a crucial position in the Eastern Conference couldn't even handle the Crew B team.

RBNY hasn't really interacted with anyone in a while. Every foot forward has found a rake to lift and every rake has found a face to strike. Since the middle of the season, they have had the lowest point rate of all playoff teams with 1.06 points per game. Since the League Cup, only Chicago has been worse than New York by 0.67 points per game.

To be fair, their underlying numbers have remained significantly better over both stretches, but at some point you have to admit that there's at least one reason things aren't working out with this group. They are stubborn, even with Emil Forsberg back in the lineup. The advantage they need to find to turn things around has been missing for months.

Competing against the Crew is not typically a time when teams have this advantage. Columbus is seeking its second straight MLS Cup title and fourth straight tournament final. The Red Bulls will need to do something remarkable quickly if they are to be the team that keeps Columbus from their ultimate goal.

Minnesota United has been a different team since the summer window. The arrival of DP striker Kelvin Yeboah and DP midfielder Joaquín Pereyra suddenly changed this team. From June 1 through the start of the League Cup, Minnesota averaged 0.73 points per game. Since then, the Loons have averaged 2.11 points per game, the third-best mark in the league.

It's no coincidence that Yeboah made his first MLS start in Minnesota's first game back from the Leagues Cup. He has scored seven goals since his first appearance and has an average goals per 90 rate of 0.89. It's still early, but that's a better rate than what Cucho Hernández and Christian Benteke have achieved this year.

Meanwhile, RSL hasn't been quite as successful with its summer signings. Before the League Cup (and before the departure of star winger Andrés Gómez), RSL averaged 1.76 points per game in 25 games. Since then, they've averaged a respectable but underwhelming 1.67 points per game in nine games. Their underlying numbers have also taken a hit.

That's partly because Chicho Arango's season has faltered. He hasn't scored since July 6th. Somehow he still finished the season with 17 goals. You may have forgotten, but we were on a schedule where he was going to challenge Carlos Vela's goal participation record for a while. The other big part of this is that Gómez is left and new DP midfielder Diogo Gonçalves and new U22 winger Dominik Marczuk didn't immediately fill the void. Together they have three goals and two assists in 11 starts. Not bad. But no equivalent replacement for what Gómez provided.

If they are both outshone by Yeboah and Pereyra in this game, RSL could be in big trouble.

Good luck out there. Put your face on the line.