Alonso Martínez must score in the Hudson River Derby playoff game | OneFootball

It is finally the week of the Conference Semifinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs, and New York City FC fans should be getting excited. After beating FC Cincinnati in the Best-of-3 series, the Pigeons will host the New York Red Bulls in the next round. The upsets in the Eastern Conference have led to the first Hudson River Derby in the postseason.

After the big NYCFC win in the last derby, expectations are high for the Pigeons to move on to the Conference Finals. Most fans never expected they would have this opportunity, so now they can not only extend their playoff run, but beat RBNY as well.

However, the Pigeons will have to play extremely well. While they beat FC Cincinnati in a penalty kick shootout, the players struggled offensively in regulation. They also were abhorrent in the first game of the series. For the second round against RBNY, they must capture the fantastic performance from the 5-1 derby win.

Alonso Martínez can be the star of the playoff derby

One player who must play the best he can is Alonso Martínez. The winger-turned-striker has been the most exciting surprise in 2024. He has 18 goals in all competitions, including one in the playoffs. In addition, his background as a winger means he is not a player who just waits for a pass. Instead, he actively seeks to help his teammates. He has four assists in 2024 but probably would have had more if he started more matches at the beginning of the season.

Martínez has to score against the Red Bulls. He is clearly capable of doing so, but he needs to be the striker NYCFC knows he can be. This cannot be one of those games where he is quiet. As good as the Costa Rican has been, there have been fixtures where he disappears on the pitch. Of course, this is something that happens to most players around Major League Soccer. Perfection all the time is difficult.

Yet, Martínez cannot disappear on Saturday. NYCFC needs him to find the back of the net. There is always a chance some of the other players fail to find their scoring boots. As a striker, he must be the one player the Queens team can rely on.

If the Costa Rican scores and ends up with a performance to remember, then he will be loved by fans for the rest of time. The derby playoff game allows the striker to prove his value to the team and the supporters at Citi Field. Yes, everyone already knows how good he is. However, Martínez can use the match to solidify his status as the striker for the team while also adding himself to the NYCFC lore.