It was a thrilling night of action for CisseSZN as he returned for the third night of online qualifiers in unbeaten form, erasing early deficits to pick up eight more points at eMLS League Series One presented by Coca-Cola.
The 23-year-old currently sits in fifth place in the overall standings with a 7-3-2 record with two matches left before the Top 8 advance to the livestreamed Knockout Rounds on Saturday, January 16 and Sunday, January 17.
Cisse kicked Tuesday night’s action with a back-and-forth battle with his former club, Sporting Kansas City. Despite falling behind three separate times including in the 80th minute, Cisse kept cool on the sticks with a late equalizer to start the night with a positive result. It was all FIFA Ultimate ICON card Pele running the show for both sides as traded goals for both sides including the SKC go-ahead goal in the 80th minute. However the final score of the night came from the Union as Cristiano Ronaldo notched the final score just three minutes later on Cisse’s next possession to get momentum rolling for the Union.
The second-half momentum continued in Cisse’s 3-1 victory over defending eMLS League Series One Champion, FC Fiddle. After falling behind by a Nani goal in the first half, Cisse roared to life with back-to-back goals within seven minutes to claim the lead and added an insurance goal that showcased skills on both sides of the pitch. After a strong tackle by Ike Opara to deny a possible equalizing opportunity, Kylian Mbappe launched a counter attack on the flank with his pace causing chaos for the Cincinnati defense. As the French forward dribbled into the box, he laid it off for Nani for the important insurance strike.
Cisse’s third match of the night started off with big momentum after a penalty kick save but once more he found himself behind after Brazil’s famed Ronaldo found the back of the net in the 52nd minute. The deficit wouldn’t last long as five minutes later Cristiano Ronaldo set the match square on the next possession. As time ticked down, Orlando City’s Maloney beat an offsides trap that set up an easy finish for Mbappe but Cisse kept fighting with substitute Carlos Vela making it 2-2 in the 89th minute for the draw.
The final match of the night was the biggest of the night as Cisse erased a 3-0 first-half deficit to defeat Montreal’s Mehdibob3 by a 4-3 scoreline. Montreal opened up the first-half margin with a hat trick from (the Brazilian) Ronaldo. Like a true professional, Cisse wasn’t distraught by the margin and fought back quickly with goals in the 59th and 63rd minute to put pressure on the Impact. As the clock wound down, Cisse only turned on the offense even more with yet another outburst of goals this time from Cristiano Ronaldo with the tying goal in the 77th and the game-winner in the 82nd.
Cisse wraps up League Series One on Wednesday night as he looks to secure his berth into the knockout rounds with contests against St. Louis FC and Houston Dynamo.
| Date/Result | Opponent | |
|---|---|---|
| W, 3-0 | Cisse vs. JKO (New England) | |
| W, 2-1 | Cisse vs. RCTIDThiago (Portland) | |
| W, 9-1 | Cisse vs. Crew96Skamzz (Columbus) | |
| L, 2-0 | Cisse vs. AlanAvi (FC Dallas) | |
| W, 6-1 | Cisse vs. XBLEU (Austin FC) | |
| L, 3-1 | Cisse vs. NYCChris (New York City FC) | |
| W, 6-3 | Cisse vs. Benr (San Jose) | |
| D, 2-2 | Cisse vs. GSGXSFC (Seattle) | |
| D, 3-3 (8:30pm) | Cisse vs. Alekzandur (Sporting Kansas City) | |
| W, 3-1 (9:00pm) | Cisse vs. FCC Fiddle (FC Cincinnati) | |
| D, 2-2 (9:30pm) | Cisse vs. Maloney (Orlando City SC) | |
| W, 4-3 | Cisse vs. Mehdibob (Montreal) | |
| Jan. 13 (8:30pm) | Cisse vs. STL City SC Hasib (St. Louis) | |
| Jan. 13 (9:30pm) | Cisse vs. JordyReyes (Houston) |
