Nashville secures playoff spot with 6-3 win over Cincinnati

CINCINNATI (AP) — C.J. Sapong and Randall Leal each scored two goals and Nashville beat Cincinnati 6-3 on Wednesday night to clinch a playoff spot.

Nashville (12-4-16) scored four straight goals in the second half to hand Cincinnati (4-20-8) its 10th straight loss.

Nashville scored three goals in nine minutes to take a 5-3 lead in the 80th minute. Sapong tied it at 3 in the 71st by redirecting Walker Zimmerman’s header of a free kick. Leal scored from distance in the 76th, and Aké Arnaud Loba won a one-on-one battle with goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer for his first MLS goal.

Sapong capped it in second-half stoppage time with a calm finish on a breakaway for his 12th goal of the season. Leal’s first goal came in first-half stoppage time.

Cincinnati had a 3-1 lead by the 32nd minute. It started with an own goal in the sixth minute and Brenner made it 2-0 in the 17th on a penalty kick. Brandon Vázquez scored for the third straight game.

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