Head-to-Head
New York Red Bulls and D.C. United have split the last five Atlantic Cup matches, with New York winning three, D.C. United one, and one draw, including a pair of high-scoring Red Bulls away wins.
New York Red Bulls
- New York Red Bulls are in the Eastern Conference playoff places with 11 points from eight MLS matches.
- NYRB’s form has been mixed but they are a very young team that can be prone to alternating heavy defeats (4-1 and 6-1) as they showed with their last two results - a 4-1 defeat at Montréal and a 6-1 loss at Charlotte.
D.C. United
- D.C. United are outside the top nine with seven points from seven matches.
- The visitors have been in mediocre form with only one win in their last five matches, including a 4-0 home loss to FC Dallas and a cup exit on penalties.
Key Players
- Emil Forsberg is the team’s playmaker, but his playmaking talents are complemented by Hall’s pace and finishing.
- Hall is this season’s breakout star for the Red Bulls, who have a variety of young attacking options to choose from.
- In between was a win over Cincinnati where Julian Hall scored and then he bagged a brace in the U.S. Open Cup win over Louisville.
- Matti Peltola is the main midfield player for D.C. United while Tai Baribo, with three league goals, is their main outlet.
- Veteran keeper Sean Johnson has kept D.C. afloat with some big saves, but defensive errors and miscommunication have been costing them, especially in a couple of heavy defeats.
Betting Insights
- The bookmakers have made New York favorites to win the matchup at 1.7 with D.C. United 5.14 and the draw at 4.05.
- Over 2.5 goals looks good in this match at 1.72 because of New York’s attacking balance and United’s defensive problems.
Prediction
- We are going for a New York Red Bulls win or draw double chance and a 2-1 home win in the correct score betting as the hosts have that little bit more about them going forward and can still concede a goal with a defence that has been struggling with injuries and rotation.
- A 1-1 draw is also a possibility, given D.C. United’s ability to get results in close games when they do not have all players fit.
