It is back to business for the New York Red Bulls and DC United, who square off on Sunday in an MLS match with huge playoff implications at Red Bull Arena.
With 10 matches remaining, DC United are clinging to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, currently four points above the Red Bulls, who are 11th but have a game in hand on the Black and Red.
Match preview
It is getting close to crunch time for Troy Lesesne and his Red Bulls squad, who have 11 games to try to extend their league-high playoff streak, which has spanned 13 consecutive campaigns.
New York have lost three of their previous four MLS affairs but had a strong showing at the Leagues Cup, winning three of four outings, narrowly losing out to the Philadelphia Union in the round of 16 on penalties.
The Red Bulls have only suffered one defeat in their previous seven matches played at Red Bull Arena, blowing a late one-goal lead in their previous MLS home fixture against the Supporters' Shield-leading FC Cincinnati, conceding two goals in the final 10 minutes plus added time and losing 2-1.
Since the 2013 campaign, the club from Harrison, New Jersey, have only suffered one competitive defeat at home to DC United, beating them 1-0 at the US Open Cup earlier this year and coming away with a comfortable 4-1 triumph in their previous regular season affair in 2022.
Despite being on the outside of the playoff picture throughout most of this domestic campaign, their defensive unit have remained sound, conceding the third-fewest goals in the Eastern Conference (26).
They have not lost consecutive home games in the regular season all year and have not suffered successive defeats at Red Bull Arena in this competition since losing three in a row from July 17 to August 13 of 2022.
As they prepare for the final stretch of the regular season, Wayne Rooney and his DC United squad are currently positioned to make the postseason for the first time since 2019.
Sitting just a point above CF Montreal for that final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and having played one more game than them means that the margin for error in DC is thin heading down the stretch of this campaign.
DC will enter this match having lost three of their previous four away fixtures in MLS, including a 4-0 defeat at the New England Revolution just before the start of the Leagues Cup.
All three of their games at the Leagues Cup were away from home, where the Black and Red struggled to find the back of the net, scoring in only one game, losing out in the round of 32 on penalties to the Philadelphia Union.
A year on from finishing dead last in the MLS table with 27 points, DC have already exceeded that total by three this season, while they have won one more domestic encounter on the road (four) than a year ago.
The Black and Red have not won an away match against an Eastern Conference opponent since early June, when they scored twice in the final 15 minutes to defeat Inter Miami 2-1.
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Team News
Dylan Nealis missed the Red Bulls' Leagues Cup clash at Philly because of a sore hip, Steven Sserwadda is dealing with an issue in his knee, Serge Ngoma has a hamstring strain, while Lewis Morgan featured despite previously hurting his hip, replacing Cameron Harper late in that encounter.
The Red Bulls were pretty quiet during the MLS secondary transfer window, making one minor move, signing Juan Jose Mina from Deportivo Cali in Colombia to a contract until the end of the 2026 campaign with an option for 2027, and the 19-year-old will be seeking his first regular-season appearance on Sunday.
Earlier this year at the US Open Cup, a 28th-minute strike from Omir Fernandez was all the Red Bulls would need to dispatch the Black and Red in the fourth round as Ryan Meara made three stops for the clean sheet in relief of first-choice goalkeeper Carlos Coronel.
DC United could be without Theodore Ku-DiPietro because of a sore ankle, Mohanad Jeahze is dealing with a leg issue, Martin Rodriguez might not be available due to a knee injury and Mateusz Klich will be suspended.
Last Thursday, the club and Taxi Fountas mutually agreed to part ways, while DC added some Panamanian talent to their squad over the recent transfer window, signing Eric Davis and Jose Fajardo for the remainder of the campaign with options for 2024 and 2025.
Erik Hurtado scored their only goal at the Leagues Cup when they defeated Montreal (1-0), his first as a member of DC United, Russell Canouse had a 100% pass accuracy in their previous MLS encounter versus the New England Revolution on a night when Christian Benteke won 10 aerial duels, though the Belgian has not scored domestically since notching the winner against Miami at the start of June.
New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:
Coronel; Harper, Reyes, S. Nealis, Tolkin; Stroud, Edelman; Luquinhas, Carmona, Morgan; Vanzeir
DC United possible starting lineup:
Miller; Ruan, Birnbaum, Williams, Davis; Canouse, Durkin, Hopkins; Dajome; Benteke, Robertha
We say: New York Red Bulls 1-0 DC United
The experience of Davis on the back end should make DC a tougher unit to penetrate, but getting rid of Fountas and Benteke struggling to find his form could leave DC rather thin in attack.
New York's chance creators seem to be getting healthy, and that comes at a critical juncture in the campaign, and we believe their presence along with the Red Bulls solid backline will be enough to earn them three points this weekend.
How to watch
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