New York Red Bulls vs Charlotte FC Prediction: A close call between two evenly matched sides

The Red Bulls of New York and Charlotte FC will face each other in the first round of the playoffs. New York Red Bulls ended the season in 8th place on the Eastern Conference table, with 43 points in total, while Charlotte FC ended in 9th place, with the same point. There was nothing to separate both sides in their 2 meetings last season, as they played a 1-1 draw and then a 2-2 draw. With just a single leg in the playoffs, both sides have everything to play for in this clash.

New York Red Bulls

The New York Red Bulls ended the season in 17th place on the MLS table with 43 points from 11 wins, 10 draws, and 13 defeats. They recorded 3 wins in their last 3 games of the season to qualify for the playoffs, beating Nashville SC by a single goal in their last game. They scored a total of 36 goals and conceded 39 goals. They averaged 1.1 goals per game and their conversion rate was 8%. They conceded an average of 1.1 goals and kept 9 clean sheets. Omir Fernandez was the top scorer for The Red Bulls with 6 goals, while John Tolkin registered 6 assists.

New York Red Bulls will be hoping to finally record a win against Charlotte FC after both sides played a draw in both legs in the just concluded season. The most recent tie ended 2-2 with the Red Bulls playing at home. The Red Bulls found themselves behind in just 19 minutes after conceding 2 goals, but goals from Dante Vanzier and Cameron Harper helped them earn a draw at full-time.

Charlotte FC

Charlotte FC barely made it to the playoffs by beating Inter Miami CF by a single goal on the season's final day. They ranked 18th on the MLS table, with 43 points from 10 wins, 13 draws, and 11 defeats all season. They scored a total of 45 goals and conceded 52 goals. They averaged 1.3 goals per game and their conversion rate was 13%. They also kept 7 clean sheets and conceded an average of 1.5 goals per game. Their top scorer was Karol Swiderski with 12 goals and Kamil Jozwiak recorded 5 assists for Charlotte FC.

Charlotte FC have not beaten New York Red Bulls since June 2022, when they won 2-0. Their last 2 meetings ended in a draw. In their most recent game that ended 2-2 at full time, Benjamin Bender scored a brace to put Charlotte FC ahead before the break, but they conceded 2 goals in the second half and settled for a point.

Head to Head

New York Red Bulls and Charlotte FC have played only 5 matches against each other in the past. The Red Bulls won 2 matches, and Charlotte FC won 1 match and they played a draw in 1 match.

Analysis and Predictions

Both teams barely made it to the playoffs after a tough season and now they have a chance to progress. Charlotte and New York Red Bulls are not the brightest sides in the playoffs, so there are no expectations on either side.

The Red Bulls showed very fine form towards the end of the season, winning their last 3 games, while Charlotte FC were unbeaten in their last 4 matches, drawing 1 and winning 3.

New York Red Bulls have registered a goal in 5 of their last 4 matches, while Charlotte FC have registered at least one goal in 4 of their last 5 matches.

Their last 2 meetings ended with both sides exchanging goals to show how close these two teams are currently.

• Draw or Under 2.5 Goals at 1.79 Odds
• Method of Qualifying - Regular Time No
• Correct Score 1-1 at 7.00 Odds