Charlotte FC and New York Red Bulls will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing Leagues Cup campaign when they go head to head in MLS on Saturday.
The Red Bulls head into the weekend unbeaten in each of their last five games against the hosts since June 2022 and will journey to the Bank of America Stadium looking to extend this two-year dominance.
Match preview
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Charlotte FC endured a forgettable Leagues Cup campaign as they suffered a group-stage exit, failing to win any of their two matches in Group O to finish with just two points from a possible six.
The Crowns kicked off the campaign with a 1-0 defeat against Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park on July 28, and despite claiming a penalty-shootout victory over Mexican outfit Cruz Azul four days later, they finished rock bottom in the table, one point off runners-up Cruz Azul.
This was in keeping with their recent struggles in MLS, where Charlotte have failed to win four of their last five matches — losing twice and claiming two draws — with a 3-1 victory over 10-man Cincinnati on July 14 being the exception.
Despite their recent drop-off in form in the league, Dean Smith's men are well on course to secure a playoff spot as they currently sit sixth in the Eastern Conference table with 37 points from 25 games, one point behind fifth-placed New York City FC.
However, next up for Charlotte is the stern challenge of taking on an opposing side whom they have failed to get the better of in any of their previous five encounters, losing three and claiming two draws since a 2-0 victory in June 2022.
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Like this weekend's hosts, New York Red Bulls were dumped out of the Leagues Cup in the group stages as they failed to win their two matches in Group J to finish rock-bottom in the table on goal difference.
The Red Bulls were beaten on penalties by Toronto FC in the opening game on July 28, three days before losing 5-4 on penalties against Pachuca following a 1-1 stalemate with the Mexican side in normal time.
New York Red Bulls will now look to put their poor cup run behind them and pick up where they left off in MLS, where they are unbeaten eight consecutive games, picking up two wins and six draws since a 1-0 loss against New England Revolution on June 9.
However, Sandro Schwarz's side have struggled to impose themselves on their travels as they have failed to win any of their last five league matches away from home, losing twice and picking up three draws since picking up a 4-1 victory over DC United at Audi Field.
New York Red Bulls have picked up 10 wins from their 25 MLS matches so far while losing four and claiming 11 draws to collect 41 points and sit fourth in the Eastern Conference standings, two points adrift of third-placed Columbus Crew who have two games in hand.
Team News
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Charlotte will have to cope without the services of 24-year-old Andrew Privett, who is currently suspended due to accumulated yellow cards in the league.
Having recently recovered from a leg injury, Junior Urso was an unused substitute in the win over Cruz Azul on August 1 and the Brazilian midfielder could make his first appearance since June 16 this weekend.
Meanwhile, New York Red Bulls remain without the American duo of Serge Ngoma and Roald Mitchell, who both continue their lengthy spells on the sidelines through knee injuries.
Fellow countryman Peter Stroud has been out of action since coming off injured in April's game against Chicago Fire and the 22-year-old will also play no part in Saturday's game.
Despite failing to register a goal in the Leagues Cup, Lewis Morgan has been a standout performer for the Red Bulls in MLS and the Scottish forward, who has 12 goals and two assists in 21 league games, should lead the attack.
Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:
Kahlina; Byrne, Malanda, Privett, Uronen; Bronico, Westwood, Diani; Abada, Agyemang, Vargas
New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:
Coronel; Nealis, Reyes, Eile, Duncan; Harper, Donkor, Edelman, Carmona; Morgan, Manoel
We say: Charlotte FC 2-1 New York Red Bulls
The last five meetings between Charlotte and New York Red Bulls have seen a combined 19 goals scored and we anticipate another action-packed contest on Saturday. However, the Red Bulls have failed to win any of their last five away matches and we predict that they will struggle at the Bank of America Stadium.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
