The competition is heating up in Major League Soccer as teams continue to jockey for position to grab those vital playoff spots. The New York Red Bull boosted their postseason hopes when they beat D.C. United on Wednesday night to climb into fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They will next face the Philadelphia Union who sit precariously in sixth place, just one point back.
It’ll be a great game in North America, but hardly the only one worth watching in international. Read on for more on this big MLS match and take a peek at our betting previews for La Liga’s massive Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid or the huge Arsenal vs. Manchester City EPL game this weekend.
[sc:Soccer ]New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: PPL Park, Philadelphia
When: Saturday, September 13, 2014, 3:00 PM ET
Line: New York Red Bulls at Philadelphia Union – view all MLS lines
What’s at Stake
[sc:Soccer240banner ]With just a point separating the two sides, a win for either team would be huge for their playoff hopes. A victory for the New York Red Bulls would help them leapfrog the New England Revolution into third place and make their final games a little less daunting.
A win by the Philadelphia Union, on the other hand, would make the playoff picture even murkier. They would climb to third and tighten the exciting Eastern Conference playoff race. This rivalry game is also the deciding game of the series after both sides split their first two assignments.
Betting on the New York Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls are right back in the playoff race after a morale-boosting 1-0 win over archrivals D.C. United. Midfielder Lloyd Sam was the man of the match for the Red Bulls as his stoppage-time goal ensured that New York got all three points as they climbed into fourth spot in the team standings.
It has been a good week so far for New York as they won their second-consecutive game following their 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City last Saturday. They have beaten the top two teams in the Eastern Conference in a span of four days and will look to make it three in a row when they face the Philadelphia Union this coming Saturday.
The last time these two teams met back in July, the Philadelphia Union emerged 3-1 victors as the New York Red Bulls wasted Bradley Wright-Philips’ fine performance, scoring his then-league-leading 16th goal of the season.
He has since scored five more goals and has taken his tally to 21 goals in 26 appearances so far this season. There are concerns, however, that Wright-Philips may not suit up against the Union after suffering a hamstring injury in the game against D.C. United.
If that is the case, it would be a big blow to a Red Bulls side that has relied on Wright-Philips’ goal-scoring exploits the entire season. The timing of the injury couldn’t come at a worse possible time as well as they are involved in a mad scrap for the final Eastern Conference playoff spots.
The onus then is on club captain Thierry Henry to carry the goal-scoring cudgels if ever Wright-Philips is definitely out. He showed his class in last week’s win against Sporting Kansas City when he scored a 52nd-minute wonder goal and it is that sort of brilliance that the Red Bulls need for them to grab the win at Philadelphia.
New York will have to improve on their away form, though. Their last win on the road came three months ago when they won 2-0 against the New England Revolution last June 8. Since then they have gone winless in five away games, including that 3-1 defeat to Philadelphia last July.
Betting on the Philadelphia Union
The Philadelphia Union are coming off a solid 2-0 away victory over Toronto FC to extend their current winning streak to three games coming into this one.
Conor Casey and Andrew Wenger may have grabbed the headlines because of their goal-scoring exploits in the game against Toronto but the real star of the show was defender Sheanon Williams whose lobbed passes were the catalysts for both Philadelphia goals.
Although Philadelphia has fared extremely well on the offensive end this season, scoring an Eastern Conference-best 43 goals so far, their defense has been a significant part of the story as well, recording two clean sheets in two games against Toronto FC.
Doing it against Toronto FC is one thing however, repeating the same feat against the fourth-ranked New York Red Bulls is another. First and foremost, the New York Red Bulls are a proven offensive machine, ranking second in the Eastern Conference in goals scored this season with 42 to their name.
Second, they have one of the lethal forward combinations in the league today in Thierry Henry and Bradley Wright-Philips. Even if Wright-Philips is injured, facing Henry alone will still be a tall task for the Union defense.
That’s why it’s critical that central midfielders Vincent Nogueira and Amobi Okugo continue to play well. They were responsible in clamping down U.S. men’s national team playmaker Michael Bradley in the two meetings against Toronto and their play against New York on Saturday will determine if they will extend their winning streak to four or not.
The Philadelphia Union are 1-1 against the New York Red Bulls this season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Union and the Red Bulls neutralize each other and play to a draw. Create a betting account now and cash in on all the soccer action around the world.
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