New York Red Bulls vs Cincinnati

Red Bulla Arena is the venue as New York Red Bulls and Cincinnati go head-to-head in a mouth-watering Major League Soccer showdown.

New York Red Bulls commence this round on the periphery of the Eastern Conference playoff zone after a dramatic 2-1 home win over New England last weekend saw them whittle down the gap on 9th-placed Montreal. Level on points with the Canadian outfit despite only winning 29% of their MLS fixtures this season (6/21), the ‘Metro’ must stay the course to bolster their hopes of qualifying for their seventh consecutive playoffs. Playing at home should lend Troy Lesesne’s side a helping hand, as they’ve emerged victorious in their last two home league fixtures, netting precisely two second-half goals on both occasions. The continuation of New York’s free-scoring home form looks like a near-certainty after they’ve troubled the board in their last five competitive meetings with Cincinnati.

However, the visitors are no longer the pushovers they used to be in recent years, as they enter this fixture atop the Eastern Conference, seven points clear of second-placed Nashville despite going winless in their last three MLS matches (D2, L1). Back-to-back 2-2 draws, coupled with a pair of 3-0 results beforehand (W1, L1), suggest a high-scoring theme could be in store on Thursday. But Cincinnati will be desperate to avoid conceding the opener to increase their chances of ending a three-game winless MLS run on the road (D2, L1) after winning just a point from losing positions this season (D2, L1). As the league’s best starters, flying out of the traps shouldn’t be an issue for Cincinnati, as they’ve opened the scoring in 81% of their MLS contests this term (17/21).