Preview: Charlotte FC vs New York Red Bulls - prediction, team news, lineups

Charlotte FC can stretch their MLS winning run to seven matches on Sunday when they welcome the New York Red Bulls to Bank of America Stadium.

The Crown are seventh in the Eastern Conference following a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake the last time out, while the Red Bulls edged the Philadelphia Union 1-0, putting them narrowly below the Chicago Fire for that final playoff spot on goal difference.

Match preview

One of the hottest teams in the league right now are making a strong push to earn home-field advantage in the opening round of the post-season.

Heading into this upcoming match, Charlotte have points in seven straight league fixtures and have not conceded in any of their previous three outings.

With seven matches remaining, they are still holding down the final automatic spot in the first round of the playoffs, while only three points separate them from Nashville SC for third.

Another win for the Crown this weekend would give them 15 in the 2025 campaign, which would set a new single-season club record in the process.

They are unbeaten in their last six MLS affairs played in Charlotte and have conceded a goal or fewer on those previous four occasions.

Dean Smith has never beaten the Red Bulls since taking charge of this team ahead of the 2024 campaign, though the Crown are unbeaten in their three prior home meetings against them.

As we inch closer to the end of the regular season, the New York Red Bulls are making a strong playoff push just in the nick of time.

They enter this weekend riding a two-match domestic winning streak, suffering just one defeat in their last six competitive fixtures in normal time.

Four of their final seven league contests will be away from home, where Sandro Schwarz’s men have claimed just one victory all year and are winless in five consecutive affairs.

Finding the back of the net has been a problem for them away from home this year, as they have netted a goal or fewer in 12 of their 13 league matches as the visitors.

New York have dropped nine points domestically this season when scoring the opening goal, with four of them coming away from home.

While they have never won a match in Charlotte, the Red Bulls have earned a positive result in eight of their nine meetings against them across all competitions, including a 1-1 draw at Bank of America Stadium last year.

Charlotte FC Major League Soccer form:

Charlotte FC form (all competitions):

New York Red Bulls Major League Soccer form:

New York Red Bulls form (all competitions):

Team News

Hamstring injuries have hit the Charlotte roster rather hard lately, with Tyger Smalls, Bill Tuiloma, Souleyman Doumbia and Pep Biel all missing their previous match for that very reason.

Idan Toklomati had the only goal in their victory over RSL, while Kristijan Kahlina was sharp between the sticks, making seven stops for another clean sheet.

On the Red Bulls side, Omar Javier Valencia Arauz and Mohammed Sofo sat out due to illnesses last week, Lewis Morgan was sidelined with a sore thigh, while Anthony Marcucci and Cameron Harper were unavailable because of knee injuries.

Dylan Nealis netted the winning goal for them a week ago, while Carlos Coronel was back between the sticks, making 11 stops for the clean sheet.

Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:

Kahlina; Marshall-Rutty, Malanda, Ream, Byrne; Vargas, Petkovic, Westwood, Zaha; Bronico, Toklomati

New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:

Coronel; D. Nealis, Eile, Parker, Edwards; Stroud, Edelman; Bogacz, Forsberg, Ngoma; Choupo-Moting

We say: Charlotte FC 1-0 New York Red Bulls

Momentum can carry you a long way in this league, and Charlotte have a lot of that right now, and we expect their determination will propel them to another victory against a side that, despite their recent form, concede plenty of Grade A chances.

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