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

Returning to MLS action for the second time since the mid-season break, New York Red Bulls welcome Charlotte FC to Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday for the two sides' 17th league match of the campaign.

The Red Bulls' first MLS outing in almost two months ended in a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Philadelphia, while Charlotte surrendered a two-goal lead in a 2-2 home draw against Atlanta United.

Match preview

Three-time Supporters' Shield winners New York have endured a difficult spell in recent seasons after finishing 18th overall last year, and they have yet to make significant progress during the 2026 campaign.

Michael Bradley's side have collected six wins, four draws and six defeats from their opening 16 league matches, leaving them 17th in the overall standings with 22 points.

Despite their inconsistent start, there is still plenty of time for the Red Bulls to climb the table, with just four points separating them from the top six in what remains a tightly contested MLS season.

Their form before the World Cup break certainly offered encouragement, as New York won three and drew one of their final four league fixtures, including an impressive 3-1 away victory over high-flying Chicago Fire.

Defensive issues continue to undermine their progress, however, with Bradley's men failing to keep a clean sheet during that unbeaten run and conceding 35 league goals overall, one of the poorest defensive records in MLS.

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Charlotte, meanwhile, travel to the Big Apple level on points with their hosts but sitting three places higher thanks to a superior goal difference after recording two wins, two draws and one defeat across their previous five league outings.

Dean Smith's side looked set to make a winning return following the World Cup break after racing into a 2-0 half-time lead against Atlanta, only to concede twice after the interval and settle for a frustrating point.

Saturday will mark an important milestone for Smith as he takes charge of Charlotte for the 100th time, having recorded 42 wins, 21 draws and 36 defeats across his opening 99 matches with the Crown.

His finest campaign came in 2025, when he guided Charlotte to a club record fourth place finish in the Eastern Conference, although they have been unable to build on that success this season and currently sit seventh, 17 points behind leaders Nashville.

The visitors will also draw confidence from the fact they dismantled the Red Bulls 6-1 when the sides met earlier this season back in March, although this clash should be far more evenly balanced given the fact both sides are level on points heading into the weekend.

New York Red Bulls Major League Soccer form:

Charlotte FC Major League Soccer form:

Team News

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Bradley's side have reported no fresh injury concerns following the defeat to Philadelphia, meaning he has the luxury of naming an unchanged side.

After another disappointing defensive display, though, changes could be likely. 

Cade Cowell scored New York's only goal in Pennsylvania and is expected to keep his place in attack, while captain Emil Forsberg, who registered his fourth assist of the season, will again be the creative focal point.

Anthony Marcucci remains sidelined with the ACL injury that has kept him out for almost a year, so former Cardiff City goalkeeper Ethan Horvath will continue between the posts, while Rafael Mosquera is also unavailable because of a thigh problem.

Charlotte, meanwhile, have been dealt a double injury setback after both Kerwin Vargas and Liel Abada were forced off against Atlanta.

The pair were Charlotte's goalscorers in that contest, leaving Tyger Smalls and Rodolfo Aloko as the leading candidates to replace them in the starting lineup.

New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:

Horvath; Marshall-Rutty, Che, Nealis, Dos Santos; Donkor, Mehmeti, Forsberg; Cowell, Hall, Ruvalcaba

Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:

Kahlina; Byrne, Morrison, Ream, Toffolo; Smalls, Westwood, De La Torre, Aloko; Biel, Goodwin

We say: New York Red Bulls 2-2 Charlotte FC

Both sides are still readjusting after the lengthy mid-season break, and another evenly contested encounter looks likely.

New York have shown signs of improvement despite their defensive woes, while Charlotte continue to prove difficult to beat, so we expect an entertaining draw with both teams finding the back of the net.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.