New York Red Bulls vs Charlotte FC: Red Bulls to edge a tight Wild Card contest in Harrison

Welcome to the postseason! Both facets who’ve made it to the Eastern Conference’s Wild Card sport did so dramatically on Decision Day, with 1-0 wins for each the New York Red Bulls and Charlotte FC, incomes them extensions to their season.

John Tolkin’s 94th-minute penalty earned RBNY their 14th consecutive postseason look, a new MLS document.

At the similar time, Charlotte have goalscorer Kerwin Vargas and goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina to thank for his or her win over Miami to acquire access to the playoffs for the primary time. Only can development to Round One of the MLS Audi Cup Playoffs.

Jack Collins right here from The Game Day to have a look at the hole sport of the MLS Audi Cup Playoffs, the Eastern Conference Wild Card sport, taking place on Wednesday, Oct. 25.

New York Red Bulls vs Charlotte FC having a bet strains are present as of Monday, Oct. 23, at 9 a.m. ET at bet365 Sportsbook.

• 3-Way Moneyline: RBNY (-154) • Tie (+275) • Charlotte (+320)
• Total Goals: Over 2.5 (-138) • Under 2.5 (+107)
• Both Teams To Score: Yes (-134) • No (+100)

It’s difficult to break up those two groups. Both spent many of the season beneath the playoff line, and each noticed drama in spades as they may stay their seasons alive at the last day.

It’s a tale of dangerous begins and excellent finishes, in addition to defensive solidity, that has observed either side make it to this level of the season, and that’s what each coaches will virtually unquestionably lean into as knockout soccer starts in earnest in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.

For the Red Bulls, this is primarily based round a holy trinity on the center of protection. Goalkeeper Carlos Coronel saved 9 blank sheets during the common season. At the similar time, a settled center-back partnership between captain Sean Nealis and Colombian defender Andrés Reyes has been the most important to latter-season luck.

For the Crown, the price of Kristijan Kahlina was once obvious during their make-or-break sport towards Inter Miami, with the standout second coming in a breathtaking fingertip save from a Leo Campana header that gave the impression destined for the some distance nook.

It was once as excellent as a target, and the jubilant celebrations round Kahlina after the general whistle confirmed how essential he was once to proceeding Charlotte’s season.

“I said in the dressing room to some guys, all the season, all the training I had this season, it goes to this last save,” Kahlina stated later on. Tolkin’s penalty were the variation between RBNY progressing or crashing out, so it was once with Kahlina’s reflexes.

So, in a sport the place defenses must be on best, the place are the variation makers on the different finish? The Crown have one in Kerwin Vargas, who scored the target that received that sport and whose target and help in Charlotte’s level midweek towards Miami had been the most important to the place they now in finding themselves.

The Colombian 21-year-old hasn’t been a locked-in starter this season, however his performances in the remaining 3 video games, with Charlotte taking 7 issues from 9 as he began all 3, will imply that he unquestionably will get the nod in Harrison.

At the opposite finish, the Red Bulls haven’t had a constant goal-scoring risk this season, however as frequently at the present time, they’ll glance to homegrown ability to be the variation.

New York-born Omir Fernandez is the membership’s best scorer in MLS with six targets from the fitting wing, and if he can glide off that wing to in finding bad positions, as he did towards D.C. United again in September, there’s each and every probability that he may well be the person who breaks the impasse.

There’s additionally Brazilian 21-year-old Elias Manoel, who hasn’t set the league alight this 12 months, however his versatility and paintings fee make him a key piece in Troy Lesesne’s machine. He grabbed a target and an help towards Charlotte in the common season’s two conferences between the golf equipment.

Charlotte have by no means received at Red Bull Arena. While there isn’t an excessive amount of between those facets, the Red Bulls’ house seeding and playoff revel in may well be what edges them over the road in what guarantees to be a shockingly tightly fought contest.

RBNY conceded fewer targets than anyone with the exception of Nashville SC in the Eastern Conference this season and feature saved blank sheets in their remaining two video games.

While their league fixture towards Charlotte again in August at Red Bull Arena ended 2:2, be expecting this to be a some distance tighter contest with fewer dangers taken.

Charlotte have saved 3 blank sheets in their remaining 4, together with in that final-day win, in order that a unmarried target may well be the variation in this one.