New York Red Bulls vs Sporting Kansas City Prediction: A close encounter

Coming on September 8, 2024, the MLS fixture between New York Red Bulls and Sporting Kansas City will surely be an important game for both teams but for different stakes: the Red Bulls want to nail their playoff spot in the East Conference, while Sporting Kansas is trying to survive in the Western Conference and keep a respectable position far from playoff places, although there are still high hopes for a good finish of the season.

The New York Red Bulls are seated 4th in the Eastern Conference with 10 wins, 12 draws, and 5 losses. In recent times, though, the team has been pretty shaky with only a win in the last five league matches. Last time out, the Red Bulls were defeated 2-0 at home by Philadelphia in a match where, despite dominating 59% of the game and creating 10 corners, they failed to put away their chances. It was a loss that extended their winless run to four games and oozed into an alarming trend at the worst possible time in the season.

It is likely that New York Red Bulls will employ their usual high-pressing strategy to disrupt the Kansas City buildup from the back. They may try to dominate the midfield, moving the ball quickly from defense to attack and then use the width of the field to move play out wide and whip crosses into the box. The big test, though, will come in how the New York Red Bulls break down a deep-sitting Kansas City defense, should the visitors decide to sit deep and absorb the pressure.

Defensively, the Red Bulls will have to be tighter, especially with their recent habits of conceding goals. The backline will need to stay compact and not give away space for Kansas City's attackers to use, especially on the counter.

Sporting Kansas City is positioned 12th in the Western Conference, with 7 wins, 6 draws, and 14 losses. The team's performance has been erratic in the league, but they did pull off a 2-0 morale-booster against Indy Eleven in the US Open Cup. The recent win might serve to provide the psychological edge, especially with them attempting to transfer that cup form into their league campaign. Most of the time, one of Kansas' main problems this season has been giving away early goals and ends up chasing the game.

Given that fact, and the inability to control games against strong opposition, this should be a counter-attacking game for Sporting Kansas City. Considering the manner in which they give up the first goal, Kansas might hold back, trying to keep the match tight and catching the Red Bulls on the counter. Alternatively, they can try their luck from set pieces, as they have done pretty well in such situations this season. If Kansas can soak up that early pressure and keep their shape in defense, they might be able to get frustrated by the Red Bulls and create counter-attacking opportunities.".

It was pretty evenly matched in head-to-heads going into this match between New York Red Bulls and Sporting Kansas City, the latter with just the slightest edge. Kansas City had won 8 of their previous matches, with the Red Bulls managing 7 wins, and 5 matches ending in draws. This close rivalry shows neither team has ever really kept the other down in all their meetings.

The match between New York Red Bulls and Sporting Kansas City is a classic case of a team fighting for playoff security against one trying to restore some pride late in the season. While the Red Bulls will be keen to get back to winning ways, Sporting Kansas does have the firepower to cause problems, especially if they can capitalize on any recent defensive lapses within the home team.

With the form of both teams and respective defensive vulnerabilities, it really seems that a BTTS bet is in the most likely position. Historical data do support such a fact that both teams score, especially with both teams to score occurring 5 of the last 7 games for the Red Bulls and 6 of 7 in head-to-head matches.

• Both Teams to Score @ 1.69 Odds
• Full Time Draw @ 4.10 Odds
• Correct Score 1-1 @ 8.00 Odds