The New York Red Bulls (4-5-1, 17 Points) have never lost at home in franchise history to the Philadelphia Union (2-3-7, 9 Points). They'll hope that continues at Red Bull Arena on Sunday night.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Red Bulls are clearly going to be favored in this match by a comfortable margin, likely by the odds-on margin. New York has had all sorts of success at home this season, while Philadelphia certainly looks like it is going to be one of the teams which misses out on the second season this year from the Eastern Conference.
KEY INJURIES
The Red Bulls are relatively healthy at this point, as they are only awaiting the return of Sal Zizzo from a broken leg, a return which could come in the next 3-4 weeks or so.
The Union are still without long-term absentees Andre Blake and Michael Lahoud, though they will hope to get back both Fred and Steven Vitoria from minor injuries this week.
With major injuries right now to deal with in net, the Union are stuck with Brian Sylvestre in the pipes. Sylvestre is only in the MLS from the Carolina RailHawks of the NASL on loan, and he had to have his loan extended longer than the Union initially wanted.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"The back line overall, did really well. Castillo is one of the most dangerous players in the league, if not the most dangerous, and we didn't give much away." – New York head coach Jesse Marsch on his team's defense in last week's scoreless draw against FC Dallas
RECENT FORM
That draw for the Red Bulls was important on the road against one of the best teams in the league. New York has gone a modest 1-1-1 in its last three fixtures, cooling off just a bit after a 3-2-0 start to the campaign.
The Union picked up a huge win last week against D.C. United, ending a four-match losing streak. Still, that victory came deep into stoppage time in a game in which they were outplayed, so there isn't a lot to love about Philly's form.
TALKING TOTALS
The scoreless draw was the first of its kind for the Red Bulls this year. They have three clean sheets in 10 fixtures, and they haven't played a game this season to more than four goals. Still, their totals are split at five apiece through their first 10 games.
The alternation of overs and unders have continued for the Union. Their last four have alternated between over and under results, and if that pattern continues, this game should be an over affair after a relatively drab 1-0 game in D.C.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Union are still in a lot of trouble here, and we think that Sylvestre is about to get exposed for being nothing more than an NASL net minder in this match.
Bradley Wright Phillips has been a massive nuisance to Philadelphia in his career, and he should once again have a really good game, building upon his five goals and three assists on the season.
Don't be stunned if this one gets relatively ugly from the get go, knowing that the Union have massive problems at the back and don't really have that many gunners to shoot for up front either. A lopsided final score isn't out of the question, especially with New York playing on Sunday after playing on a Friday last week. The extra days of rest could really help.
New York 3, Philadelphia 0
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