The first Sunday of the NFL season might be as big as it gets for some fans, but for those who prefer an entirely different kind of football, there's still a fix for you as well. D.C. United is clinging to that last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference heading into Match Day 28, but they're likely to fall flat when they take on the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on Sunday.
This MLS duel will go down Sunday, September 11, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at Red Bull Arena. The match will be televised live on ESPN.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
New York Red Bulls -185
D.C. United +580
Draw +300
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
One really only has to look at the home and away splits of these teams to understand why the Red Bulls are favored by a full goal on the Asian Handicap and a -185 margin on the moneyline. New York has the most wins at home in the MLS with 10, while D.C. United has just one win and a total of eight positive results in 13 away matches thus far in 2016.
The total of 3 is high, but it does feature a vig set at -138 on the under.
Key Injuries
Really, the problems on the injury report are more about suspensions than injuries. United's Luciano Acosta has been banned from this game for yellow card accumulation, while the same could be said for New York's Mike Grella and Alex Muyl.
The last of problems for the Black and Reds though, is far more daunting to overcome. D.C. United is missing Chris Korb, Collin Martin, Chris Rolfe and Charlie Horton, and Alhaji Kamara, Jared Jeffrey, Taylor Kemp and Kofi Opare are all up in the air for this one. That's a long list of problems for a team that wasn't all that deep in the first place coming into the season.
The Red Bulls only have their two long-term problems to deal with, those of Gideon Baah and Connor Lade who are out for the season.
Recent Form
United has been all over the place of late. The team was beaten 3-2 at NYCFC a week and a half ago but beat up Chicago 6-2. Still, picking up at least a point in six out of seven is good, though not winning six out of seven isn't. Both statements are true in the case of the Black and Reds.
The run for the Red Bulls though, has been all the more impressive. They've managed at least a point from 12 straight matches dating all the way back to July 3, including consecutive 1-0 wins over New England and Vancouver, the latter of which came on the road.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
We got a pretty good idea a couple weeks ago of what these teams bring to the table against each other in a 2-2 draw at rainy RFK Stadium.
Still, if D.C. plans on giving up goals at the rate which it has in the last several weeks, this is going to be a long match. Bill Hamid is one of the better keepers you probably haven't heard of, but he's got to get some help. The good news is that both of the men who setup the first goal for New York in that match on August 21 are out of the fold. The bad news is that Bradley Wright-Phillips is on a tear and is probably going to have enough here to win this match all by himself.
Go ahead and lay the one goal on the Asian Handicap. It's hard to win by multiple goals in this league, but we'd rather bank on the -1 and guarantee at least a push with a win than go against the Red Bulls and need a draw to secure a victory on D.C. United.
MLS Odds: New York 2, D.C. United 0
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