New York Red Bulls vs. Orlando City Predictions 4/24/22
New York Red Bulls (3-2-2, 11 points, 3rd place Eastern Conference) vs. Orlando City (4-2-2, 14 points, 2nd place Eastern Conference)
When: Sunday, April 24, 3:30 p.m.
Where: Exploria Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
TV: ESPN
Point Spread: RBNY 0/Orlando 0
Moneyline: RBNY +200/Orlando +135/Draw +210 (BAS – Underdogs pay more here! Favorites cost less!)
Total: Over 2.5 (+100)/Under 2.5 (-145)
Last Time Out:
New York Red Bulls drew 0-0 with FC Dallas; Orlando beat Columbus 2-0.
Previous meeting:
New York Red Bulls defeated Orlando City on July 3 at Exploria Stadium.
About the Matchup:
With Philadelphia looking like the best the East has to offer, these teams are looking to decide who No. 2 is. Orlando might be ahead in the standings, but the Red Bulls have gotten the better of the Lions as of late, taking seven points in the teams’ past three meetings. Plus, for reasons completely unexplainable, the Red Bulls have proven themselves to be road warriors: all three of their wins have come away from home this season. Out of the ten goals they’ve put home this season, eight of them have come away from Red Bull Arena.
That’s far from ideal for Orlando, which has played well in its past two matches but has been a bit inconsistent at home, allowing six goals in home losses to Los Angeles FC and Cincinnati. The defense really hasn’t done its job when facing the Red Bulls, as the past four meetings have seen both teams hit the back of the net. Orlando hasn’t kept the Red Bulls off the scoresheet since March of 2019, a string of five straight matches.
Scouting New York Red Bulls:
Based on advanced stats, the Red Bulls should have picked up a pair of wins over FC Dallas and Montreal, but they ended up with just one goal and one point from those matches. The Red Bulls have created plenty of chances around the net, but they haven’t been putting much home, scoring no more than once in any of their past five times on the pitch.
The encouraging thing about the way that the Red Bulls played was that they put plenty of shots on the frame, putting seven on target against FC Dallas out of the 20 shots they took. Eventually, shots are going to go in for the Red Bulls if they keep getting good looks; it’s just a matter of actually executing. Getting a stronger performance out of Lewis Morgan, who hasn’t scored since his hat trick against Toronto FC, would also make a big difference.
Scouting Orlando City:
Ercan Kara seems to be coming into his own in central Florida, as he’s now scored in back-to-back matches after coming over from Rapid Vienna. The Austrian forward has long had a nose for goal, as he averaged just under a goal every two games in Europe, and having him take control of the offense would be a big step in the right direction for the Lions. What has to concern the rest of the East is that Orlando is still rounding into form, as the Lions are set to have Gaston Gonzalez joining them from Argentina sometime next month.
For now, the Orlando attack flows through Facundo Torres, who has assisted on six of the Lions’ 10 markers this season. Orlando has shown a tendency to strike quickly, as happened when it hit LAFC for two goals in nine minutes, but the Lions have also let down at home, allowing LAFC to put home four markers and seize control of the match. The defense has to be better if the wins are going to continue because one mistake could allow RBNY to get its confidence back and punish the Lions on the break.
Dan’s Best Bets:
Orlando’s suspect defense says that the best play on the board is probably the over at even money. Because RBNY played out a scoreless draw the last time it took the pitch, the public naturally gravitated toward that outcome again, but the Red Bulls have been good for a goal in five of their seven matches, so I think three holds a lot of sense here, especially at this price.
To make a more aggressive play on this match, I like Orlando and both to score at +375. The fact that both teams have hit the net in four straight matchups with each other says that there are likely to be goals scored from both sides. I like Orlando’s performances at home with Kara becoming a greater part of the offense, and I think RBNY’s string of road performances has to end at some point. I think this is where it happens.
Dan’s Score Prediction:
With Orlando at home and coming off a two-goal performance against Columbus, I think this is the time for the Lions to break their slump against the Red Bulls with a strong performance at home. I think the Red Bulls can take a goal home from this match, but I lean toward Orlando to claim the win here and will back the Lions on a 2-1 score for a +850 payout. Bet your New York vs. Orlando City prediction for free by taking advantage of a 100% REAL CASH bonus on your first deposit up to $500 at Betnow Sportsbook when you use bonus code PREDICTEM.
