New York Red Bulls vs CF Montreal

New York Red Bulls’ pursuit of their first Major League Soccer win since late June brings CF Montreal to the Red Bull Arena this midweek.

Sharing the spoils has recently been a running theme for New York, as five of their last six MLS matches have ended level (W1), including three in a row ahead of this trip. Another draw isn’t out of the question for the Eastern Conference ‘stalemate specialists,’ considering 43.48% of their league games in 2024 have finished all square, including a goal-glutted 2-2 draw against Montreal in June’s reverse fixture. Perhaps returning to the home comforts of their Red Bull Arena in Harrison could help them flip the script, with Sandro Schwarz’s men racking up four victories in their last six home league outings (D2). Three of those four wins saw New York score at least three goals, suggesting another high-scoring event could be in store.

Visiting Montreal will hope for a more closely contested affair, aware of their offensive shortcomings. Laurent Courtois’ side squeaked past 10-man Atlanta United 1-0 at home last weekend to arrest a two-game winless run (D1, L1) and reignite their hopes of securing a playoff berth. Starting this round on the periphery of the top nine, Montreal are desperate to improve the third-worst traveling record in the Eastern Conference (W2, D3, L7) and potentially snap a woeful nine-match winless away streak in MLS (D2, L7). But that could be easier said than done against New York, a side they’ve lost to in three of their last four MLS duels in Harrison (W1).