New York City FC vs Atlanta United

Yankee Stadium sets the stage for a high-stakes Major League Soccer showdown between New York City FC and Atlanta United. 

New York City’s quest to secure a playoff spot in the Easter Conference has taken back-to-back blows (D1, L1), leaving them fractionally off 9th-placed Chicago Fire. However, they trail Gregg Berhalter’s side on goal difference alone, and the impending home return could help them temporarily overhaul the gap. Indeed, 60% of NYCFC’s MLS points have come at Yankee Stadium (15/25), with Pascal Jansen’s side winning six of their nine home league games this term (W6, L3). Furthermore, they head into proceedings on a six-game unbeaten home run against Atlanta (W3, D3), though their last three H2Hs here ended in scoring draws. Against this backdrop, five of NYCFC’s six most recent home league outings have seen the winner keep a clean sheet (W4, L2), highlighting the importance of drawing first blood. 

That’s not been Atlanta United’s strong suit, especially away from home, considering they’ve scored the opening goal just once on seven MLS road trips this season. A genuine lack of firepower saw the visitors score only four goals across those seven matches – fewer than any other team in the Eastern Conference. Therefore, it’s barely surprising they’ve yet to post a single away league win this term (D2, L5). Finding a cure to Atlanta’s travel sickness is imperative for head coach Ronny Deila, with his side already lagging eight points behind the playoff pace. The visitors can at least take confidence from winning two of their last three MLS fixtures (L1), netting 3+ goals in both victories.