The New York Red Bulls sure don't look like a No. 6 seed. RBNY became the first ever No. 6 seed to advance out of the knockout round of the MLS Cup playoff. Now, it's going to have a shot at slaying the giants of the MLS in the conference semifinals starting with Monday night's home affair with Toronto FC.
This MLS duel will go down Monday, October 30, 2017, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Red Bull Arena. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
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New York Red Bulls
Toronto FC
Draw
Over/Under
Odds Analysis
It's going to be really hard to bet against the Reds in this series. They're going to be the overwhelming favorites to advance, and they're probably going to end up being modest favorites here at Red Bull Arena as well. TFC was easily the best team in the MLS this season with 69 points, including winning a whopping seven away matches.
That said, the Red Bulls are in fine form at the moment. They have a great playoff history and should at least put up a fight. To say that they need to at least get something positive from this match would be an understatement, though; TFC went 13-3-1 this season while playing at BMO Field, and New York probably isn't the team to overturn a home defeat against the best in the MLS.
How They Got Here
The Reds enjoyed a few extra days off from the end of the regular season. They averaged a stunning 2.03 points per match this year in their 20-win season, and they're now here as the prohibitive favorites to win the MLS Cup for the first time in their history.
The Red Bulls were sizeable underdogs against Chicago in their opening round playoff match in the Windy City, but they really left no doubt that they were truly the better team. Those two clubs were only separated by five points for the season, and it looked like there was a veteran side and one that wasn't ready for that particular moment quite yet.
New York struck four times in the match, including two in the opening 11 minutes. Bradley Wright-Phillips started off the scoring seven minutes in, while Sacha Kljestan doubled the tally four minutes later. From there on, it was all about the defense just clogging up the paths for the Chicago attackers. With the security blanket already in hand, Daniel Royer added a goal in the 70th minute, and the game was finished off with the fourth from Gonzalo Veron three minutes from time.
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No. 1 seeds don't always have the greatest luck in these semifinal matches, and Toronto FC clearly has a big target on its back after racking up 69 points during the regular season.
There's no doubt that the Reds are talented. Michael Bradley knows that this is a chance to at least remove some of the stench from his captaincy of the U.S. Men's National Team that failed to get to the World Cup. Jozy Altidore is feeling the same sort of pressure for sure.
That said, the Red Bulls look like they're playing at a different level right now. They were in good form at the end of the regular season, particularly in the matches that finally clinched a playoff spot once and for all, and that match against Chicago was as good as you're ever going to see a team play on the road.
If Toronto isn't careful, this match could end up getting a wee out of hand. The Reds are going to be behind when they head back to the Great White North. The question is by how many goals.
MLS Odds: New York 2, Toronto 1
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