The New York Red Bulls and Atlanta United are each looking to bounce back after getting shellacked on Wednesday night. Atlanta United went to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Fire, and they quickly realized they would not get a result. Chicago scored two goals in seven minutes, and a straight red card for Leandro Gonzalez Pirez in the 11th minute put the Five Stripes down 10 men. It was all academic from there as the Fire cruised to a 5-1 win.
As for the Red Bulls, they went on the road and lost 4-0 to the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night. The Red Bulls back line was torn apart by Mauro Manotas and Alberth Elis, who combined to net three goals in the win.
Don't miss the Major League Soccer action from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 7, 2019. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN.
MLS Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Atlanta United -227
New York Red Bulls +635
Draw +363
Over/Under 2.5 and 3
Odds Analysis
It’s not time to hit the panic button just yet for Atlanta, but the Five Stripes have hit another rough patch after a five-game winning streak in late April and early May seemingly righted the ship. They have now lost four straight road games, and in the loss to Chicago they allowed the most first half goals in franchise history. Fortunately, Frank De Boer and Atlanta might have two of their best players back for this match. Star forward Josef Martinez is set to return to action after a few weeks with Venezuela in Copa America, and midfielder Ezequiel Barco is close to returning after straining some ligaments in his knee two weeks ago.
NYRB have not been good away from home this season. Three of their four results on the road have come against the three worst teams in MLS, and that makes them significant underdogs here. However, they did upset Atlanta back in mid-May beating them 1-0 thanks to a Tom Barlow goal despite being down to 10 men in the game.
Key Absences
Barco is the main concern for Atlanta. He is their playmaking midfielder with Pity Martinez still struggling, so getting him back would be huge. Forward Hector Villalba (knee), midfielder Kevin Kratz (calf), and defender George Bello (adductor) are all expected to miss this match due to injury for the hosts, while defender Leandro Gonzalez Pirez will miss the game after his red card on Wednesday.
The Red Bulls don’t have midfielder Florian Valot for the rest of the season, and they are unlikely to have defender Tim Parker either due to an ankle injury. Midfielder Kaku and defender Michael Amir Murillo will both miss the match following red cards against Dallas on Wednesday.
Player to Watch
Atlanta need Josef Martinez back in a big way. Martinez smashed the single-season scoring record in 2018, and the Five Stripes rely on him to score goals. Barco has the second-most goals on the team this season with 4 goals, while Martinez has netted 15 goals in 10 matches. Martinez seems to have avoided any minor injuries at Copa America, and he will get a warm welcome on Sunday.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
The Five Stripes will pick up the win here. They have been fantastic at home this season (6-1-2), and potentially welcoming back both Martinez and Barco will be a big boost. Meanwhile, the Red Bulls will really be hurt by those red cards, and that will leave them short-handed for this match.
Major League Soccer Odds: Atlanta United 2, New York Red Bulls 1
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