Preview: Toronto vs. New York Red Bulls – Prediction, Team News, Lineups

They need a win to ensure they stay above the Eastern Conference playoff line. Toronto Host the New York Red Bulls at BMO Field on Wednesday in the 32nd game of the MLS campaign for the Canadiens.

A 1-1 draw against the Chicago Fire last weekend left the Reds three-and-a-half up for the final playoff spot in the East, while the Red Bulls officially secured a spot in the postseason despite a 5-1 loss New York City FC on Saturday.

Game preview

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With two games left in their regular season, the Reds are still in control of their playoff fate, but they're awfully close.

The draw against Chicago extended their winning streak to four games in all competitions, meaning they only get past the playoff cutoff because they have two more wins (11) than the Philadelphia Union and CF Montreal, with whom they are tied on points ( 37).

John HerdmanThe men of . will play their remaining two league contests at BMO Field, where they have lost two of their last three regular season games, including a 2-0 loss in their final home game against the Columbus Crew.

TFC failed to win six domestic competitions this season when scoring the first goal, losing 16 points as a result.

Winning their last two MLS competitions would not only secure them a place in the playoffs for the first time since 2020, but would also give them 13 regular season wins, matching their 2020 mark.

They have yet to pick up a single point against a New York-based club in MLS this year and have lost all three of those meetings, although they did manage a 5-4 shootout win over the Red Bulls in the Leagues Cup last summer.

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On Saturday, the Red Bulls were humiliated by their arch-rivals and experienced what was probably their lowest point of the season under Sandro Schwarz.

Still, they are back in the postseason and will try to end a six-game winless streak in MLS on Wednesday.

That's one point shy of their longest domestic winless streak a year ago, which dropped them to sixth place in the conference, two points behind fourth-place Orlando City.

The Red Bulls have only had three away wins this MLS season, the second fewest in the Eastern Conference.

Two of the remaining three games will be played away from home, where they failed to win twice in 2024 when they scored the opening goal.

New York is undefeated in its last 10 meetings with Toronto in the competition and has not conceded a goal in four consecutive league games against them.

Toronto Major League Soccer form:

Toronto form (all competitions):

Form of the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer:

Team news

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The Reds had no chance against Chicago Derrick Etienne available due to a knock, Charlie Sharp had to take a break due to lower leg problems Henry Wingo And Nicksoen Gomis had to sit out due to groin strains.

Deybi Flores missed their weekend game due to yellow card accumulation but is eligible to play again on Wednesday Shane O'Neill came on after missing some time due to a hit.

Prince Owusu converted a penalty against the Fire in stoppage time in the first half and equalized Federico Bernardeschi for the team lead with eight goals.

The Red Bulls were missing on Saturday Sean Nealis And Wikelman Carmona with thigh problems, during Kyle Duncan And Roald Mitchell had to take a break due to knee injuries.

Emil Forsberg He returned from a foot injury and came on as a substitute for the Swede Dennis Gjengaar in their one-sided defeat last weekend.

Dante Vanzeir scored for the second straight season, although his fourth of the MLS season against the Boys in Blue was far from enough.

Toronto's possible starting lineup:
Johnson; Rosted, Long, Petretta; Spicer, Coello, Longstaff, Laryea; Bernardeschi, Osorio; Owusu

Possible starting lineup for the New York Red Bulls:
Coronel; D. Nealis, Reyes, Eile, Tolkin; Gjengaar, Forsberg, Edelman, Harper; Vanzeir, Morgan

We say: Toronto 2:1 New York Red Bulls

With only two games remaining, Toronto will need to pull out all the stops, and we expect their urgency to help them secure a win against a team that has been playing conservatively for weeks.

For data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this game, please click here.

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