New York vs New York City FC Picks and Prediction – 11/23/2024

New York City FC hosts the New York Red Bulls on Saturday in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference in the MLS Cup playoffs. New York City FC has reached this point thanks to excellent play from goalkeeper Matt Freese who made excellent saves during open play and the series-deciding penalty shootout, propelling NYCFC into this matchup with its biggest arch-rival. Keep up to date with all the soccer action, with our expert soccer picks.

New York City FC defeated FC Cincinnati in its best-of-three first round despite losing the opening match of the series. New York City FC bounced back with a 3-1 victory in the second match at home on goals from Alonso Martinez, Thiago Martins, and Santiago Rodriguez. NYCFC then was the winner in the third and deciding match in penalties after a 0-0 draw in regulation

The New York Red Bulls pulled off an upset in the first round by defeating Columbus Crew, the 2023 MLS Cup winners. New York swept Columbus in its best-of-three series earlier in November and has won two of the last three MLS matches away from home. New York has lost two straight to NYCFC but never lost three straight to their rivals in the same season.

The New York Red Bulls have won two straight playoff games and three of the last six across all competitions, entering this conference semifinal matchup. New York will have a tough time playing away from home, but with their excellent results in the first round of the playoffs, when sweeping Columbus, expect the Red Bulls to give NYCFC an excellent match on Saturday.

New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls will play 90 minutes of full-out action, back and forth and the result will likely hinge on the play of both backlines and goalkeepers. New York City FC may have the advantage in the goalkeeping department as Matt Freese is playing excellently and helped them reach this point with great play in the third and deciding match of their first-round series versus FC Cincinnati. Final Score Prediction, New York City FC wins 2-1.