FC Cincinnati at New York Red Bulls Betting Preview

The Orange and Blue of FC Cincinnati have played much better on the road this season than they have at home, with the exception of their last game at Nashville SC. This week they head to the East Coast to take on struggling New York Red Bulls. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, and will be televised on ESPN+.

FC Cincinnati are pretty heavy underdogs in this one at +525 on the moneyline. The Orange and Blue have won the last two games in the series, including a road win last September. The Red Bulls won the previous two games in New Jersey and are 3-2 all-time since FCC joined the MLS.

Cincinnati Back to Work on Defense

After a rough game in Nashville the week before, the Orange and Blue got back to playing good defense on Saturday in a 0-0 home draw with D.C. United. They sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, one spot behind the Red Bulls heading into Saturday’s game.

FCC started the year with a rough go, allowing five goals at NYCFC, so they may have some shellshock returning to the New York area. Since then, they have played better, but the wins have been hard to come by.

In the last eight games, Jaap Stam’s team have four draws and two wins but twice blew late leads. They have clean sheets in three of those games since adding veteran goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer and center back Geoff Cameron.

Up top Luciano Acosta leads the Orange and Blue with four goals on the season. Newcomer Brenner has added three goals, all on the road. Two of his goals came in the same game at Montreal, while the other came from the spot in his FCC debut.

New York Needs Help Finishing

The Red Bulls had a great chance to pick up an important win last Saturday but ultimately fell 3-2 against first-place New England. They led twice but gave up two late goals and left without any points. The loss extends RBNY’s winless streak to four games, including a 1-1 draw against 10-man Philadelphia Union.

The Red Bulls have dropped 13 points from leading positions this season, second to LAFC (14) in all of MLS. They also hold the distinction of being the only team in the league without a goal from a substitute this season. They have had a rough schedule so far, with five games combined against New England and Philadelphia.

Caden Clark leads the Red Bulls with four goals on the season, but the 18-year-old hasn’t scored since May 29. Fabio has a team-best six assists, two more than Patryk Kimala. It has been a struggle for new manager Gerhard Struber, but the Red Bulls do have four wins in their seven home games this season.

Betting Analysis

FC Cincinnati: +525 Moneyline. -1.5 goals (-200)
New York Red Bulls: -185 Moneyline. -1.5 goals (+150)
Draw: +330
Total Goals: 2.5. Over -150, Under +120
First Goal: FC Cincinnati +200. New York -225. No Goals +900

Both teams have had trouble closing games this year, with RBNY tied for the league lead with three losses after leading in the match. FCC has twice blown leads to lose and also saw opposition grab game-tying goals in the waning moments. The Orange and Blue have picked up 11 of their 14 points on the road, so taking them to score first or pick up a point on Saturday is worth the wager.