MLS Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls Prediction, Preview, and Odds - 9/14/21
Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls
The 2021 MLS season goes on Tuesday, September 14, with the Eastern Conference showdown from Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio, as the reigning MLS champions welcome the New York Red Bulls. The Columbus Crew opened as slight +125 home favorites, while the Red Bulls sit +225 to win all three points. These two foes meet for the second time in 2021, and New York outlasted Columbus 1-0 as a -120 home fave in August.
Columbus dropped eight of its last nine games
The Columbus Crew have played in terrible form over the last six weeks. They’ve lost eight of their last nine games at any location along with a 3-2 home victory over Cincinnati. The Crew are coming off a 1-0 defeat at Inter Miami this past Saturday, tallying their second straight loss while failing to score for the third time in their last four showings on the road.
In its last five outings at home, Columbus has earned four points (W1, D1, L3) and an 8:11 goal difference. The Crew are sitting at the 10th spot of the Eastern Conference standings with 27 points (W7, D6, L11) and a 27:33 goal difference, trailing the No. 7 seed by four points.
Midfielder Lucas Zelarayan leads the way for Columbus with seven goals and a couple of dishes in 23 MLS appearances this season. Strikers Miguel Berry and Gyasi Zardes have scored four goals each, while the 33-year-old experienced winger Pedro Santos is the team’s best assist-maker with three dishes in 23 outings.
New York hopes to stop a three-game road slide
The New York Red Bulls are coming off a 1-1 home draw against DC United last Saturday. It was their fourth stalemate over the last ten outings at any location, and the Red Bulls have won only one game in that stretch, outlasting the Columbus Crew 1-0 on August 18.
In their last three showings away from home, the Red Bulls have suffered three narrow losses at DC United 1-0, Chicago 2-1, and Montreal 2-1. They are sitting at the 11th spot of the Eastern Conference standings with 23 points from 21 games (W6, D5, L10), trailing the bottom playoff spot by huge eight points, though the Red Bulls had a couple of games in hand.
Patryk Klimala commands the way for the Red Bulls, as the 23-year-old striker has accounted for four goals and five assists in 17 appearances this season. The 24-year-old forward Fabio has three goals and six assists on his tally, while midfielders Cristhian Casseres and Caden Clark have added four goals each.
The Pick:Draw
This is probably the last chance for both teams to catch the playoff train, so I’m expecting a hard-fought battle. Also, both sides have been playing in an awful form for a while, making this wager even more difficult.
New York is winless in nine straight road encounters with Columbus, recording four draws and five losses in the process. I don’t trust the Crew to grab a win here, considering their recent run of results, so backing a draw could at least get some nice wages.
Total:Under 2.5 Goals
Columbus’ offense has struggled all season, though the Crew has bagged three goals in their last home contests. On the other side, New York is struggling to score goals as well, netting just four times over its previous six games overall.
Hereof, I don’t expect to see a high-scoring affair, especially because the stake is huge for both clubs. Of course, if somebody breaks the deadlock, the other side will have to push forward in numbers, but these two teams should take a cautious approach.