Match Preview: Atlanta United hosts New York Red Bulls at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Quick Hits

• Atlanta United has never beaten the New York Red Bulls in MLS regular season play.
• On Thursday, Atlanta United's Thiago Almada was named MLS Player of the Month.
• Atlanta United's new retail collection to celebrate 404 Day will be available to purchase at the match at the Team Store.

Related

• 'We're back to where we are as a team' | This week's Training Notebook
• Who's in and who's out for Atlanta United against Red Bulls? View our Availability Report presented by Piedmont
• Tools to the Match: How Atlanta United gets back on track with win against New York Red Bulls
• WATCH: Gonzalo Pineda previews Atlanta United's home match vs New York Red Bulls

Match Details

• Date: Saturday, April 1
• Kickoff time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• Tickets: View tickets

Going to the match? Check out our detailed timeline and things to do before kickoff.

How to watch, listen and live stream Atlanta United vs. New York Red Bulls

• TV: Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
• Listen: Local radio 92.9 The Game and La Mejor
• Live stream: Watch on your phone or device by subscribing to MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app or visit https://tv.apple.com/.

Click here to watch the video to learn how to sign up for MLS Season Pass

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Atlanta United started the season hot, going unbeaten in their first four matches on their way to earn 10 points and a spot at the top of the Eastern Conference table. However, with a few key figures away with their national teams, the 5-Stripes got their first loss of the season on the road against Columbus Crew last weekend. Atlanta United enters Saturday's matchup coming off a loss for the first time in 2023.

On the other side, New York Red Bulls has been quietly earning results. The Red Bulls lost their season opener on the road against Orlando City, then earned results in their next four matches, three of those draws. Last time out, the Red Bulls played Charlotte FC to a draw at Bank of America Stadium. Saturday's matchup in Atlanta is their second straight on the road.

Series History and Last Meeting

The series between these two clubs has been lopsided. In 14 of the all-time meetings, Atlanta United has only beaten New York Red Bulls once, and that was in the first leg of the 2018 Conference Finals. Last season, the two teams met twice. In the first meeting at Red Bulls Arena, head coach Gonzalo Pineda started three center backs to manage New York's high press. Atlanta United gave up a goal in the 89th minute from Red Bulls forward Serge Ngoma and fell 2-1. Red Bulls also won the second matchup last season 2-1, giving the home team a two-goal deficit early.

Players To Watch

Thiago Almada (Atlanta United) – The MLS Player of the Month and Atlanta United's Starboy has performed at an MVP-caliber level to start the season. Even after missing Atlanta United's last match because of the international break, the 21-year-old still leads MLS in goal contributions (8) and shot involvements (36). During the break, Almada continued his excellent run of form, scoring his first career goal for Argentina. He returns from international duty to help the 5-Stripes earn a result at home.

Cristian Cásseres, Jr. (New York Red Bulls) – The New York Red Bulls midfielder was recently selected to the Venezuela men's national team for their friendlies in March. Last time Red Bulls played Atlanta United, he assisted both goals to record the first multi-match assist of his MLS career. In five appearances against Atlanta United, Cásseres tallied three assists. He's recorded seven assists in his last 10 MLS regular season matches.

Midfielder Amar Sejdić on New York Red Bulls:

"Going into Saturday, we really do want to play through them. We want to expose their weaknesses and end up coming out with a win. So, it's not that we're not going to come out and battle. We know that if we do play long ball that they're going to be hungry for the second ball. So, we're going to have to be very aware of that and make sure we're on top of our game and set the intensity rather than match it."