ATLANTA – Atlanta United returns to action Wednesday night in an Eastern Conference showdown with New York Red Bulls at 7:30 p.m. (Bally Sports South, Star 94.1, La Mejor). Both teams sit above the playoff line with two matches remaining in the season, and each team has an opportunity on Wednesday to clinch a spot in the 2021 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Atlanta owns an all-time record of 1-7-3 against New York Red Bulls: 1-3-2 at home, 0-3-1 on the road and 0-1-0 at a neutral site. Atlanta’s loan victory came at a good time – defeating Red Bulls in the 2018 Eastern Conference Final, winning 3-1 on aggregate. During the 2021 season Atlanta and New York have played once, a 0-0 draw on June 27 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
- Atlanta sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings on 47 points and is coming off a 1-1 draw against Toronto FC on Saturday. Atlanta is riding a four-match unbeaten streak into play on Wednesday and needs three points to clinch a spot in the 2021 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
- New York currently sits in 7th place in the Eastern Conference, a point behind Atlanta on 46 points. They’re coming off a 1-0 win against CF Montreal on Saturday and have won five of their last six matches. Like Atlanta, New York can clinch a spot in the 2021 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs with three points on Wednesday.
- Luiz Araújo scored his fourth goal of the season against Toronto FC on Saturday. He’s now registered a point in five consecutive matches and finished the month of October with three goals and three assists in five matches.
- Brad Guzan had a season-high seven saves on Saturday against Toronto FC and is up to 93 on the season, eighth best in MLS. He remains second in MLS in save percentage (minimum of 1,000 minutes played) at 76.86 percent, slightly behind Colorado’s William Yarbrough (77.61 percent).
- Atlanta can clinch a spot in the 2021 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs with a win over New York on Wednesday. It can also clinch a spot with a draw, combined with CF Montreal either drawing or losing against Houston Dynamo.
MATCH INFORMATION
Wednesday, Nov. 3 | Red Bulls Arena, Harrison, N.J. | 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Atlanta United (12-9-11, 47 points) vs. New York Red Bulls (13-12-7, 46 points)
PLAYOFF CLINCHING SCENARIO
Atlanta United will clinch a berth in the 2021 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs IF:
- Atlanta United win vs. New York Red Bulls
OR
- Atlanta United draw vs. New York Red Bulls AND
- CF Montréal lose or draw vs. Houston Dynamo
See additional MLS Playoff scenarios here.
ABOUT ATLANTA UNITED
Atlanta United joined Major League Soccer in 2017 and won the 2018 MLS Cup in just its second season, the earliest an expansion team has won the title since 1998. The club has set multiple league records including season tickets sales (36,000-plus), single-game attendance (72,548), single-season average (53,002) and total home attendance (901,033). Owned by Arthur M. Blank, and led by club President Darren Eales, Atlanta United plays its home matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. For more information about Atlanta United, including how to purchase season tickets, visit: http://www.atlutd.com, and follow @ATLUTD.
