NY Red Bulls vs. Atlanta (Wednesday, 11.30pm)
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The New York Red Bulls come into their final home fixture of the regular season knowing that a victory over Atlanta United would earn them a playoff berth for a 12th successive campaign.
New York picked up a massive three points over the weekend, scoring in injury-time to defeat CF Montreal 1-0, while Atlanta conceded two minutes from the end to draw Toronto 1-1.
We say: New York Red Bulls 0-0 Atlanta United
The Five Stripes have never won or scored a goal in three previous visits to Red Bull Arena, and we expect that trend to continue as New York have done a masterful job of shutting down opposing sides at home, and when they do allow opportunities, Coronel is usually there to bail them out.
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Montreal vs. Houston (Wednesday, 11.30pm)
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CF Montreal are now in must-win territory from here on out as they host the Houston Dynamo from Saputo Stadium on Wednesday.
After conceding an injury-time goal in a 1-0 defeat to the New York Red Bulls this weekend, Montreal are three points back of the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference, while the Dynamo have dropped three in a row.
We say: CF Montreal 1-0 Houston Dynamo
Neither side are particularly potent in the final third, but Montreal will be the more desperate team knowing that only a pair of victories will be enough to prolong their season beyond this upcoming Sunday.
The Dynamo have been poor on the road all season, while Montreal are at their best when playing at Saputo Stadium, and we expect that the crowd's enthusiasm could will the home side to victory.
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Austin vs. Kansas (Thursday, 1.00am)
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Austin FC have a chance to foil the first-place aspirations of Sporting Kansas City when they host the Wizards in their final home fixture this year at Q2 Stadium on Wednesday.
The Verde-and-Black conceded with 10 minutes remaining over the weekend, losing 2-1 to Dallas, while KC missed an opportunity to widen their lead atop the Western Conference standings, dropping a 2-1 decision to Minnesota United.
We say: Austin FC 1-2 Sporting Kansas City
In recent weeks, the Verde-and-Black have shown a lot of resolve and fight, with four of their last five contests decided by a single goal.
We have mentioned this several times before, but it bears repeating, the Wizards have never lost consecutive matches all year, and we do not expect them to do so on Wednesday, especially with an additional offensive threat in Salloi back in the fold.
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Salt Lake vs. Portland (Thursday, 2.30am)
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The stakes could not be any higher for the Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake, who will battle for a big three points on Wednesday at Rio Tinto Stadium.
A win would assure that the Timbers take part in the playoffs for a fifth straight season, while RSL are one point back of a postseason berth after dropping a 4-3 decision to the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.
We say: Real Salt Lake 2-2 Portland Timbers
The Timbers know how to get the job done when it comes to making the postseason, and they have not had any trouble finding the back of the net versus Claret and Cobalt.
RSL know that their backs are up against the wall at this point, so we should see them fight hard, but managing their emotions down the stretch has been an issue for this side as they have at times failed to channel their energy into something positive.
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Ben Knapton
