Good morning! Sydney here with this edition of the Scarves and Spikes Daily newsletter. Follow me on X, BSky, IG, and Threads.
Maybe all Atlanta United needs is some home cooking to turn around a struggling season.
The last time Atlanta played a home match was May 9, a 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy. Now, nearly 100 days later, they’re set to take the Mercedes-Benz Stadium pitch against Red Bull New York, a team finding its way under first-year head coach Michael Bradley. The spotlight will be brightest on Julian Hall: with nine goals and three assists in his second full MLS season, the 18-year-old, eligible to play internationally for both the United States and Poland, could find himself overseas before too long.
But there’s other young talent on this team. Adri Mehmeti (17) has started all but one match for RBNY this season. Matthew Dos Santos (18) is the team’s first-choice left back. Nineteen-year-old Mijahir Jiménez, recently signed from RBNY II, bagged a brace in the Red Bulls’ last match, a 3-2 win over Orlando City. Midfielder Ronald Donkor (21) is another RBNY II product. While it hasn’t been perfect, there aren’t many teams that have embraced the “play your kids” mantra the way the Red Bulls have.
I’m not confident Atlanta will get a win tomorrow (in fact, I said on Wednesday’s pod that it would be 3-2 Red Bulls). I’m not even sure how many fans will be in the building. All I’m hoping for — more than anything — is a team that shows some passion and is able to put together a complete performance, win, lose, or draw. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Keep it here for coverage throughout the weekend.
Today
- .com – Three Questions about RBNY with Red Bulls writer Daniel Rebain
Tomorrow
- .com – Match thread/how to watch in the morning; plus our match preview, match recap, and Tyler’s instant reaction
- YouTube – Prematch show at 6:30; Three Takeaways after the match
Our MLS Matchday 20 Picks, presented by Scorehub
Tyler and I took a look at the biggest matches of the weekend and made our predictions. Click here to watch the video on YouTube! And, while you’re at it, sign up for our Scorehub prediction league, where the winner each week gets a $100 gift card. Click here to join for free!
ATL UTD 2 faces RBNY II at CHOA
Big one for ATL UTD 2 as they return to the pitch today to take on Red Bull New York II. The 2s are in seventh place in the East, but just one point back of fifth-place RBNY II and sixth-place Orlando City B. Meanwhile, a couple of teams are lurking just below them: CT United FC is level on points but holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, with NYCFC II and Chicago Fire II one point back.
With seven matches to go in the regular season, things are getting tight. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. ET on OneFootball and YouTube.
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That’s it for now. See you in the next one.