Harrison, New Jersey — In the ever-tight race for playoff spots, points are valuable for every team. In the Eastern Conference, there are only six points that separate the seventh and eighth place team.
So, as you can imagine, the Eastern Conference spots are all locked down. Seventh-place New England clinched their spot, after turning their season around, yesterday. However, it’s spots four through seven up for grabs.
Teams are fighting for the right to not play New York City FC, the first-place team. Despite having their spots locked down, the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United battled for three points last night. However, instead, they split the points in half. A scoreless draw left them leaving Red Bull Arena with one point each.
Red Bulls, D.C. United battle to scoreless draw
Chances came left and right for the Red Bulls. After taking a total of 15 shots, three registered on goal. However, Bill Hamid, DCU goalkeeper, made saves to stop Cristian Cásseres Jr., Daniel Royer and Marc Rzatkowski from finding the back of his net.
Meanwhile, D.C. United didn’t find many chances. None of the team’s seven shots registered on goal. Luis Robles had a fairly easy day at the office, as his defense majorly stepped up.
MATCH RECAP, pres. by @ProvidentBank: Red Bulls secure Atlantic Cup with draw
📰➡️ https://t.co/4a6Mspcf9f pic.twitter.com/tu9aJHMQNm
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) September 30, 2019
The Playoff Picture
Right now, the Red Bulls sit in fifth place. They are one point behind D.C. United, who sit in fourth place with 49 points. New York will take a trip across the border for their regular-season finale against the Montreal Impact, who will miss out on playoffs for the third-straight season.
Meanwhile, D.C. Untied will host last-place Cincinnati on Sunday.
Neither isde can jump up to third place. The Philadelphia Union currently occupy that spot with 55 points. It’s not possible to earn more than three points in a match. However, should New York win and D.C. lose or draw, the Red Bulls can jump to fourth place. However, D.C. can retain fourth place with a win.
Toronto FC also has a chance to jump up to fourth place, as the Reds sit with 47 points.
