Our prediction for this MLS match:
New York City
Match Time & Date:
31/10/2018
07:00 PM
Prediction: 2-1
Philadelphia Union
New York City did well to beat Philadelphia Union 3-1 in their last game of the regular season, but that did not help them secure a top-two finish in the Eastern Conference. Domenec Torrent’s troops will once again face Philadelphia Union, but this time out the two teams take on each other in the play-offs. Both sides are likely to adopt an attack-minded approach in Friday’s football game, but seeing that New York City are a real force to be reckoned with at home, we believe that there is a big value in betting on the hosts. As always, a man to watch in the home team will be experienced Spanish attacker David Villa, who scored 14 goals in the regular season. You should bear in mind that the U have yet to defeat New York City at Yankee Stadium, which is yet another reason why home win should be considered.
Highlighted Player (David Villa):
Over the years David Villa has established himself as one of the best attackers in the world. The Spanish superstar was producing excellent performances with Valencia from 2005 to 2010 and on May 19, 2010 Barcelona chiefs brought him to Camp Nou. “El Guaje” signed a four-year deal with Barca for a fee of €40 million and it is well known that he won a number of trophies with the Catalan giants.
Villa clinched two La Liga titles with Barca (2011/2012, 2012/2013) and in 2011 he scored for Pep Guardiola’s team in a 3-1 victory over Manchester United in the Champions League final. After spending one season at Atletico Madrid, the Spain international joined New York City in June, 2014 and he has been playing for Patrick Vieira’s team ever since.
Nonetheless, it has to be noted that he made four league appearances for Melbourne City during his loan spell with the Australian club. Villa’s international career was successful as well as he won both FIFA World Cup (2010) and UEFA European Championship (2008) with La Furia Roja.
Highlighted Team (Philadelphia Union):
Based in Chester, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Union is an American soccer club that compete in Major League Soccer. The U have been participating in MLS since 2010, but they have yet to win the domestic trophy. Philadelphia welcome their opponents at Talen Energy Stadium, the venue that was opened on June 27, 2010 and current capacity of the stadium is 18.500.
The U made it to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final on two occasions (2014, 2015), but they were beaten by Seattle Sounders and Sporting Kansas City respectively in the title games. The likes of D.C. United and New York Red Bulls are regarded as the club’s fiercest rivals, but they share a rivalry with Seattle Sounders as well.
Philadelphia’s colors are navy blue and gold, but they wear white shirts and white socks when playing on the road. USA international Freddy Adu is one of the most notable footballers who player for the U in the past. The former Benfica man scored seven goals in 37 appearances for Philadelphia Union in MLS.
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