Two teams with only pride to play for on MLS Decision Day will meet on Saturday as the New York Red Bulls close out the regular season against Atlanta United at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

A 3-2 defeat at Nashville SC officially eliminated the Red Bulls from playoff contention, while the Five Stripes beat Toronto 3-1 but sit 13th in the East, three places below their upcoming opponents.

Match preview

Before the start of 2025, the Red Bulls had the longest run of playoff appearances in the league (15 years), but now their fans will not see any post-season fixtures for their club in back-to-back campaigns.

Michael Bradley failed to get them over the playoff line this time around, and their defeat last weekend means they can finish with 42 points at most this season, which would be their worst-ever 34-match campaign regarding points.

They cooled off at the most inopportune moment in 2026, losing four of their last five domestic affairs heading into this game.

Defensively, they have a lot of work to do in the off-season, boasting the second-highest expected goals conceded average in the Eastern Conference this year (65.3).

In the 2026 regular season, this team have dropped 10 points when scoring first in MLS, though only two of them occurred at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

The Red Bulls are undefeated at home versus Atlanta, winning this exact fixture last year by a 2-0 score.

For the first time in club history, Atlanta United have failed to make the playoffs on consecutive occasions, lacking consistency all season long.

Gerardo Martino’s side will finish slightly better than last season regarding points, boasting 33 so far, five more than they managed in what was their worst-ever 34-game campaign in 2025.

That said, if they suffer a worse result than DC United on Decision Day, Atlanta would end 2026 in 14th place, matching their worst-ever placement in the Eastern Conference from last season.

One minor positive is that if they win this weekend, they will reach five road victories for the year, marking their best total this decade.

Consistency in front of goal has hurt them in 2026, with the Five Stripes averaging the third-fewest goals per game among Eastern Conference teams (1.3).

Atlanta United have points in their last three Decision Day outings, all outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including a 2-1 win at Orlando City in their final regular-season outing of 2024.

New York Red Bulls Major League Soccer form:

Atlanta United Major League Soccer form:

Team News

With nothing to play for, it is unlikely we will see Justin Che on the field for the Red Bulls in this upcoming fixture as he deals with a knee injury, while Ronald Donkor and Dylan Nealis are eligible to return from their suspensions.

Julian Hall and Rafael Mosquera scored in their defeat versus Nashville, with the former netting in his last two league outings.

On the Atlanta side, Will Reilly is dealing with an ankle injury and Enea Mihaj is doubtful due to a hip issue.

Miguel Almiron, Cooper Sanchez and Aleksei Miranchuk netted at home to Toronto to give them a comfortable three points.

New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:

Horvath; Nealis, Parker, Bazan, Padelford; Mehmeti, Forsberg, Ruvalcaba; Cowell, Hall, Mosquera

Atlanta United possible starting lineup:

Hoyos; Jacob, Diaz, Alonso, Baez; Muyumba, Amaro; Miranchuk, Galoppo, Almiron; Embolo

We say: New York Red Bulls 1-2 Atlanta United

Despite their struggles in New Jersey, we expect to see a deflated Red Bulls team this weekend, who only have themselves to blame for missing the playoffs yet again.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.