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New York Red Bulls vs Nashville SC preview: match details & prediction

The next New York Red Bulls match sees them host high-flying Nashville SC in Major League Soccer Regular Season - 20. The game is scheduled for 19 August 2026 at Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, with kick-off at 23:30 UTC. This New York Red Bulls vs Nashville SC preview looks at kick-off time, venue, standings, form, head to head and a data-led prediction.

When fans search for when New York Red Bulls play next, this is a key Eastern Conference clash. The hosts come in sitting 8th in the Eastern Conference, trying to consolidate a play-off 1/16-finals position, while visitors Nashville SC arrive as 1st in the Eastern Conference, on course for the play-off 1/8-finals. With both teams chasing their own post-season targets, this fixture carries significant weight for the conference standings.

Match details: date, kick-off & venue

  • Competition: Major League Soccer, Regular Season - 20
  • Date / Kick-off: 2026-08-19T23:30:00Z
  • Venue: Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison
  • Status: Not Started (Fixture has not started yet)

Standings & form

New York Red Bulls come into this home game ranked 8th in the Eastern Conference with 25 points from 19 matches (7 wins, 4 draws, 8 defeats). They have scored 30 and conceded 41 for a goal difference of -11. At home, they have played 9 times, winning 4, drawing 2 and losing 3, with 16 goals for and 18 against. Their recent conference form is mixed, shown by the sequence LWLLW.

Nashville SC travel as current 1st in the Eastern Conference, having collected an impressive 43 points from 19 games (13 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses). They have scored 39 and conceded just 15, giving a goal difference of +24. On the road, Nashville have played 9 away matches, winning 4, drawing 3 and losing only 2, with 10 goals scored and 5 conceded. Their recent form string of WDLWW underlines why they are pushing at the top end of the conference.

From the broader season statistics, New York Red Bulls have managed just 1 clean sheet in 19 league games and have failed to score 4 times. Nashville SC, by contrast, have recorded 8 clean sheets and also failed to score in 4 matches. Discipline could be monitored closely: New York’s data shows yellow cards particularly clustered late in games, while Nashville have also accumulated a notable number of bookings in the final 15 minutes. Both sides have been perfect from the spot this season, with New York converting 1/1 penalties and Nashville 3/3 penalties.

Head-to-head

  • 2025-05-15: Nashville SC 2–1 New York Red Bulls (Major League Soccer)
  • 2025-03-02: New York Red Bulls 2–0 Nashville SC (Major League Soccer)
  • 2024-06-15: New York Red Bulls 0–0 Nashville SC (Major League Soccer)
  • 2024-02-24: Nashville SC 0–0 New York Red Bulls (Major League Soccer)
  • 2023-10-22: Nashville SC 0–1 New York Red Bulls (Major League Soccer)

The recent head to head between New York Red Bulls and Nashville SC in MLS has been tight and low-scoring overall. Across the five league meetings listed, each side has recorded at least one win: New York have taken victories including a 2–0 home success in March 2025 and a 1–0 away win in October 2023, while Nashville’s standout result is their 2–1 home win in May 2025. Three of these five encounters finished level, all of them goalless, underlining how finely balanced this matchup can be despite Nashville’s stronger current league position.

Team news & absences

For New York Red Bulls, goalkeeper A. Marcucci is listed as Missing Fixture due to a Knee Injury. Attacker R. Mosquera is marked as Questionable with a Thigh Injury, leaving some doubt over his availability for this clash.

Nashville SC will be without P. Yazbek, who is ruled out as Missing Fixture because of a Muscle Injury. Forward W. Madrigal is Questionable with a Lower-Body Injury, and his status will likely be decided closer to kick-off.

Key players to watch

  • S. Surridge (Nashville SC) — 12 goals in Major League Soccer 2026, plus 3 successful penalties, make him a central attacking threat for the conference leaders.
  • J. Hall (New York Red Bulls) — 9 goals and 3 assists underline his importance as Red Bulls’ main attacking outlet this season.
  • C. Espinoza (Nashville SC) — With 3 goals and 7 assists, he is a key creative force, regularly supplying chances from wide and set-piece situations.
  • C. Cowell (New York Red Bulls) — 2 goals and 5 assists show his role as a provider, linking play and delivering end product in the final third.

Prediction

The data-led New York Red Bulls vs Nashville SC prediction leans towards the visitors avoiding defeat. The model’s advice is: “Double chance : draw or Nashville SC”. The probability split gives New York Red Bulls a 10% chance of victory, with both the draw and a Nashville SC win rated at 45% each. With Nashville top of the Eastern Conference and boasting a strong defensive record and more clean sheets, the numbers suggest they are more likely to take at least a point from Sports Illustrated Stadium, even though New York’s home record and competitive head-to-head history mean the hosts cannot be discounted entirely.

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