The group stage of the Leagues Cup has a peculiar characteristic that the fans love: It presents rivalries right from the start and this match is no exception. New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC will square off at Red Bull Arena in an East 6 opener on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.
These two teams are coming off very important MLS victories. Red Bulls had a solid performance at home against FC Cincinnati this past weekend to move within seven points of them near the top of the table — a 3-1 win with two goals from Lewis Morgan and one from Kyle Duncan.
Toronto FC are coming off an intense game against Canadian rival CF Montréal. Pulling off a victory on the road against a longtime rival could be exactly what The Reds needed heading into the Leagues Cup, as a 38th-minute strike from Richie Laryea proved to be the difference. That was Laryea’s first goal of the season.
While Red Bulls aim to maintain the high level they’ve shown all season, Toronto looks to feed off recent momentum and start the most important North American tournament with a positive result. They currently sit in eighth place in the MLS Eastern Conference with 30 points after 26 games.
Toronto FC have lost 23 of the last 46 head-to-head matches against the Red Bulls, winning only 10 times. Their most recent head-to-head win came in June.
Lewis Morgan has scored 12 times in 21 MLS matches this year and he is a reason why Red Bulls have only four losses this season, tied for the fewest losses in the league. They are unbeaten in 15 straight home games, somethingToronto will need to keep in mind as they look for an upset this weekend.
