The Red Bulls lost 2-0, at Charlotte on June 11, their second straight defeat against an expansion side following a 2-1 defeat to Miami in October 2020. New York had lost only two of its previous 19 matches against MLS newcomers (W13 D4) dating back to 2011.
The Red Bulls have suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time this season. New York hasn’t lost three straight regular season matches in over three years, since losses to NYCFC, Colorado and Seattle in August-September 2019.
Charlotte FC enter the final match of the season on 42 points. A win over the Red Bulls would take Charlotte to 45 points, which would be the fifth-most by an expansion team in MLS history behind only LAFC (57 in 2018), the Fire (56 in 1998), Atlanta United (55 in 2017), and Seattle (47 in 2009).
With Seattle’s elimination from playoff contention, the Red Bull’s 13 straight playoff appearance is the longest active streak in MLS and toed for the longest in MLS history along with the Sounders run that just ended (2009-2021).
Daniel Rios followed his four-goal performance on Saturday with a goal against the Crew on Wednesday. Rios is the fourth player to score in consecutive games for Charlotte this season, (K. Swiderski x2, A. Shinyashiki, B. Bender) through no player has done so in three straight games.
