Regular Season - 25 · 13 September 2026, 01:30 UTC

Real Salt Lake vs New York City FC Major League Soccer prediction & result

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Final score: Real Salt Lake 0-2 New York City FC.

Before kick-off the model made it 33% Real Salt Lake, 31% draw, 36% New York City FC — fair odds of 3.03, 3.23 and 2.78. Fair odds are simply 100 ÷ the probability; they are the model's own number, not a bookmaker's price.

Most likely scoreline: 0-1.

Expected goals: Real Salt Lake 1.14, New York City FC 1.25.

Both teams to score: 49%. Over 2.5 goals: 43%, under 2.5: 57%.

Model confidence: Low.

Published · updated

Model insights: Real Salt Lake vs New York City FC

49%
Both teams to score
43%
Over 2.5 goals
57%
Under 2.5 goals
Most likely scorelines1-1 14%0-1 11%0-0 10%

Has the model earned this number?

It puts New York City FC at 36% here. Across 2437 settled matches, 1728 forecasts have landed in the 30–40% band; those outcomes actually happened 33.4% of the time, against an average forecast of 33.7%. In this range the two line up, so the figure above can be read literally.

Every settled prediction on this site is scored against an uninformed baseline, band by band, and published whether or not it flatters the model — see the full record.

Form going into Real Salt Lake vs New York City FC

Real Salt Lake

  • L1-2away to Houston Dynamo10 September 2026
  • D2-2Los Angeles FC6 September 2026
  • L0-1away to Colorado Rapids30 August 2026
  • L1-2away to Orlando City SC22 August 2026

New York City FC

  • L1-2New England Revolution10 September 2026
  • D0-0Nashville SC4 September 2026
  • D1-1away to Toronto FC29 August 2026
  • D1-1away to New England Revolution23 August 2026
  • L1-2away to FC Cincinnati19 August 2026

Up to 5 matches before kick-off, most recent first. The model works from each side's rolling expected-goals ratings rather than from these results directly, so read them as context — how the ratings are built.

Head-to-head: Real Salt Lake vs New York City FC

  • 24 January 2025Real Salt Lake 2–2 New York City FCFriendlies Clubs
  • 24 January 2025Real Salt Lake 2–2 New York City FCFriendlies Clubs
  • 11 June 2023Real Salt Lake 0–0 New York City FCMajor League Soccer
  • 17 April 2022New York City FC 6–0 Real Salt LakeMajor League Soccer
  • 4 August 2019Real Salt Lake 3–1 New York City FCMajor League Soccer
  • 11 April 2018New York City FC 4–0 Real Salt LakeMajor League Soccer

Leading scorers: Real Salt Lake and New York City FC

Real Salt Lake

No player in Major League Soccer's leading scorers — 37 league goals as a side.

New York City FC

  • N. Fernández Mercau15 goals4 assists

Top 3 by league goals this season. Player availability is not part of the model — injuries and suspensions are a planned improvement.

Written before kick-off and left as it stood — the reading below is the model's pre-match case, not a view formed after the result.

The two sides

Real Salt Lake carry a model rating of 6.31 against 6.53 for New York City FC. The scale is anchored so that an average side in one of Europe's big five leagues sits at 6.85, and it is adjusted for the strength of each team's league, so the two numbers are comparable even across borders.

What the model expects

Under the hood the model expects 1.14 goals for Real Salt Lake and 1.25 for New York City FC. Those two numbers, not the scoreline, are what the model actually estimates; everything else is derived from them.

Real Salt Lake rate 0.62 in attack and 1.82 in defence, where 1 is league average and a lower defensive number is better; New York City FC rate 0.57 and 1.13.

How this was produced

Publicly tracked record so far: 1151 correct results out of 2437 settled predictions (47%), with 230 exact scorelines (9%). That log is updated automatically after every match and is never edited.

Full method: how the model works.

Statistical estimate, not betting advice This prediction is generated from a statistical model for entertainment and informational purposes only. It does not guarantee any outcome and should not be used as the basis for placing a bet.

Team comparison

Bars show each side's share of the two-team total, based on the model's attack/defence ratings and expected goals for this fixture.

Why the model favours this side

The model gives New York City FC the highest probability at 36%, based on each side's rolling attack and defence ratings estimated from recent match data. The model projects 1.14 expected goals for Real Salt Lake against 1.25 for New York City FC. Real Salt Lake's attack/defence rating is 0.62/1.82 versus the league average (1.00 = average), compared with 0.57/1.13 for New York City FC.