The New York Red Bulls face Sporting Kansas City this Sunday in the final match of the regular season. Both teams have clinched playoff berth, but the winner has an opportunity to better their seeding and avoid the Knockout round.
Here are some important numbers to know ahead of this weekend’s season finale.
- 2 – Bradley Wright-Phillips has scored two goals in two games against Sporting Kansas City this season. He scored once on May 27, and once more from the spot on September 6. Wright-Phillips has 25 goals and needs only two more to tie the MLS single season record.
- 3 – The New York Red Bulls need three points from Sunday’s match against Sporting Kansas City to guarantee at least one playoff game to be played at Red Bull Arena. The lowest possible position they can finish with a win is fourth, while a loss or draw would have them remain in fifth.
- 5 – New York have won five consecutive matches on the final day of the MLS season dating back to 2009. Since they became the Red Bulls in 2006, they are 6-1-1 in the last game of the season.
- 6 – The goal differential between RBNY and Columbus Crew is six. If the Red Bulls win on Sunday and Columbus draw their match against Philadelphia Union, New York can only grab the third place if they crush Sporting Kansas City by six or more goals. With a Red Bulls win and Columbus loss, New York would clinch third place and face the New England Revolution in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
- 29 – Since becoming head coach in 2013, Mike Petke has won 29 regular season games. He is 29-19-19 in his two seasons with the Red Bulls and seeks an important 30th win on Sunday.
The match will be held on October 26 at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. Kick-off will be at 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN2).
