The New York Red Bulls are set to host the New England Revolution in the first leg of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday, November 23 at Red Bull Arena.
This will be the first playoff meeting between the clubs since 2007 when New England eliminated the Red Bulls in the Conference Semifinals 1-0 on aggregate.
The Conference Finals follow the same format as the Semifinals, so regardless of Sunday’s result, the series will be decided in the second leg at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, November 29. Also similar to the Semifinals, the MLS away goals rule will be in effect.
The first leg of Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET (TV: NBC). For tips and directions on how to get to the game, check out the Red Bull Arena Transportation HUB.
Here are some important statistics along with a look back at the Red Bulls’ two prior meetings with New England Revolution.
New York Red Bulls (fourth seed)
- Record: 13-10-11 (2-1-0 in MLS Cup Playoffs)
- Last Five Matches: 4-1-0
- Leading Goal Scorer: Bradley Wright-Phillips (27; 3 in playoffs)
- Assist Leader: Thierry Henry (14; 4 in playoffs)
- Saves Leader: Luis Robles (111; 7 in playoffs)
New England Revolution (second seed)
- Record: 17-13-4 (2-0-0 in MLS Cup Playoffs)
- Last Five Matches: 4-0-1
- Leading Goal Scorer: Lee Nguyen (18; 2 in playoffs)
- Assist Leader: Teal Bunbury (6; 1 in playoffs)
- Saves Leader: Bobby Shuttleworth (94; 10 in playoffs)
All-Time Series – New York vs. NE Revolution
- New England leads regular season series, 26-22-15
- New England leads playoff series, 3-1-2
- New York leads series at Red Bull Arena, 5-0-1
June 8 – New England Revolution 0, New York Red Bulls 2
The first meeting took place at Gillette Stadium and was to be the final MLS match before the FIFA World Cup break. New York jumped out to an early lead in the 17th minute when Lloyd Sam sent a swinging ball off a free kick towards his teammates. The cross found the head of Eric Alexander in the six-yard box who nodded his effort into an open net to put RBNY up 1-0.
The Revolution would test Luis Robles with two powerful shots on goal before halftime, but Robles saved each without any issue. The Red Bulls goalkeeper faced ten shots and made ten saves before earning the shutout on an impressive day for the keeper.
Peguy Luyindula would put away the game for New York in the 76th minute after a RBNY free kick bounced around from team to team just outside of the penalty area. Sam headed a ball which was again headed by a New England defender out of the 18-yard box, but the ball was knocked to an unmarked Luyindula who smashed his half-volley into the far corner.
The Red Bulls won the match 2-0, their first victory at New England since 2002, and handed the Revolution their first home loss of the season.
August 2 – New York Red Bulls 2, New England Revolution 1
The final regular season matchup held at Red Bull Arena provided one of the most memorable team performances by the Red Bulls of the 2014 MLS regular season. But the first half was all Revolution.
In the 20th minute Teal Bunbury broke free from a defender on the right wing and sent in a driven cross. The ball deflected off of Ibrahim Sekagya which lifted the ball over the Red Bull defense to the far post where Charlie Davies knocked in an easy header for his first goal of the season. The situation became increasingly grim for New York in the 47+ minute when Matt Miazga received a straight red card for a challenge on Lee Nguyen.
The Red Bulls entered the locker room at halftime down a goal and down a man.
But New York returned for the second half in inspired form. Not even two minutes into the half, Eric Alexander laid off a pass to Dax McCarty who noticed New England goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth off his line. McCarty lowered his head and delivered a 2014 MLS Goal of the Year nominee chip from 20-yards out to tie that match 1-1.
In the 63rd minute the Red Bulls did the improbable. Lloyd Sam made a spirited run down the sideline, drawing two defenders while Bradley Wright-Phillips slipped in behind. Sam’s pass found Wright-Phillips inside the penalty box and the forward, who was closed down by a Revolution defender, tapped his first touch around the man and curled a left-footed shot off the far post and in.
The Red Bulls defended their lead successfully for the remaining half-hour of the match, defeating the Revolution 2-1 and earning an extraordinary three points
