HARRISON, N.J. – A pair of MLS originals renew their rivalry on the postseason stage for the first time in seven years on Sunday afternoon, when the New England Revolution visits the New York Red Bulls for the first leg of the Eastern Conference Championship.
The two-game, aggregate-goals series will begin this weekend at Red Bull Arena, while the second and decisive leg will be held at Gillette Stadium next Saturday afternoon. The winner will claim a coveted spot in MLS Cup.
Coverage of Sunday’s first leg begins at 1:30 p.m. on NBC, while the radio call will be available on WMEX 1510 AM (English), SiriusXM FC Channel 94 (English) and WMVX 1570 AM “Nossa Radio USA” (Portuguese).
Comcast SportsNet will air a postgame show, hosted by Dalen Cuff, at approximately 9 p.m.
Current Form: Offensive explosion helped Revs ease past Crew in conference semis
The Revs advanced to their first Eastern Conference Championship in seven years by downing the Columbus Crew in the conference semifinals, racking up an MLS record seven goals in the two-game series.
New England, buoyed by a two-goal performance from Charlie Davies, opened the MLS Cup Playoffs with a 4-2 win at Crew Stadium to take firm control. The Revs then closed things out at home, riding goals from Lee Nguyen, Jose Goncalves and Teal Bunbury to a 3-1 victory on the night and a 7-3 aggregate triumph.
WATCH: Revs close out Crew with three more goals in front of raucous home crowd
The pair of postseason victories improved the Revolution’s record to 11-1-1 in the past 13 games, including 4-1-1 in the last six matches away from Gillette Stadium. New England has scored multiple goals in five of its last six road games, racking up 14 total goals in that span.
New York, which had to navigate past Sporting Kansas City in the knockout round just to reach the Eastern Conference Semis, advanced to its first conference championship since 2008 by taking out top-seed D.C. United.
A 2-0 win in the first leg at Red Bull Arena set New York up perfectly for the return leg at RFK Stadium, where a 2-1 loss was enough for the Red Bulls to advance on aggregate, 3-2.
MLS Golden Boot winner Bradley Wright-Phillips (3) and midfielder Peguy Luyindula (2) each have multiple goals this postseason, but Thierry Henry, with four assists, has been the primary catalyst for New York.
“He’s the guy that makes plays happen,” Davies said of Henry. “He creates for them. He’s opening up space for Bradley Wright-Phillips, and when he gets a chance, he scores, as well. He’s still as dangerous as ever.”
Past Meetings: Red Bulls won both regular-season matchups during Revs’ summer swoon
New York swept the regular-season series with New England, claiming a 2-0 win at Gillette Stadium back on June 8 and a 2-1 win at Red Bull Arena on August 2. Those two matches came at either end of a 10-game stretch through the summer months in which the Revs went 1-9-0.
Since then, both sides have made significant changes. While the Red Bulls have altered their formation to maximize the strengths of their roster, the Revs have drastically turned things around, boosted in large part by the addition of U.S. National Team midfielder Jermaine Jones.
READ: Revs and Red Bulls have new looks since last meeting
This will be the fourth postseason meeting between these two sides, but the first in the Eastern Conference Championship. The three previous playoff matchups – in 2003, 2005 and 2007 – were all conference semifinal series, with the Revolution advancing on aggregate on each occasion.
On Sunday the Revs will be looking to end a seven-year hex in New York, where they haven’t won since 2007. Overall the Revs are 0-5-5 in their last 10 visits to the Red Bulls, including a 0-5-1 mark at Red Bull Arena.
Injury Report: Farrell “ready to go” after missing second leg of Columbus series
While the two-week break between the conference semifinals and conference championship was an interminable wait for the fans, it was mighty beneficial for Revolution right back Andrew Farrell, who used the extra time to continue his recovery from a right leg injury.
The ailment kept the second-year defender out of the second leg against Columbus – Kevin Alston filling in admirably – but Farrell has been deemed ready for action ahead of Sunday’s first leg at Red Bull Arena.
“I think it was a good time for Andrew to be able to not only heal, but also get back all his fitness,” said head coach Jay Heaps. “He’s ready to go.”
While the Revs will have their right back available for selection once again, the Red Bulls will have to account for the absence of left back Roy Miller, suspended for both legs of the Eastern Conference Championship because of yellow-card accumulation and a straight red card.
Both sides also have players on yellow-card watch entering Sunday’s first leg: Jose Goncalves for New England, and Dax McCarty, Ambroise Oyongo and Bradley Wright-Phillips for New York. If any of those players is issued a yellow card on Sunday, they’ll be suspended for the second and decisive leg next weekend.
Final Thoughts: Revs searching for a positive result to bring home for the second leg
“It’s a tough place to get a result, but it’s a two-legged series,” Lee Nguyen said of Red Bull Arena. “I think the main thing with this (two-game) system is, when we go into New York, we have to get a result. Win or tie, I think that’s the main thing – getting a result and knowing that you’re going to have a chance in the second leg. It’s a big game come Sunday.”
