FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – A New England Revolution playoff-record crowd is expected to pack Gillette Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the second leg of the Eastern Conference Championship, which pits the Revs against one of their oldest rivals, the New York Red Bulls.
Last weekend’s dramatic 2-1 win at Red Bull Arena gives the Revolution an aggregate lead heading into the decisive second leg, meaning that a win, draw or 1-0 loss would be enough to crown the Revs as Eastern Conference champs and send them through to their first MLS Cup since 2007.
READ: Dissecting all the scenarios for Saturday’s second leg
NBC Sports Network begins live coverage at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, while the action will also be available on Univision Deportes (Spanish television), 98.5 The Sports Hub (English radio), SiriusXM FC Channel 94 (English radio) and WMVX 1570 AM “Nossa Radio USA” (Portuguese radio).
Comcast SportsNet will air a live postgame show after the final whistle.
Current Form: Balanced attack stays red-hot as Revs carry aggregate lead into second leg
A stunning opener from Teal Bunbury and a late winner from Jermaine Jones put the Revs in control of this two-game series, as they grabbed two precious away goals in a 2-1 road win in Sunday’s first leg.
WATCH: Bunbury, Jones each register one goal and one assist in huge first-leg victory
The victory improved New England’s record to 3-0-0 in these MLS Cup Playoffs, while it was the club’s fifth straight win when factoring in regular-season contests. Since mid-August the Revs are now 12-1-1 in their last 14 games in all competitions, averaging more than two goals per game during that stretch.
This is the second straight series this postseason in which the Revs will return home for the second leg with an aggregate lead to protect, and after doing just that in the Eastern Conference Semifinal series against Columbus, the Revs feel they’ll benefit from the experience.
“I think we know a little bit more of what to expect,” said Bunbury. “But on the other hand, New York’s a completely different team than Columbus. They have different players and they play a different style. But it definitely will help us coming into this game.”
New York, meanwhile, has now lost back-to-back games having dropped the second leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series against D.C. United, which they ultimately won on aggregate, 3-2.
Past Meetings: Revolution snapped brief Red Bulls hex with first-leg victory at RBA
Sunday’s win at Red Bull Arena was not only the Revolution’s first-ever victory at the venue (which opened in 2010), but it also snapped a six-game winless run against New York (0-3-3) which dated back to 2012.
That stretch included two losses to the Red Bulls during the 2014 regular season, one of which was a 2-0 setback at Gillette Stadium back on June 8. Although the Revs outshot the Red Bulls by a margin of 24-10 and forced goalkeeper Luis Robles into 10 saves, New York held on for its first win in Foxborough in almost 12 years.
Injury Report: Revs at full health; Red Bulls dealing with a pair of suspensions
Just as it was heading into the first leg last weekend, New England’s injury report remains free and clear. The only question mark was Kelyn Rowe – taken off after 62 minutes in the first leg following a heavy tackle from Richard Eckersley – but he’s shaken off any lingering effects and trained full throughout the week.
The Red Bulls are also relatively healthy, but it’s a pair of suspensions which will leave them a bit shorthanded on Saturday afternoon. Left back Roy Miller is unavailable once again because of a dual red-card suspension and yellow-card accumulation, while Bradley Wright-Phillips is also suspended for caution accumulation.
READ: Revs expect Red Bulls to have “a different look” with Wright-Phillips suspended
Wright-Phillips – Major League Soccer’s Golden Boot winner who tied the single-season scoring record with 27 goals this year – could be replaced in the lineup by Australian DP Tim Cahill, a substitute in each of New York’s last three games. But regardless of who Mike Petke opts to start, the visitors will undoubtedly be pressing for goals under the circumstances.
Final Thoughts: After incredible showing at RBA, fans to spur Revs on once again
“It was amazing to see the fans come out to Red Bull Arena,” Bobby Shuttleworth said of New England’s 1,000-plus traveling supporters last weekend. “They were so loud and us as a group, we’re so happy to see that and so proud. Our last playoff home game, they were really loud again and I fully expect that to be the situation again come Saturday. As players, we really appreciate it.”
