The New York Red Bulls come home to Red Bull Arena on November 6 facing an uphill battle.
Down 1-0 after Leg 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to Montreal Impact, New York will need to post a two-goal victory to advance to the Eastern Conference Championship.
Any two-goal win (2-0, 3-1, 4-2...) by the Red Bulls will push them through to the next round on aggregate goals.
If the game is scoreless, Montreal will advance with the lone goal of the series. If the two teams finish tied in a game with a score at the end of 90 minutes on Sunday, Montreal will advance because the team with the most road goals moves on.
"If the teams score an equal number of goals over the course of both matches, the team with the most road goals in the series advances to the Conference Championship," according to league rules.
If the two teams finish tied on aggregate goals -- a 1-0 Red Bull lead -- at the end of 90 minutes at Red Bull Arena, they'll go to extra time.
If that happens, here's how the rules work, from the league:
If at the end of the 180 minutes the teams are tied on both total goals and away goals, the teams will play two 15-minute extra time periods in which away goals DO NOT count, followed by, if necessary, penalty kicks to determine a winner.
Over 14 all-time meetings, New York is 8-4-2 against Montreal, but are 7-0-0 in meetings against the Impact at Red Bull Arena. In games between the two teams at Red Bull Arena, New York has outscored Montreal 20-7.
The four games between the two teams this season, including Leg 1 of the playoffs, they've split the games with two wins and two losses each. New York won 3-1 (Aug. 13) and 1-0 (Sept. 24), while Montreal won 3-0 (Mar. 12) and 1-0 (Oct. 30).
In short: New York needs to win by two goals, or more, to move on to the Eastern Conference Championship, facing the winner of the New York City FC - Toronto FC matchup.
