The New York Red Bulls welcome Sporting Kansas City to Red Bull Arena on Thursday in the Knockout round of the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Here are some important numbers to know before the Red Bulls kick-off their 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs campaign.
- 0 – Sporting Kansas City and New York Red Bulls have never met in the playoffs in their 19 year MLS histories. The Red Bulls have made the playoffs in 15 of their 19 season in MLS, but have never faced Kansas City in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
- 1 – The New York Red Bulls have only appeared in one Knockout round match in their MLS Cup Playoffs history. On October 26, 2011 the Red Bulls defeated FC Dallas 2-0 at Toyota Stadium (then known as Pizza Hut Park) in their only Knockout round game.
- 3 – Mike Petke has recorded three wins in five attempts (3-1-1) against Sporting Kansas City since becoming head coach in 2013. New York has faced SKC three times this season, winning their last two matches and posting an overall 2-0-1 record.
- 4 – Bradley Wright-Phillips has scored four goals in three games against Sporting Kansas City this season. His 27 regular season goals won him the 2014 Budweiser Golden Boot and tied Roy Lassiter and Chris Wondolowski for the all-time single-season MLS scoring record.
- 11 – The 2014 season marks the eleventh time New York has qualified for the playoffs in 12 seasons. RBNY have now qualified for the postseason in five consecutive seasons.
- 15 – Jamison Olave, if selected, will make his 15th MLS Cup Playoffs appearance on Thursday. Thirteen of his 14 postseason matches were with Real Salt Lake, and he started every match in their 2009 MLS Cup championship.
- I-95 – If the New York Red Bulls defeat Sporting KC on Thursday, D.C. United will make the trip up I-95 to Red Bull Arena for the first leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The match will be held on Saturday November 2 at 4:00 p.m.
Coverage of the Eastern Conference Knockout round on October 30 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN2). For tips and directions on how to get to the game, check out the Red Bull Arena Transportation HUB.
