The 2013 Supporters’ Shield-winning New York Red Bulls will face the Houston Dynamo in a two-leg, aggregate goal MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals Series. Houston, the fourth seed in the east, defeated the fifth-seeded Montreal Impact, 3-0, Thursday night at BBVA Compass Stadium in its Knockout Round match to earn the right to face New York.
The Red Bulls will hit on the road on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 3:30 PM ET in the first leg of its series, playing against the Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium. The match will be nationally televised live on NBC. New York, the top seed in the Eastern Conference with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, will then return home to Red Bull Arena and take on Houston on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 8:00 PM.
Tickets the Red Bulls' home leg at Red Bull Arena on Nov. 6 at 8:00 PM are on sale NOW.
Led by first-year head coach Mike Petke, the Red Bulls earned their first-ever Supporters’ Shield – given to the team with most regular season points – following a comprehensive 5-2 win over the Chicago Fire in front of a sold out crowd of 25,219 at Red Bull Arena last Sunday night. This year marks New York’s 10th playoff appearance in 11 seasons. In the conference semifinals, the team that scores the most goals in the two legs would advance to the Eastern Conference Final and would take on the winner of the Sporting Kansas City-New England Revolution series.
If New York was to advance, the first leg of the two-game Eastern Conference Final series would take place on the road on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 2:30 PM (TV: NBC Sports Network, Univision Deportes). The second match at Red Bull Arena would be on either Nov. 23 or 24.
The Red Bulls were perfect against the Dynamo this season, posting a 3-0-0 record. New York defeated Houston 2-0 at Red Bull Arena on June 30 and 4-1 (Sept. 8) and 3-0 (Oct. 20) at BBVA Compass Stadium. All-time, the Red Bulls are 8-3-7 versus the Dynamo and won the only postseason series between the sides in the 2008 Conference Semifinals. Following a 1-1 tie at Giants Stadium on Nov. 1, 2008, the Red Bulls rolled 3-0 at Robertson Stadium on Nov. 9 in the year that New York made its sole MLS Cup Final appearance.
