The MLS Cup Playoffs continue on Sunday with the conference finals and in the east it will be the New York Red Bulls playing Columbus Crew, while the west has the Portland Timbers facing off against FC Dallas. The first game has NY playing against the Crew at 5 pm ET and that game will be on ESPN, while the Timbers and Dallas matchup is on Fox Sports 1.
The Red Bulls come into the conference finals in the east as the Supporters Shield winners and they are looking to get off to a good start while playing at MAPFRE Stadium in Ohio. The team comes in after winning against DC United in the previous round and they won 1-0 in each of the two wins in the conference semis to advance. The Red Bulls have been the most consistent team in the league this season and they are looking to compete for the MLS Cup this year.
The Crew and the Red Bulls finished at the top of the east standings, with New York taking the first spot. Columbus comes in after winning over the Montreal Impact in the semis and they advanced 4-3 on aggregate after winning the second match 3-1. The Crew and the Red Bulls have played before in the MLS playoffs, but not since back in 2008 and Columbus has won the three previous matchups.
The Crew and Red Bulls have played three times this season, with New York winning two and scoring five goals, while Columbus won one and scored four goals. The western conference finals will be the Timbers against FC Dallas and the first leg match will be from Providence Park and the TV coverage starts at 7:30 pm ET on FS1. The second leg matches for the conference finals will be next Sunday on November 29.
Dallas is the top seed in the west and Portland comes in as the number three seed after winning over the Vancouver Whitecaps in the previous round of the playoffs. The team won 2-0 in the second leg to advance on aggregate, while Dallas comes in after winning in a shootout against the Sounders. The team won the second leg of the match 2-1 to tie the series on aggregate and later advanced in the shootout. The team played head to head twice this year and split the matchups.
