Eastern Conference Championship, Leg 1: Columbus Crew SC vs. New York Red Bulls
Sunday, Nov. 22, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)
At the beginning of this season, pundits expected the New York Red Bulls to struggle without former club captain Thierry Henry and a new head coach in Jesse Marsch, who replaced club legend and former boss Mike Petke. In came new sporting director Ali Curtis, who brought in a blend of young and experienced players to help the Red Bulls to their second Supporters’ Shield in three years on the way to securing a spot in the Eastern Conference Championship. Curtis brought in Sacha Kljestan, a former UEFA Champions League participant and Seton Hall graduate, to add a much-needed veteran presence to the midfield. Kljestan ended the regular season with a career-high eight goals and 14 assists. Other savvy acquisitions included the addition of Long Island native Mike Grella, who nearly quit soccer to end up scoring the fastest goal in MLS history, and the reunion of Shaun Wright-Phillips, a former England international and English Premier League veteran, with his prolific goal-scoring brother Bradley Wright-Phillips. The Red Bulls are hitting on all cylinders as they look to hoist their first ever MLS Cup.
Sunday, Nov. 22, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)
At the beginning of this season, pundits expected the New York Red Bulls to struggle without former club captain Thierry Henry and a new head coach in Jesse Marsch, who replaced club legend and former boss Mike Petke. In came new sporting director Ali Curtis, who brought in a blend of young and experienced players to help the Red Bulls to their second Supporters’ Shield in three years on the way to securing a spot in the Eastern Conference Championship. Curtis brought in Sacha Kljestan, a former UEFA Champions League participant and Seton Hall graduate, to add a much-needed veteran presence to the midfield. Kljestan ended the regular season with a career-high eight goals and 14 assists. Other savvy acquisitions included the addition of Long Island native Mike Grella, who nearly quit soccer to end up scoring the fastest goal in MLS history, and the reunion of Shaun Wright-Phillips, a former England international and English Premier League veteran, with his prolific goal-scoring brother Bradley Wright-Phillips. The Red Bulls are hitting on all cylinders as they look to hoist their first ever MLS Cup.
They’ll be joined in the Eastern Conference Championship by a Columbus Crew SC side that has seen impressive contributions all across the board. MVP candidate and Sierra Leone international Kei Kamara had a career year in 2015 – scoring 22 goals (tied for the most in MLS with Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco) while adding eight assists. In the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Montreal Impact, Kamara scored two goals to help Crew SC to their first Eastern Conference Championship since 2008, the last year they won MLS Cup, coincidently against the Red Bulls. Kamara’s teammate Ethan Finlay enjoyed his finest season as a professional as well with career-highs of 12 goals and 13 assists. Finlay and Kamara’s understanding on the field was such that Finlay’s six assists on Kamara’s goals led MLS. Homegrown star Wil Trapp returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines, to be a leader in the heart of the Columbus midfield. The mature midfielder was recently named the No.4 player on MLSsoccer.com’s annual 24 Under 24 list and was the team captain for the USA U-23 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying campaign. The Red Bulls won the regular season series against Columbus (2-1-0), but Crew SC can point to their 3-0-0 all-time postseason record against New York as fuel to their MLS Cup hopes.
By: Editor
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