The road to crowning the 19th MLS Cup champion starts back up this weekend with the first legs of the 2014 MLS Conference Championships.
The battle of two MLS originals hits a high in the Eastern Conference when the New York Red Bulls host the New England Revolution in the first leg of the series at Red Bull Arena on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 1:30 p.m. ET (NBC). Both clubs are searching for their first MLS Cup, with the Revs suffering playoff heartbreak with a total of four losses in MLS Cup finals, and New York only appearing in one championship match in 2008. The Revolution enter this weekend’s matchup coming off a dominant performance in the semifinals against the Columbus Crew. The Revolution notched a total of seven goals in the two-legged series, with both MLS MVP candidate Lee Nguyen and comeback hero Charlie Davies recording two goals and an assist apiece. New York was able to pull off the upset of the playoffs, edging out Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United with a 3-2 aggregate win. Thierry Henry continued to show why he is one of the best in the world, assisting on four of the Red Bulls’ five playoff goals. Budweiser Golden Boot winner, Bradley Wright-Phillips, has also stayed in form, finding the back of the net three times in the postseason to help move New York one step closer to lifting MLS Cup.
The battle of two MLS originals hits a high in the Eastern Conference when the New York Red Bulls host the New England Revolution in the first leg of the series at Red Bull Arena on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 1:30 p.m. ET (NBC). Both clubs are searching for their first MLS Cup, with the Revs suffering playoff heartbreak with a total of four losses in MLS Cup finals, and New York only appearing in one championship match in 2008. The Revolution enter this weekend’s matchup coming off a dominant performance in the semifinals against the Columbus Crew. The Revolution notched a total of seven goals in the two-legged series, with both MLS MVP candidate Lee Nguyen and comeback hero Charlie Davies recording two goals and an assist apiece. New York was able to pull off the upset of the playoffs, edging out Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United with a 3-2 aggregate win. Thierry Henry continued to show why he is one of the best in the world, assisting on four of the Red Bulls’ five playoff goals. Budweiser Golden Boot winner, Bradley Wright-Phillips, has also stayed in form, finding the back of the net three times in the postseason to help move New York one step closer to lifting MLS Cup.
On the other side of the country, the battle to decide who will host MLS Cup 2014 begins between the top two teams in MLS this season, Seattle Sounders FC and LA Galaxy. The first leg will kick on Sunday, Nov. 23 at StubHub Center at 5:00 p.m. ET (ESPN, ESPN Deportes). The LA Galaxy are looking to make history in its pursuit to be the first MLS team to win five championship titles, after MLS legend Landon Donovan notched a hat trick to lead the SoCal club past Real Salt Lake 5-0 in the second leg of their semifinal matchup. But standing directly in the Galaxy’s way are Seattle Sounders FC, winners of the Supporters’ Shield as holders of the best regular season record in 2014, who are looking for their first MLS Cup appearance and a chance to complete the first ever domestic treble (U.S. Open Cup, Supporters’ Shield, MLS Cup) in MLS history. After a 1-1 draw in the first meeting with FC Dallas in its semifinal series, Seattle was able to secure a scoreless draw at CenturyLink Field in the second leg to advance to the Conference Championship on away goals.
Below is the full 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs schedule.
Conference Championships
First Leg:
• New York Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution – Sun., Nov. 23, 1:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
• LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders FC – Sun., Nov. 23, 5:00 p.m. ET (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)
Second Leg:
• New England Revolution vs. New York Red Bulls – Sat., Nov. 29, 3:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN, UDN, TSN2, RDS2)
• Seattle Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy – Sun., Nov. 30, 9:00 p.m. ET (ESPN, ESPN Deportes, RDS2)
MLS Cup 2014
Sunday, December 7 (hosted by finalist with best regular season record)
•Teams TBD – 3:00 p.m. ET (ESPN, UniMas, TSN, and RDS networks) Site TBD
Below is the full 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs schedule.
Conference Championships
First Leg:
• New York Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution – Sun., Nov. 23, 1:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
• LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders FC – Sun., Nov. 23, 5:00 p.m. ET (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)
Second Leg:
• New England Revolution vs. New York Red Bulls – Sat., Nov. 29, 3:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN, UDN, TSN2, RDS2)
• Seattle Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy – Sun., Nov. 30, 9:00 p.m. ET (ESPN, ESPN Deportes, RDS2)
MLS Cup 2014
Sunday, December 7 (hosted by finalist with best regular season record)
•Teams TBD – 3:00 p.m. ET (ESPN, UniMas, TSN, and RDS networks) Site TBD
By: Editor
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