2014 MLS Cup Playoffs
Eastern Conference Knockout Round
Sporting KC at New York Red Bulls
Thursday, October 30, 2014 - 7 p.m. CT
English TV: ESPN2
Spanish TV: ESPN Deportes
Online/Mobile: WatchESPN
English Radio: Sports Radio 810 WHB
Spanish Radio: La Gran D 1340 AM
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Sporting Kansas City begins their quest to repeat as MLS Cup champions in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round against the New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday at Red Bull Arena. The one-game, single-elimination playoff match will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. The match will also be available on La Gran D 1340 AM and simulcast on Sports Radio 810 WHB, followed by The Final Whistle: Sporting KC Postgame Show.
The club's official watch party will be held in the Boulevard Members Club at Sporting Park. The doors will open one hour prior to kickoff and the watch party will be free for fans of all ages to attend. Food and drink specials will be available, featuring 12-ounce Boulevard KC Pils and Coors Light for only $3. Sporting Style merchandise will also be on sale during the event, including a limited edition playoff scarf.
Sporting Kansas City finished the 2014 MLS regular season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference (14-13-7, 49 points), one point behind New York (13-10-11, 50 points) after the Red Bulls defeated Sporting KC 2-0 at Sporting Park on Sunday. The two teams - both charter members of Major League Soccer -- will now meet for the first time in the postseason in a rematch that comes just four days after the regular season finale.
Bradley Wright-Phillips scored in all three matches against Sporting KC this season, including both goals in New York's victory on Sunday. Wright-Phillips tied the MLS single season scoring record with 27 goals in 2014 and became the first player in Red Bulls history to win the MLS Golden Boot. Sporting KC's Dom Dwyer finished the regular season with 22 goals, second most in MLS.
Sporting KC led all MLS teams with eight road wins in 2014 and conceded only 20 goals away from home, fewest in MLS. However, the club is 2-12-1 all-time in road playoff games and will face a New York Red Bulls squad that ranked second in MLS with 38 home goals in 2014. New York -- seeking their first MLS Cup title -- is 0-4-0 at Red Bull Arena in the postseason since the stadium's opening in 2010 and has not won a home playoff game since October 2005, going 0-5-2 in seven home playoff matches since.
Thursday's winner will advance to take on No. 1 seed D.C. United in the two-leg Eastern Conference Semifinals. If the score is tied at the end of regulation on Thursday, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety followed by a penalty kick shootout if necessary.
In-game updates will be available online at SportingKC.com/GameOn and by following @SKCGameday on Twitter.
