The New York Red Bulls snuck into the playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union after a season that was filled with draws. Due to the way that the MLS playoffs are set up, they will be taking on FC Dallas in a Wild Card game with the winner facing the LA Galaxy. This is a similar to the 2008 season when they were shifted to the Westin the playoffs which saw them not only win the Western Conference finals but make their first MLS Cup appearance in team history.
The knock against the Red Bulls all season is that they were unable to get goal support and often had to settle for a draw. The FC Dallas team they face had a rough final 10 games going 3-6-1. The game will be played on Wednesday at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. The Red Bulls are rumored to be without star striker Luke Rodgers who has an injured knee. Rodgers was a bright spot this season when he did play scoring 9 goals in 23 appearances.
Thierry Henry came up short in his quest to win the league's Golden Boot award, scoring 14 goals this season. He got off to a slow start but settled in midway through the season and was often the sole goal scorer on Red Bulls roster.
Dax McCarty will be making his return to Dallas as a member of the Red Bulls. Last year he was important to Dallas' success in the playoffs and was an integral part of the team's push to the MLS Cup, scoring the goal that pushed them past Real Salt Lake in the 3-2 aggregate.