6:03 PM ET: Next up is Dallas vs. Seattle. Thanks for joining me everyone!
6:02 PM ET: DC has a mountain to climb now. An away goal for New York in the next game could cripple DC's chances
6:00 PM ET: New York trumps DC in the first leg. Six days from now is the 2nd leg at RFK Stadium
FINAL - New York 2 - 0 DC United
93' - Cleared by New York. Last chance for DC....
93' - Rolfe's cross is off Olave for a corner
92' - New York killing time...
90' - 3 minutes of stoppage time
89' - Franklin's cross is met by Robles. Maybe one more chance for DC this game
88' - Huge block from Olave! DC continue their pressure
87' - Costless kick for DC in a dangerous area just outside the 18
85' - Arnaud rifles a shot from distance and it's wide left
84' - Yellow card for Roy Miller for a late challenge on Nick DeLeon
82' - Yellow card for Oyongo, who just came on for Henry
81' - Red Bull fans chanting "One more year" at Henry. We can only hope
79' - SUB - Thierry Henry is coming off
78' - DC has a tough challenge in the last 10 minutes. An away goal would be huge for them
77' - Dax McCarty's header is JUST wide. The veteran should've put that away
76' - BWP has his shot deflected and out of play. Hamid was wrong footed from the deflection. Could've been 3-0
75' - SUB - Luyindula comes off for Tim Cahill
74' - GOAL! Luyindula beats the DC defenders and puts the 1v1 chance past Hamid. 2-0 New York
73' - Wright-Phillips skies a cross. Wastes a great chance for New York
72' - Red Bulls refusing to sit back and defend. A lot of pressure on the DC goal. Hamid is DC's player of the game so far
71' - BWP with another shot and Hamid with another save
70' - SUB - Sean Franklin comes on for Taylor Kemp
69' - DC plays the ball wide but the cross is cleared to start a Red Bull counter
67' - HUGE double save from Hamid. Keeping DC United in the game
67' - Sean Franklin getting ready to come on
66' - The game has yet to slow down. Both sides aching for a goal
63' - Sam starts the counter and Henry puts a header on frame. The ball is saved easily from Hamid
61' - Henry puts a shot over the bar
60' - Espindola's shot is off the top of the net. Good bit of pressure from DC. This game is going to have an exciting end
58' - Goal kick Red Bulls
57' - Espindola's shot is deflected out for a corner
57' - Pontius is fouled outside the 18. Costless kick for DC in a dangerous position
55' - DC is missing something in the middle. Haven't been able to do anything with the ball unless they're on the wings
52' - Henry blasts a shot of Sam's face. He seems to be hurting a little after that one
51' - Sam's cross is met by a soft header which bounces straight to Hamid
49' - Same story as the first half, DC presses early, New York trying to work the counter
47' - Eckersley bodies Chris Pontius for a New York goal kick
46' - Second half kicks off. Can New York hold on to their shutout?
HALFTIME - Getting ready for the second half here. New York continues it's streak of scoring at least one goal in games played at Red Bull Arena
HALFTIME - New York enters the half up 1-0 behind a goal from your golden boot winner, Bradley Wright-Phillips
45' - DC now looking like they're content to go into half down 1-0. One minute of stoppage time
43' - Too many fouls for McCarty who picks up the first yellow card of the game
42' - Still can't believe that back heel from Henry. Age knows no boundries with this man
40' - GOAL! Bradley Wright-Phillips slots home the shot after a beautiful back heel from Thierry Henry
39' - Great defense from Olave. Corner for DC
38' - BWP has a nice look at goal but skies his shot. Should've been better from the golden boot winner
37' - BWP is just offside. New York bringing the pressure
36' - Henry is limping. Looks like it's just a knock he can shake off
34' - New York peppering the DC goal with chances but BWP finally puts a shot wide. Goal kick DC
31' - New York finally with a spell in DC territory. McCarty's shot is redirected wide by Lyuindula. Best chance for NY so far
29' - Johnson and Olave getting in a scuffle. A talking to from the ref.
28' - Espindola costless kick
26' - Johnson has his shot blocked and the follow up from Espindola is saved. New York absorbing a lot of pressure right now
25' - A lot of action now. A one timer from Arnaud is saved by Robles.
24' - Soft shot from Eric Alexander. Saved easily by Hamid
23' - Sam's cross is met by a Hamid fist. No good looks at goal from New York yet.
20' - DeLeon whips in a cross for Espindola but his touch is heavy and the ball goes straight to Robles. Could've been 1-0 DC there.
18' - Eckersley plays in a cross for BWP who is wide open but offside. His shot was wide
17' - New York caught on the counter. Espindola tries a shot but the angle is too tight. Goal kick New York
15' - Foul against New York. DC plays quickly but New York is back on the ball almost immediately
14' - DC happy to play the possession game, but they can't find a good look on goal. Throw in for New York deep in their own territory
11' - Peggy Lyuindula is down injured. DeLeon clipped him with a late challenge. Lyuindula back up
10' - New York putting on the pressure. Henry plays in a cross but cleared by Davy Arnaud
8' - Handball off of Espindola. DC with the upperhand early on. New York trying to string together some passes but is cut out early
6' - Espindola tries a shot from distance but it isn't on frame. Goal kick New York
5' - Tactical foul from Boswell. Get's a talking to but no card
4' - Henry puts in a cross but no one is there. Straight into Hamid's arms
2' - DC with some early pressure. Eckersley clears a ball out for a DC throw
1' - Stadium is loud and both teams come out with a lot of energy
1' - KICKOFF!
4:09 PM ET: Red Bull Arena looking a little fuller than last game. About to kickoff here.
4:07 PM ET: Today marks the 78th matchup between the two teams in MLS, 10th in the playoffs
4:00PM ET: The inline is now live on www.mlssoccer.com
3:58 PM ET: Temperature dropping and wind rising at Red Bull Arena. About 35 degrees with 25 MPH winds. Brrr!
3:52 PM ET: Fans filing in. DC United supporters are standing in the corner under a MetroStars banner
3:47 PM ET: The only time DC lost to New York in the playoffs was eight years ago in a shoot out
3:38 PM ET: Once again, if you don't have televised access to today's game, you can inline it for costless over at www.mlssoccer.com
3:33 PM ET: Interesting stat: New York has scored at least one goal in every game at Red Bull Arena this season.
3:30 PM ET: Only 30 minutes until kickoff at Red Bull Arena. Who do you think will win this first leg?
3:25 PM ET: If my predictions hold true, New York will take the series against DC. There's a first time for everything.
3:19 PM ET: Fabian Espindola is my player to look. Not only does he have a career best in goals this season (9), but he's also playing against his former team. Nothing sweeter than a little revenge
3:13 PM ET: Tim Cahill is left on the bench in favor of Peggy Lyuindula. Cahill has been a big disappointment for RBNY fans. A huge dropoff in performance from last year.
3:10 PM ET: Thierry Henry and Bobby Boswell will wear the captain's armbands for either side. I wouldn't want Henry yelling at me if I were the ref.
3:08 PM ET: Chris Rolfe starts on the bench for DC United.
3:06 PM ET: So Henry is indeed starting. I think we may only see roughly 70 minutes from him depending on how the game goes for New York. Do they pull Henry if they're losing and try and keep him as fresh as possible for the match in DC?
3:05 PM ET: DC United starting lineup: Hamid; Kemp, Birnbaum, Boswell, Korb; Pontius, Kitchen, Arnaud, DeLeon; Espindola, Johnson
3:03 PM ET: Red Bulls starting lineup: Robles, Eckersley, Olave, Sekagya, Miller, Alexander, McCarty, Sam, Luyindula, Henry, Wright-Phillips
2:59 PM ET: Interested in Henry's playing time today. He sat out the last regular season match with an achilles issue, but played the full 90 against SKC in the knockout round.
2:58 PM ET: Lineups will be out soon.
2:56 PM ET: Bradley Wright-Phillips has 29 goals in all competitions this season which puts him tied for 5th all-time in MLS.
2:47 PM ET: We've got some time before the game. Here's highlights of the last meeting between DC and New York. A 1-0 New York victory
2:41 PM ET: No word on Chris Rolfe yet, who suffered a broken bone a while back. Rumors are he could be back for today's game. My prediction is he'll be a sub if he is indeed in the 18.
2:38 PM ET: If you don't have televised action of today's game, you can inline it for costless over at www.mlssoccer.com, which is where I'll be looking from.
2:36 PM ET: It won't be like the snow game these two last played in the playoffs, but it's a chilling 48 degrees and windy at Red Bull Arena right now.
2:33 PM ET: New York has scored just one goal against DC United all year. This came in the last game between the two thanks to a 90th minute Lloyd Sam winner.
2:29 PM ET: Prediction time... New York 1 - 1 DC United
2:27 PM ET: Big day of MLS playoff action ahead! New York/DC at 4PM Eastern, and then Dallas/Seattle tonight.
2:24 PM ET: Hilario Grejeda will be the referee for today's match which kicks off at 4PM Eastern.
2:22 PM ET: Bobby Boswell and Sean Franklin are two of the main reasons for DC United's turnaround. DC leaked goals left and right last year, but have given up the least amount of goals in MLS this season with 37. LA and RSL are the only other teams to give up less than 40 goals with 37 and 39 respectively. Bill Hamid has also given a strong argument for goal keeper of the year. If DC wants to win this series, it will be done with their defense.
2:20 PM ET: DC United will be without their leading goal scorer Luis Silva, which could be the catalyst to DC in this leg. The new tiebreaker for 2014 after aggregate is away goals. The weight of that burden will be placed on the shoulders of DP Eddie Johnson. Johnson has taking a lot of criticism from fans and media alike for his lack of production on offense.
2:18 PM ET: For as good as the New York attack has been this year, their defense has been nothing to write home about. New York has given up 50 goals on the year, bringing their total goal differential to plus-5. What started out as a mixed bag of tricks has settled into a big but slow defense, veterans Jamison Olave and Ibrahim Sekagya anchor the defense in the middle, while Richard Eckersley and Roy Miller have found their homes on the wings. Luckily for New York, Red Bull Arena has been good to them this year, where they boast a plus-15 goal differential. On the flipside, the Red Bulls have a minus-10 differential which puts them at one of the worst overall home/away differentials of the year. DC could make it hard on them quick if they can find a way to score at Red Bull Arena.
2:16 PM ET: Lloyd Sam started the year off hot for New York, but slowly faded into the ranks of the Red Bull midfield which has been cluttered for a lot of the year. Sam, who is second on the team in assists (9), will likely get the starting job alongside veteran Dax McCarty who has been the unsung hero of the New York midfield. Fans will remember McCarty was traded to New York from DC for Dwayne De Rosario, who now plays for Toronto FC.
2:14 PM ET: New York has been an offensive machine behind Bradley Wright-Phillips and Thierry Henry. Wright-Phillips tied the MLS goal scoring record with 27 goals during the regular season, and Henry tacked on another 10 to help the Red Bulls post the most goals in the Eastern Conference. Some fans are hearlding Thierry Henry for the great form of BWP. The Frenchman, like he always has, provided New York with a big target to provide holdup play. Henry's talent led him to tally 14 assists.
2:12 PM ET: The 2014 season series between DC and New York featured two DC wins, and one for New York. The winning team shut out the opposition, and also happened to be the home team in every match. If form holds true, things are looking good for New York in this first leg.
2:10 PM ET: DC enter the match as the favorites. Coach Ben Olsen took his team from worst to first in the Eastern Conference, and they're entering on an undefeated streak of six games.
2:08 PM ET: The playoffs is where DC's dominance really takes hold. New York has never beaten DC in a series in the playoffs, and has only won one game total against DC. In fact, playoffs have been woeful for New York against most opponents, especially at home. The victory over Sporting KC was New York's first in nine years at home.
2:06 PM ET: New York and DC hold one of the most historic rivalries in Major League Soccer. DC has gotten the better of New York over the years, winning 33 to New York's 23 in MLS play. The two teams have tied just nine times in that span.
2:04 PM ET: DC United will be without one of their leading scorers in Luis Silva, who is still recovering from an injury suffered the other month. This will leave scoring duties up to Fabian Espindola and Eddie Johnson.
2:02 PM ET: New York Red Bulls finished the game against Sporting Kansas City2-1 behind goals from the golden boot winner, Bradley Wright-Phillips. Bradley Wright-Phillips currently sits on 29 goals, which is equal to the top three DC goal scorers combined.
2:00 PM ET: New York Red Bulls will host DC United in the first leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals today at Red Bull Arena. New York will be playing their second playoff game of 2014 after they defeated last year's champions, Sporting Kansas City, on home turf on Thursday night in the Wild-Card Round.