D.C. United and New York Red Bulls to switch playoff legs

After a conference call this afternoon, D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls have agreed to switch playoff legs. The two teams will play at RFK Stadium this Saturday, November 3rd and will play the return leg at Red Bull Arena next Wednesday, November 7. The change was brought about by the damage to the area due to Hurricane Sandy; as of this writing, Red Bull Arena is still without power and transportation throughout the entire region is currently disrupted. Ben Olsen was quoted today as saying that he does not care the order in which the series is played.

This change does nullify the slight advantage given to the higher seed, that of being able to know exactly what you need to get in order to advance. I have seen other suggestions out there, such as playing the game at the Meadowlands (where the NFL will play 15 hours later) or moving the game first leg to PPL Park in Philadelphia. The other option would be to postpone everything by a week, which would require cramming more games in or moving other series. Those options seem like longshots at best, so this seems to be the only viable option.

2012 MLS Playoffs Schedule: D.C. United Vs. New York Red Bulls, Nov. 3 & Nov. 7

D.C. United faces a familiar opponent in its first trip to the playoffs since 2007. The hated Red Bulls will host the opening leg of this playoff series, with the second round coming at RFK Stadium.