New York City to host Red Bulls in Eastern Conference Semifinal at Citi Field

Note: This post was originally published on Saturday, November 9 at 11:35 pm; it was updated on Tuesday, November 12 at 10:58 am.

Note: Capacity at Citi Field was increased to 25,000 on Tuesday, November 19; you can read more about it here.

The venue is set: New York City FC will host New York Red Bulls at Citi Field in Queens in the Eastern Conference Semifinal of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. It will be the first postseason Hudson River Derby in history.

The game will be played on Saturday, November 23 at 5:30 pm ET. Tickets will be made available to season ticket holders on Sunday, November 10 at 10 am ET, and to the general public on Monday, November 11 at 1 pm ET. You can purchase tickets here.

Capacity for the Eastern Conference Semifinal will be capped at approximately 22,500, presumably because the Circus Vazquez will be in residency on the Citi Field parking lot from November 15 to December 15. The reduced parking will limit the attendance inside Citi Field.

Correction: Hudson River Blue learned that capacity for the Eastern Conference Semifinal will be capped at approximately 22,500 because Citi Field is in the process of being shut down for the winter as a part of the annual closure and maintenance of the stadium. New York City officials persuaded the New York Mets to pause the closure so that this game could be played in front of a limited crowd.

Limited 7 train service for NYCFC vs NY Red Bulls playoff game

But connections to the 7 Train are available in Queens. Another option: The LIRR operates hourly direct trains from Grand Central and Penn Station.

Hudson River BlueHudson River Blue Staff

Instant Reaction: Unlikely defenders help NYCFC vanquish Cincinnati

New York City FC got two straight huge performances from two somewhat unlikely defensive contributors, Mitja Ilenič and Justin Haak, to help pull off a playoff upset in Round One.

Hudson River BlueAndrew Leigh

Yankee Stadium isn't available because of a previously scheduled college football match between Notre Dame and Army on Saturday, November 23.

The No 6 seed New York City earned the right to host this game after their upset win over No 3 seed FC Cincinnati in Round One. The best-of-three series went the full three games, and was decided on penalty kicks after Game 3 ended in a 0-0 draw. NYCFC triumphed in the epic shootout, which took 18 attempts before it was decided by 19-year-old Mitja Ilenič, who blasted his shot past Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano.

They will host the No 7 seed Red Bulls, who needed just two games for their upset win over No 2 seed Columbus Crew.

This post will be updated as new information becomes available.

New York City defy odds, advance to Eastern Conference Semi

NYCFC did just enough to hold Cincinnati scoreless at TQL Stadium, then prevailed in a nutty 18-attempt penalty shootout to win the best-of-three playoff series.

Hudson River BlueOliver Strand

New York City vs Cincinnati player ratings

Matt Freese earned the highest score in the history of these reader-generated player ratings for his performance in Game 3 in Cincinnati, and the entire New York City FC backline got high marks for a first clean sheet kept since July.

Hudson River BlueAndrew Leigh