On Sunday night, the New York Red Bulls advanced to the 2018 Eastern Conference Championship by defeating Columbus 3-1 on goal aggregate. They will travel to face Atlanta United, the number two seed in the conference, in the first leg of a home-and-home series. The winner will advance to the MLS Cup Final.
The Eastern Conference Championship berth will be the fourth appearance for the franchise since it became the Red Bulls in 2006. They reached that round once as the MetroStars, doing so in 2000, falling 3-2 on aggregate to the Chicago Fire.
In 2008, the Red Bulls finished fifth in the Eastern Conference, earning a wild card bid as the fourth overall seed in the Western Conference side of the bracket.