MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: DC United vs. New York 2nd Leg Score and Twitter Reaction

DC United won the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals 2-1, but the New York Red Bulls still advance thanks to a 3-2 triumph on aggregate.

United entered the match with their backs against the wall. The Red Bulls won the first leg of the conference semifinal clash 2-0 last weekend courtesy of goals from Bradley Wright-Phillips and Peguy Luyindula. And failing to score on the road put United in a bigger hole with the away-goal rule in effect.

That meant if New York scored just one goal, they needed four to advance. So the onus was on the back line to stand tall with hope the attack could make up the goals. OptaJack passed along a concerning stat in that regard heading into the fixture, though:

Despite the lackluster result in the opening leg, United manager Ben Olsen made it clear his side would be ready to roll for the rematch:

Unsurprisingly, New York came out with a very conservative approach for the first half hour. The biggest key for Mike Petke's group was not conceding early after such a strong effort in the first 90 minutes to secure the lead.

In turn, DC United were able to control possession and spent a lot of time in the attacking half. What was missing were good scoring chances in and around the box. The Red Bulls' defense did a nice job of keeping everything to the outside and slowing the pace of play.

Franco Panizo of MLS' official site commented on the steady effort early on:

The defensive wall cracked in the 37th minute, however.

Left-back Taylor Kemp made a well-timed run up the wing and then delivered a pinpoint cross between defenders to Nick DeLeon. He made no mistake, heading it past Luis Robles to grab the lead and bring them back within one on aggregate.

The U.S. Soccer Academy praised the assist:

Bill Hamid came to the rescue just minutes later to avoid a backbreaking equalizer from New York. Wright-Phillips broke free for a brief moment and unleashed a laser, but the United goalkeeper was up to the task and the rebound was cleared to safety.

Both sides had a couple lesser chances to create a goal in the final minutes of the opening half but neither could connect. The Red Bulls entered halftime with the aggregate edge, but the margin for error had been eliminated.

Ives Galarcep of Goal wrapped up the first 45:

A key three-minute stretch about 10 minutes into the second half decided the series.

Fabian Espindola narrowly missed a chance to equalize in the 54th minute. He found space in between New York defenders in a play that looked similar to the first goal, but he directed a diving header just wide of the post.

Three minutes later, the Red Bulls relieved a lot of pressure with a goal of their own. Thierry Henry created space and then played a hopeful ball across the front of goal. Luyindula was there to redirect it past Hamid to level the score.

As mentioned, it meant DC United would have needed to score four goals to advance. Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated pointed out Henry has stepped up for New York:

United received a late boost in their comeback bid with Roy Miller being sent off due to a high challenge with his boot. Brian Sciaretta of the New York Times joked about the continued playoff struggles of the defender:

Sean Franklin scored in the first minute of stoppage time to give the home side a 2-1 lead in the second leg. Unfortunately for the four-time champions, it was too little, too late with the Red Bulls having scored the crucial road goal.

New York held on for the final few minutes to secure a spot in the next round. NBC Sports noted the result:

Total MLS passed along comments from Henry after he was told he was the Man of the Match:

Looking ahead, the Red Bulls will play the winner of the other Eastern Conference semifinal featuring the New England Revolution and Columbus Crew for a spot in the MLS Cup. The Revolution are in a good spot after winning the first leg 4-2 on the road. The second leg is on Sunday.

The key for New York will be continued strong play from Henry. Even at age 37 he's a legitimate game-changer when in good form and makes the club's attack far more dangerous. Given the entire group's play in this round, they should head into the conference finals with plenty of confidence.