ORLANDO, Fla. — Andres Reyes scored two minutes into the second half and Carlos Coronel scored as the Red Bulls defeated Orlando City 1-0 in the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. He turned around first-year coach Sandro Schwartz. Second MLS Cup final.
The Red Bulls will be the first No. 7 seed to play in the championship since joining the Chicago Fire in 1998 as the only team to win three straight playoff games on the road.
Schwartz, who left Germany's Hertha BSC to become the manager of the Red Bulls, led the team to a first-round victory over second-seeded and defending champion Columbus in a road rubber match. The Red Bulls defeated sixth-seeded New York City FC 2-0 at Citi Field in the semifinals.
Coronel saved three hits in his ninth playoff appearance, all with the Red Bulls. Coronel has kept clean sheets in all three postseason games this season.
The Red Bulls took the lead in the 47th minute when Reyes headed in a free kick from fellow defender John Tolkien. It was Reyes' first goal in his ninth postseason appearance. Tolkien's assist was his third goal in nine playoff games, following his first two and only goals last season.
Pedro Gallese made his 11th career playoff start without a save, but both came with Orlando City. He has allowed one goal in four starts this postseason.
The Red Bulls have made the playoffs every season since 2010.
They have only reached the finals once, losing 3-1 to the Columbus Crew in 2008. This is the sixth time the club has advanced to the conference finals and first time since 2018.
Oscar Pareja took over as Orlando City manager in 2019 and led the club to its first conference championship match.
