Dynamo upsets Red Bulls, reaches conference finals
Houston won the semifinal return leg 2-1 three days after a 2-2 draw at home.
HARRISON, New Jersey (AP) - Omar Cummings scored in extra time to help the Houston Dynamo advance to the MLS Eastern Conference finals with a 2-1 upset victory over the league-leading New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night.
Houston won the semifinal return leg 2-1 three days after a 2-2 draw at home, advancing 4-3 on aggregate to the conference finals starting Saturday.
Cummings scored in the second minute of stoppage time last weekend to secure the draw for Houston in the first leg.
On Wednesday, he got his foot on a ball that slipped past Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles at the near post.
The Red Bulls finished the regular season atop the standings and had leads in both semifinal games.
On Wednesday, Bradley Wright-Phillips scored in the 23rd minute to give New York the lead before Brad Davis equalized in the 36th.
It remained locked at the end of regulation time and in extra time until Kofi Sarkodie crossed a ball into the box that was headed down by Cam Weaver. Cummings managed to get his foot on the ball and poke it past Robles for the clincher.
The Red Bulls dominated Houston during the regular season, winning all three head-to-head matches, and went into the semifinals on an eight-game unbeaten streak. But the Dynamo extended New York's playoff futility, making the Red Bulls winless in their past six playoff games.
