The New York Red Bulls and Columbus Crew, both inaugural cities in Major League Soccer, will be taking aim to win their first MLS Cup in each team’s first finals appearance when they meet on Sunday at the Home Depot Center.

The two teams both have long histories and support to claim the league’s top prize.  The Crew has always had respect from fans around the league due to their founder Lamar Hunt and his commitment to the game and the fact Columbus boast the first soccer specific stadium in MLS while the league and Big Apple fans have always hoped for better results for a team in one of the largest sports markets in the U.S.

Neither team has had luck getting this far in the past, however.  The Crew has played in four Eastern Conference Final games and has fallen short in each attempt to advance.  New York last reached the Conference Final in 2000, when they lost

In all-time regular season meetings, New York holds a slight edge, going 21-20-5 against Columbus, but Columbus won the teams’ only two playoff meetings, both in 1998, but the second game was by shootout making the 49th meeting the most important in their team history.