Harrison, New Jersey: New York Red Bulls clinched a spot in the Major League Soccer play-offs by drawing with Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, while the San Jose Earthquakes secured the Supporters’ Shield as the team with the best record in the regular season.
New York played out a scoreless home draw against Eastern Conference-leading Sporting, with the Kansas City club’s failure to win meaning they cannot catch San Jose for the overall best record.
New York, who have never won an MLS title, clinched a spot in the 10-team play-offs because Columbus Crew — the only team outside the Eastern play-off spots who could have broken in — lost 3-2 at D.C. United.
San Jose earned home-field advantage throughout the play-offs, though they also had the best record in 2005, when they were knocked out in the quarter-finals.
Columbus’ defeat also meant the Houston Dynamo were certain of a play-off berth, booking their sixth post-season spot in seven years with a 3-1 home win over Philadelphia Union.
