Henry, Red Bulls set for do-or-die clash with Revolution

The odds are stacked against a New York team playing the Eastern Conference Championship decider on the Revolution's artificial turf field and without top scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips after the Englishman picked up a second postseason yellow card.

Frenchman Henry, 37, whose contract runs out at the end of the playoffs and who has given no indication he intends to extend his career in New York, has largely avoided playing on artificial surfaces during his four years in MLS.

But with his club in the hunt for a maiden MLS title, the former Arsenal and Barcelona forward will put his aging legs on the plastic in a bid to turn the tie around.

Henry isn't the only New York player who isn't a fan of playing on an artificial surface at the home of the NFL's New England Patriots and midfielder Dax McCarty believes it has caused his team problems in the past.

"The turf, in years past it hasn't been that great and it makes for a very difficult game to play," says McCarty. "I think New England obviously has a significant home-field advantage being able to play all their home games on it and train on it as well but we have faith, we have a lot of character."

The Revolution have impressed throughout the postseason with winger Lee Nguyen in excellent form and German-born U.S international Jermaine Jones providing aggression and dynamism in midfield.

Whoever emerges triumphant at Gillette Stadium will face the Western Conference winners with that tie decided on Sunday.

Home side Seattle Sounders trail 1-0 to the L.A. Galaxy who are looking to become the first MLS team to win five titles.

MLS all-time top scorer Landon Donovan faces a similar scenario to Henry - he will bow out of the game at the end of the playoffs and he must get a result on plastic if he is to make sure his farewell game is the MLS Cup final on Dec. 7.

The Sounders will be looking to strike pairing of Nigerian Obafemi Martins and American Clint Dempsey to see them into their first MLS Cup and hope to have combative Cuban midfielder Osvaldo Alonso back from injury.