MLS playoffs: D.C. United advances past New York Red Bulls on Nick DeLeon's late goal The two-game finals will begin Sunday afternoon in Houston against the fifth-seeded Dynamo, which ousted first-place Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday. The second leg is Nov. 18 at RFK Stadium. In the Western Conference, reigning champion Los Angeles, the No. 4 seed, was awaiting the winner of Thursday night's finale between Seattle and Real Salt Lake. High tension compensated for the lack of style and free-flowing ideas at Red Bull Arena. In a tightly contested match, every foray and giveaway carried potentially massive implications. Each team was assessed a red card during a six-minute span of the second half, and United backup goalkeeper Joe Willis stopped a penalty kick. In the late stages, Lionard Pajoy sent a cross-field pass to Robbie Russell, who led DeLeon into the penalty area. With right back Connor Lade keeping DeLeon onside, DeLeon calmly rifled a low shot past Luis Robles from 12 yards. A strange, contentious series had galvanized a United side that had not even been expected to reach the playoffs after star attacker Dwayne De Rosario was lost to a knee injury in September. But a seven-game unbeaten streak ended a five-year playoff hiatus, and a 1-1 draw in the opener at RFK set the stage for the finale. Thursday's match, postponed a day by weather, unfolded on time and on a snow-free field, but not without further scrutiny about the league's decision-making during Wednesday's storm. Commissioner Don Garber issued an apology for the handling of the rescheuled match, saying in an online letter: "I know many of our fans believe we should have made the decision earlier in the day or even the day before. In retrospect, I wish we had. Although I believe our intent in trying to preserve the ability to play the match was well meaning, in the end we would have better served our clubs and our fans by making the decision earlier. Many of the complaints came from 700 United supporters who had traveled to the match on 11 buses. Despite the travel aggravations, 250 D.C. fans returned Thursday and reoccupied their space in the upper deck. With only a few thousand spectators in the sideline sections, supporters from each club sparred with chants and song from opposite sides of the 25,000-seat stadium. Ben Olsen made two changes to the lineup that completed the regular season, replacing right back Andy Najar (red-card suspension) with Russell and left back Chris Korb (hamstring injury) with Lewis Neal. Russell, who won an MLS title with Real Salt Lake in 2009, had played just 12 minutes in three appearances since returning from a foot injury. Neal is a midfielder who provided cover at left back a few times this year. Daniel Woolard, the club's top-choice left-sided defender, had returned from a concussion suffered in August but wasn't ready to rejoin the lineup. Red Bulls boss Hans Backe upgraded his attack with the addition of striker Kenny Cooper, MLS's second-leading scorer with 18 goals. Cooper had come off the bench in the first leg. The Red Bulls stirred in the 28th minute and were unfortunate not to go ahead. Hamid stopped Henry's rising drive, and after a failed clearance, the Frenchman's shot in the box appeared to strike defender Dejan Jakovic in the midsection. The Red Bulls howled for a handball, but played continued. Joel Lindpere low bid snaked through the box and slipped wide right by a whisker. The tension grew with each passing minute of the second half, neither side cracking under pressure. Hamid rescued United in the 65th minute, blocking McCarty's volley inside the six-yard box. Four minutes later, Hamid was sent off for taking down Cooper at the edge of the penalty area. Hamid pleaded his case with demonstrative gestures before exiting. Willis, a second-year pro who made 10 regular season starts, entered under the most difficult circumstances: to face a penalty kick. Cooper converted, but referee Mark Geiger nullified it because Henry had entered the box before the shot. On Cooper's second attempt, Willis guessed correctly, sliding to his left to block the low shot. Meantime, from the locker room, Hamid tweeted his disgust about the decision. "Great leap," he wrote of Cooper's ploy. The match took another turn in the 75th minute when New York's Rafael Marquez wiped out Chris Pontius and received his second yellow card. With teams at even strength, Pontius missed the far corner by inches and McCarty squandered a clear chance in the box. United notes: Club officials are anticipating an extended suspension for Najar, who flung the ball at the referee in the first match. He would begin serving the additional penalty in the conference finals. . . . United's all-time playoff record against the Red Bulls is 6-1-2.