Red Bull II faces Louisville City FC in the USL Cup Eastern Conference final for the third consecutive postseason at Slugger Field Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+).

The match will pit the two previous USL Cup champions.

Returning to the venue where NYRB II saw its 2017 playoff dreams end on penalty kicks, the team enters the match winners of four straight on the road and nine games unbeaten.

Coming off an upset of top-seeded FC Cincinnati, which saw New York snap the hosts’s 24-match unbeaten run, NYRB II has its eyes set on reaching its second USL Cup in three years, having won the 2016 title at Red Bull Arena over Swope Park Rangers.

NYRB II has tallied two clean sheets in the playoffs after having but three during the regular season.

Red Bull II is winless in two regular-season games this against Louisville City (0-1-1).

If NYRB II wins, it can either host the USL Cup final at Red Bull Arena or travel to Phoenix Rising FC. The final is scheduled for Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2).

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.