Toronto FC plays the first leg of its Eastern Conference Semi-final this Sunday against New York City FC. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM at BMO Field.

These two teams haven't met since mid-May when they played to a 1-1 draw at BMO Field.

New York City will be playing its first playoff game in club history on Sunday.

Here are three keys to the match:

Bradley vs. Lampard

You would be hard pressed to find a matchup in the MLS with more star power than Toronto FC vs. New York City FC. The likes of Giovinco, Pirlo, Altidore, and Villa generate enough attention on their own. However, the battle in the midfield between Michael Bradley and Frank Lampard will be where this series is won or lost.

Bradley put together a great third year with Toronto FC. The captain played 24 games scoring one goal and adding 5 assists. Lampard scored 12 goals and added 3 assists in just 19 games. Both players will rely on their vast international experience in this two-game series.

Bradley and the rest of the midfield will need to make sure Lampard remains off the scoresheet on Sunday.

TFC Press

On Wednesday, Toronto FC was able to apply pressure to the Union backline. It caused the Union to make mistakes, which Toronto FC was able to turn into scoring chances. A great example was TFC's first goal, where pressure from Jozy Altidore forced the Union into making a mistake which led to the goal.

New York City has the worst defensive record of all 2016 playoff teams. New York conceded 57 goals this season.

It will be important for the Reds to continue to apply pressure to the shaky City backline and create chances off their forced turnovers.

Not Conceding

New York City FC was the highest scoring offence in the MLS this season. They scored a league-high 62 goals and had 14 different goalscorers.

There has also been no shortage of goal scoring in the TFC-NYCFC matchups in the past. 18 goals have been scored in the 5 games played between these two clubs.

Since this is a two-game aggregate series, where away goals are preferred, it will be crucial for Toronto to prevent NYCFC from scoring on Sunday.