Matteo Mancosu scored to give the Montreal Impact a 1-0 edge over the New York Red Bulls after the home leg in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday.

Playing without injured star Didier Drogba, the Impact will defend a slim lead in the second leg after Mancosu ran onto Marco Donadel's long ball over the top and fired home on the half-volley in the 61st minute.

The Red Bulls controlled the majority of the play in the first half and had a chance just three minutes in, but Montreal keeper Evan Evan Bush jumped to stop Bradley Wright-Phillips' chip at the edge of the 18-yard box.

Ignacio Piatti nearly put Montreal ahead just before halftime when his header bounced just wide of the post.

New York put another scare into the hosts when Felipe Martins hit the crossbar from a free kick early in the second half, but Montreal responded with Mancosu's goal nine minutes later.

It was the third goal in four days for Mancosu, who was playing on only three days of rest after a 4-2 victory at D.C. United in the knockout round.

The top-seeded Red Bulls had a good chance to find an away goal in the 67th minute. Wright-Phillips danced past two defenders and played in Mike Grella, who had a chance to shoot but instead decided to play a pass to Sacha Kljestan, whose shot was too close to Bush.

Bush came up big again in stoppage time, preserving the lead by saving Omer Damari's volley, and Wright-Phillips' follow-up from point-blank range somehow went wide.

And the Red Bulls will be without Damari in the second leg and perhaps longer after the substitute was sent off in the closing seconds for a late two-footed challenge on Calum Mallace.