Seemingly spellbound by the glorious hair of Red Bulls midfielder John Tolkin, the Five Stripes once again found themselves unable to pass through their New York opponents.
Head coach Gabriel Heinze made his return to the touchline after serving a suspension last match due to yellow card accumulation, and brought with him Cubo Torres back into the starting lineup. Jurgen Damm returned to the injury list just before the match, so was unable to appear after coming on as a late sub Wednesday night.
As is traditional in matches between these two sides, fouls were abundant early on, and the physical play made it difficult for either side to create much from open play.