Recent New York Red Bulls managers have been consistently on the defensive regarding the team’s efforts in the playoffs.
The frustrating end to otherwise dominant seasons in the Jesse Marsch era led to discourse about a mythical “plan B” that would somehow give the team a better chance to win than the system that set the team on the course for two Supporters Shield titles those years. Marsch’s heir Chris Armas doubled down on this faulty logic, muddling the team’s clear tactical approach in both his first playoff series against Atlanta and the doldrums of his two full seasons in charge.