On Saturday evening, in Foxborough, Mass., for the first time since April 28, Jesse Marsch diverted from the 10 field players that had combined in a 4-2-3-1 formation to produce a record of 4-0-1 over five games. The fourth-year Red Bulls head coach was forced into a change, because of the absence of Michael Amir Murillo, Tyler Adams and Tim Parker, with all three away with national team obligations.
Marsch was not, however, forced into a change in formation, but that is exactly what he did. His formation on Saturday, a diamond 4-4-2, added Aurélien Collin and Connor Lade to the backline, Vincent Bezecourt to one of the outside points of the midfield, and Derrick Etienne Jr.