Welcome to Tactical Sips, a semi-regular pre-match post featuring taurine-spiked breakdowns of the upcoming game.
John Tolkin and Carlos Coronel played the heroes when the New York Red Bulls ended the skid with a 1-0 win over Columbus Crew SC. Were three points secured from the deployment of a five-player back line, the return of key defenders from injury, the presence of a weaker opponent, or some combination of reasons? There is no time to assess mid-week matches as there is another mountain to climb, one that features the fanfare of a rival.