To defeat New York Red Bulls, an opponent must overcome a system built on space reduction. The teams above Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference have collected a grand total of one point againts Jesse Marsch’s men in regular season play this season, and against Atlanta United and NYCFC, the scores were not close.
But Philadelphia Union went punch for punch in Red Bull Arena in May, and their own system, resting on a commitment to building out of the back and using their workhorse midfielders to spread the ball around, has proven to be a difficult matchup for New York.