Following the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC playing to a 1-1 draw on Friday night, here are 7 Things We Learned:
Goal King
Another game against Toronto, another goal for Bradley Wright-Phillips.
Goal No. 74 of his Red Bulls career was his ninth against Toronto, which is the most he's scored against any MLS team.
Wright-Phillips said he knows facing Toronto is always a huge match and that they'd "have to fight" to get a result on Friday night.
Helping Hand
Sacha Kljestan took the free kick that ended with BWP's goal (by way of a Fredrik Gulbrandsen header), notching his 40th career assist as a Red Bull.
Kljestan becomes just the second player in club history to hit that mark.
He's just two assists away from club-leader Thierry Henry's record.
First Point
Gulbrandsen's assist on BWP's goal marks his first point in MLS.
After joining the Red Bulls and playing in his first MLS game just hours later, Gulbrandsen's first point came in his 11th game.
The forward started the game up top, paired with Wright-Phillips, in what Head Coach Jesse Marsch termed a 4-1-3-2 formation.
Stellar Stop
Luis Robles kept the game even with a penalty kick save on Jozy Altidore's shot from the spot.
It was Robles' sixth PK save and second-in-a-row against Toronto. His last one came in 2016 in a 3-0 victory over Toronto.
Robles said he did everything he could to settle himself down before the kick and whickever side he was going to pick, he was going to go at it confidently. He chose... wisely.
Formation Flexibility
Marsch said the team started off in a 4-1-3-2 formation, with Felipe the lone defensive midfielder and Gulbrandsen and BWP up top.
After subbing out Gulbrandsen, the team shifted formations to a lone striker and the more frequently seen, 4-2-3-1.
Marsch has already used a 4-2-2-2, 4-1-3-2 and 4-2-3-1 formation this year. The head coach said it provides the team with flexibility and they could deploy it in the future, if the situation calls for it.
The Fortress
Despite the draw, and one point, at home on Friday night, the Red Bulls continue to dominate at Red Bull Arena. New York has the most home wins and points in MLS since Red Bull Arena opened in 2010. The Red Bulls own a 79-24-20 overall mark with 257 points.
Following Robles' big save, Kljestan said it was the loudest and liveliest he's seen Red Bull Arena in a while.
"That really gave us a boost," the captain said. "I almost got goose bumps and when you feel the crowd like that behind you pushing you on."
Hot Nights
The heat may have played a bit of a factor on Friday night, with kickoff coming with a 90 degree reading on the thermometer.
Kljestan said both teams likely suffered from a bit of exhaustion from the heat.
New York trained in the warm weather on Wednesday and Thursday, the first major heat wave they've had to train and play in this season.
