New York's win over Columbus was the biggest upset of MLS season

NYRB is part of the global Red Bull soccer empire, a network of clubs soon to be overseen by former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp. They often share players across national lines; NYRB's star striker Emil Forsberg came to the club from sister club RB Leipzig in Germany. But crucially, they also share a playing style known as "Red Bull soccer" — and NYRB's stunning victory over Columbus showed that style at its highest form.

NYRB's win came against the odds, but it also came against the run of play: the team averaged just 22% ball possession throughout 90 minutes of action. But that figure wasn't an accident: it was an intentional game plan from NYRB head coach Sandro Schwarz.

“We wanted to play very dominant against the ball," Schwarz told mlssoccer.com after the victory. “And then we had some moments where we defend deep, but all together. That's the key when you play against such a good team, especially in ball possession, then it's the key that you have to do everything against the ball together."

That's Red Bull soccer in a nutshell: defending deep, pressing high in transition and letting the opposition have the majority of the ball. Red Bull clubs can tire talented teams in this fashion and strike them in quick breaks.

NYRB did exactly that to score its opening goal against Columbus. It gave Columbus a spell of possession, then charged down the field with speed the second Columbus gave the ball away. NYRB was unable to score from that run, but it was able to generate a corner — and Uruguayan midfielder Felipe Carballo was there in the box to send the ball home.

NYRB's unexpected victory puts it in pole position to qualify for the next round of the playoffs. A win this weekend in New York will see it advance at Columbus's expense.

It's a state of affairs no one would have predicted a week ago, but Forsberg doesn't think it's that far-fetched.

“OK, we’re playing Columbus. It’s a good team, but f—k it, we can win. Why can’t we?” he told AMNY last week. “We have a fantastic team, fantastic coaches. We just have to believe. There is nothing before or after. It’s just these three games where you gotta be on 100%. There’s nothing else."

NYRB will face Columbus in Game 2 of the MLS Playoffs on Sunday, Nov. 3.