The New York Red Bulls looked inspired, driven, and wholly unlike the meandering, inconsistent side that has taken the field for most of the year when they faced Sporting KC this weekend.

Part of the reason for that may stem from yet another talk between Thierry Henry and head coach Mike Petke. After all, their original tete-a-tete last season was the spark that led New York towards their first trophy in 18 years.

But Saturday was not just the product of some emotional response. Whether by choice or by force (losing a quarter of your roster will do that), Petke shed his rigid tactical nature and shook up his attack for the first time since last season’s loss at Chicago (April of last season, mind you).

“Early in the week, the staff sat down and said ‘who are our four best attacking players?’ And we pinpointed those best four and we put them in positions we thought that they could hurt,” Petke said after Saturday’s match.

Putting them in certain positions meant a logical break from their rigid 4-4-2 formation.

For starters, Henry returned to the position that made him such a lethal contributor for both Arsenal and Barcelona prior to his stint with New York. The Frenchman played left of center, with responsibilities up and down the flank. “Thierry’s no stranger to playing out on the left and you could argue almost every game this year he winds up there large chunks of the time,” Petke observed. “He’s comfortable there. So we basically started him there and as always with Thierry that’s a starting point and we want him to go wherever he’s comfortable to go because he can make a difference. But he really did a good job tonight sitting out there. He was a true captain tonight.”

Bradley Wright-Phillips contained himself to the top of the attack, where he has proven to be a top-notch target and converter. Lloyd Sam also played higher up the pitch, as Henry did, with a focus on both sides of the ball. With flank distribution covered, New York returned Peguy Luyindula to a role he flourished in late last year; attacking midfield.

Suddenly, the red-hot Wright-Phillips had three quality sources of distribution, unsettling Sporting’s backline and stretching their defensive responsibilities.

While the offense was unleashed, defensive cover became a priority. This is where Petke chose to cover his battered backline with a pair of proven defensive midfielders.

“Dax and Eric’s whole role [Saturday night] was to sit home and be the link offensively from one side to the other, and defensively clog it up and do the dirty work,” Petke noted.

Well, mission accomplished. Both McCarty and Alexander stayed central, played the first line of defense, neutralized Sporting’s potent midfield and led the transition towards the attack.

In actuality, McCarty and Alexander’s contributions to the midfield were perhaps the most impactful tactical tweak by Petke and the technical staff. The decision to go with two blocks of two in the middle covered for a suspect backline, and allowed Luyindula to concentrate his efforts on the offensive end of the ball instead of the traditional two-way role required in Petke’s normal system.

That allowed New York’s three-headed distributive monster to flourish. It also allowed for a balanced, attack minded approach from New York’s fullbacks, Roy Miller and Chris Duvall. “You add an overlapping fullback and you have five guys going forward that are dangerous,” Petke said. That certainly was the case, particularly for Duvall, who was paired all evening against U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Graham Zusi in a vibrant dual. When the rookie defender had the chance, his overlapping runs behind an already dangerous Sam caused panic at the opposing end.

In all, defensive coverage meant a fearless approach moving forward.

So what formation did the Red Bulls deploy? That is arguable. Some may see a throwback to Petke’s original concept last season — the 4-3-3. Unlike a traditional 4-3-3, this deployment would have involved two tucked in midfielders and an enganche supporting three free-roaming attackers in Sam, Henry and Wright-Phillips. Some would see a 4-5-1, which was certainly the stance on the defensive third, springing forward to a more attack minded style.

Whatever the true formation may be, one fact remains; Petke shed the 4-4-2 and breathed new life into the Red Bulls on both sides of the ball. Judging by Henry’s role in the match, part of that decision could very well have come from their conversation this week. On the other hand, it could have been Petke’s only choice to stay competitive, especially when considering his pared-down options.

Their midweek match against D.C. United may bring much of the same in terms of tactics for the Red Bulls. The future of this deployment beyond that match may be complicated by the returning Tim Cahill and Ambroise Oyongo from international duty.

Still, the change in and of itself is worth noting. With eight games remaining in the season, it is a gamble for any coach, let alone the brassbound Mike Petke, to seek out a new way of approaching a match. With their playoff future still in precarious position, now was as good a time as any to take a risk.