By Glenn Crooks

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The hackneyed sports phrase, “feel each other out,” is apropos to the opening minutes of countless soccer matches I have viewed over the course of 40-plus years. Fearing the threat of conceding an early goal, both teams will settle into a stale, less risky stance to get a grasp on the match.

The New York Red Bulls utilize an atypical formula which has been one of the factors in the most prosperous regular season in franchise history.

The team from Harrison, New Jersey, captured its second Supporters Shield in three seasons with a 2-1 victory in Chicago on Sunday night.

Bradley Wright-Phillips scored his 17th goal of the season in the eighth minute, and the Red Bulls defeated the Fire, 2-1. RBNY have now scored 12 goals in the opening 15 minutes, more than any team in Major League Soccer.

How important is it to score first in MLS matches? In 69 percent of games, the team that led 1-0 was victorious and 89 percent of the aggressors earned at least a point with a draw.

The Red Bulls are 15-4 when scoring first and 14-4 when ahead at halftime.

Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch affirmed early in his tenure what each opponent could encounter. His declarations bordered on arrogance as he delivered a similar warning to all foes — we will press; let’s see if you can deal with it.

Coaches, pundits and scribes, including myself, questioned the sanity of Marsch attempting full-field pressure in full time for all 34 regular season matches. Even his players privately scoffed at the notion that they could sustain effective pressure in a league where fatigue can set in from the travel alone.

The Red Bulls are fit, athletic, dynamic, technical and organized. They have eclipsed all 19 of their league opponents with non-verbal cues which lead to superior connectivity. They are not only the preeminent team in the league but the most compelling to watch — the kind of side that a sports fan with little exposure to soccer would enjoy.

For similar reasons, fanatics globally loved watching Luis Suarez and Liverpool due to their scintillating starts in the 2013 English Premier League season.

“Yes, that’s really important,” Marsch said regarding the rapid launch to the Decision Day match against the Fire. “Not just by getting the goal, but by setting the tone for what the pace of the game was like.”

Marsch, the likely Coach of the Year in MLS (an investigation the likes of the FIFA scandal would be required if otherwise), wants the pace of the match to be chaotic — for the opponent. The Red Bulls are comfortable with a brisk tempo and unending pressure since it is the stance they take against each other in every training session at their facility in Whippany, New Jersey.

“In our early training I was making my own players uncomfortable,” Marsch said during Tuesday’s media conference call. “Sometimes it looks like total chaos but our players are comfortable with that. We are playing at a pace we are familiar with and the other team isn’t.”

Consequently, the Red Bulls set franchise records with 18 regular season victories and 60 points, while clinching the Supporters Shield with their first win in Chicago since 2005.

In January, at the infamous Town Hall Meeting, supporters were shouting and cursing at new Sporting Director Ali Curtis, who had sacked franchise legend, Mike Petke, in favor of Marsch.

Nine months later, supporters are now lauding the hierarchy of the organization while Petke, who won the Supporters Shield as coach of the Red Bulls in 2013, offered his congratulations on Sunday night:

Rather than be bitter, Petke has been supportive and remains a member of the Red Bulls family.

Petke returned to Red Bull Arena for the first time on Oct. 3, honored as a member of the Best 20 in 20 years of the franchise.

“It was awesome how he was welcomed,” Marsch told me recently. “For his boys to be there and see how much Mike has meant to this club was great. I had talked to Mike about how hard it was on them. I thanked him for how he’s handled the process. I know it hasn’t been easy. I’ve said from the beginning that Mike should feel that this is his club.”

And Dax McCarty, who was firmly planted in the middle of the controversy as a team leader and spokesman, had praise for the managers of the Red Bulls.

“To the fans that maybe wrote us off in the beginning but now are back on the bandwagon, we welcome you back with open arms,” the popular captain said. “I think it’s a testament to the vision of this club; it’s a testament to the vision of Ali Curtis and Jesse Marsch — two guys that took a lot of heat early in the season, two guys that really put their necks out on the line when they made the decisions that they made.”

Throw-Ins

— Sacha Kljesten, who assisted on BWP’s opening goal against Chicago and scored the eventual game winner on a PK in the 35th minute, has 19 points in his last 19 matches (six goals, 13 assists).

Regardless, the Seton Hall product has failed to be recognized by U.S. Men’s National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

“He has shown he is a premier player in this country,” said Marsch, who does not attempt to conceal his dissatisfaction with the USMNT program. “It kind of frustrates me. He’s been as great as any player can show. He wants to go to a World Cup.”

I asked Marsch if he or the organization had considered contacting Klinsmann directly to promote Kljesten.

“Yes, I think we can,” said Marsch, who played with Kljesten in the midfield at Chivas USA. “Maybe that’s something I can do, get in touch with Jurgen.”

— Decision Day, born when the 2015 MLS schedule was unveiled in January, was a stirring success with numerous scenarios for both playoff berths and conference seeding.

A standing ovation and encore should be issued for MLS and MLSSoccer.com which provided continuous updated standings while the matches were played.

The most compelling match to “watch” while I was calling New York City’s season finale at Yankee Stadium, was at Saputo Stadium in Montreal. Toronto FC led the Impact 1-0 at the break on Jozy Altidore’s finish (remember the opening-goal percentages) for third place in the virtual MLS standings and in position to host a one-off match Wednesday.

Then, Didier Drogba, the most gripping figure on Sunday, scored twice in less than 60 seconds and the virtual rankings became cemented.

The Impact will host sixth place Toronto FC for the second time in four days.

— For NYCFC, its collective countenance expressed relief at the conclusion of its season-ending 3-1 loss to New England in front of over 34,000 at the Stadium, while speculation continues on the job status of head coach Jason Kreis.

Concluding his eighth season as a head coach in MLS, the first seven with Real Salt Lake, Kreis is unaware of any internal discussions regarding a change with the coaching staff.

One source suggests that City Football Group, the management arm of Manchester City FC, New York City FC and two other clubs, has a strong desire to replace Kreis with Patrick Vieira. The French international was captain at Arsenal FC when the Gunners won their last EPL title in 2004.

Currently, Vieira is head coach of the U-21 Development Academy squad at City and has mentored current New York City defenders Shay Facey and Angelino.

On Sunday morning, the Daily Mirror reported that Vieira has no interest in the NYCFC position. Additionally, the story suggested that Vieira may end up at Arsenal to sit beside manager Arsene Wenger — akin to the Ryan Giggs/Louis Van Gaal arrangement at Manchester United — and replace the Gunners’ mentor in 2017.

In a press conference Monday, Wenger hinted that his current contract, which expires in ’17, will be his last.

— Dave Martinez of Empire Soccer tweeted that MSG commentator Shep Messing updated his coaching carousel predictions on Sunday’s broadcast of the Red Bulls-Fire match.

At halftime and in the run of play, Shep said that Tony Meola will replace Kreis at NYCFC while the latter is going to Seattle; Petke will be hired by the Chicago Fire; and Bruce Arena will soon lead the USMNT.

I did not see the broadcast until Tuesday morning and also spoke to Shep — these were “dream scenarios” as he phrased it or “fantasy picks.” He did not claim that his suggestions were realistic.

Here is what I know: Meola is not going to be the head coach at NYCFC; Petke is not in the running for the Chicago job; and Arena is not replacing Klinsmann.

As for Kreis, I assume he would have a hint of the Seattle plan considering one of his best friends is Garth Lagerway, the current Sounders president and general manager. That does not eliminate but severely minimizes the possibility.

If Kreis is dismissed by New York City, Shep maintains that Seattle would have a strong desire to replace Sigi Schmid with Kreis, who would re-join his Real Salt Lake construction partner, Lagerway.

Follow Glenn on Twitter at @GlennCrooks