The defeat did nothing to alleviate early fears among fans that the rest of the league had caught on to the Red Bulls’ frenetic tactics and that the team might need to mix things up considerably if it is to repeat the success of 2015.

Last year, the Red Bulls won the Supporters’ Shield with the best record in the league, only to be knocked out in the Eastern Conference finals by Columbus, which gummed up the works around the box and countered effectively. Toronto did not produce as many dangerous opportunities as Columbus did, but it did not need to, because the Red Bulls could not finish their own opportunities.

“We weren’t very sharp,” said Bradley Wright-Phillips, who missed a couple of chances. “Our touches let us down. It’s the first game. It’s nothing to worry about.”

The Red Bulls did not lose a match last season until their eighth game and did not drop a home match until May 24. Marsch insisted, however, that his side would regain its form quickly. It is a familiar group. His lineup included 10 of the 11 players who started the last playoff game in November against Columbus, with the exception of Gideon Baah, who played at center back in place of Matt Miazga, who left the team for Chelsea.

Baah played brilliantly, held his space and marked Giovinco effectively for most of the match. Still, the Red Bulls frayed near the end, and Marsch acknowledged that he might need to tweak his system and loosen things up a bit.

“We believe what we’re doing,” he said last week. “That being said, there are ways to address what we’re doing. Mixing it up, varying our formations a little, looking at rotations and matchups. We have more flexibility. I think it will be even harder to prepare for us.