The result may not have been ideal but by the end of the night, it didn’t matter.

Win, lose or draw, the Red Bulls fate was sealed by the Columbus Crew and their shaky backline that simply collapsed at RFK en route to a 3-2 loss against DC United.

Backing in or waltzing to the front of the line, New York is just happy to be part of the postseason.

“We’ve had our ups and downs but we know what we have to do,” Coach Hans Backe said. “I’m pleased with this performance. I’m not disappointed that we are in this position.”

That sentiment echoed through a jovial locker room which even saw the usually demure Thierry Henry crack a smile and speak glowingly of the team’s upcoming playoff run.

So what can New York take from this draw? EoS lays it out in our five lessons …