Backline Chat: Press Trade 2.0 and Some Goalkeeper Talk

Posted on by RJ Allen

Charles Olney (@olneyce): Alright, first things first: the big trade finally went down this week, sending Christen Press and Sam Johnson to Utah, Sofia Huerta and Taylor Comeau to Houston, and Brooke Elby (plus approximately 13 draft picks) to Chicago. What do people think about the deal? Winners, losers? Things that make you excited?

I’ll start by saying that I think this is basically a win-win-win. Utah probably came out the best, but I think it helped everyone.

RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): I have said it all week but I am really looking forward to seeing Press play with ARod. They are so different from each other it’s unlikely they will step on each other’s cleats and that will be fun to see them complement each other instead of both having to change what they are best at.

Blasian (@BlasianSays): Whether it helps Huerta is a question. It was just her first game of course, but she isn’t playing as a fullback.

Charles Olney: As I think I’ve made clear in numerous forums here, Press is one of my all-time favorite players to watch. And ARod isn’t far behind. So I wholeheartedly agree, RJ.

RJ Allen: I understand wanting a shot at the national team. But is a shot at the national team both worth 1) changing your position to someone you are bad at 2) making your club career suffer in the meantime

Blasian: I’m with you, Charles. She’s the biggest winner of the players involved. This is fully on Jill Ellis, by the way.

Charles Olney: I do think the Huerta thing is weird. The reporting from John Hallorhan makes clear that this trade was engineered to get her a chance at fullback, except Houston doesn’t seem to want to play her there. I feel bad for her, and it’s another sign that communication in trades (especially involving Chicago and Houston) isn’t the greatest.

I feel bad for Huerta, obviously. At the same time, I feel like the fullback thing had mostly run its course by now. She hasn’t been getting any better in the role, and I’m not sure more time was really going to change that.

RJ Allen: Honestly is any team in the league going to be willing to play Huerta at outside back that has over 14 points right now?

Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown):I said it earlier the big losers of the trade are the teams not in the trade, mostly Orlando and Portland. I’m not sure Utah can hold on to make the playoffs but the move goes a long way in that direction in the short term

Charles Olney: I think Huerta would make a perfectly good (maybe even great) wingback. But I just haven’t seen anything in her play so far to suggest that she’s really taken to the fullback role.

Becky Schoenecker(@Beckster20): I still think there are too many players better ahead of her to really make it a solid case.

Charles Olney: I was a skeptic about Utah going into the season–thought they’d be fine, but not great–but they’ve already beat my expectations AND just added the piece they were desperately missing. I’m not sure I’d BET on them to make the playoffs now, but I certainly wouldn’t be against it.

RJ Allen: They have one of the two best defenses in the league. I will never stop talking about how happy seeing Corsie and Sauerbrunn together makes me. They are truly a best of league paring.

Charles Olney: To get Press without having to sacrifice almost any present value is a huge coup. They’ll miss Elby, but not that badly. I still think they’re midfield is only so-so, but they’re very good everywhere else.

RJ Allen: You can’t have everything all at once always.

Charles Olney: True. Even North Carolina finally lost!

RJ Allen: At the last possible second.

 

Charles Olney: Alright, jumping slightly off the conversation about the trade: we’ve already seen one of these teams in action. Last night, Houston lost at home to Portland. Thoughts about the game? Thoughts about what it tells us about these teams going forward?

RJ Allen: What fountain of youth has Sinclair found and will she share it? Because she is having herself a season that I don’t think maybe predicted.

Blasian: If she could slip Becky Sauerbrunn a little before the World Cup, that’d be cool.

Becky Schoenecker: Houston has wonderful moments, and I think they’re getting better, but their defense and goalkeeping has been more than just a little rough.

Charles Olney: Portland once again seem poised to break out from a slow start and really kick things into gear. I still don’t think they’re fully loaded, but this was a more composed performance from them, for sure.

Becky Schoenecker: I just don’t understand the decision making on the backline most times (ie Van Wyk). For every goal saving play she has three where she gets flat out beat.

Charles Olney: For Houston, I thought it was one of the more coherent performances they’ve had for the season. Sure, the result didn’t work out. But they played pretty well on the whole. In a season where they’ve had a lot go right despite poor performances, this felt a bit like reversion to the mean. But I agree with Becky that Van Wyk had a dreadful game. We talked last week about whether Pauw would be willing to bench her. I think the case for that move was pretty clear last night.

RJ Allen: Bench her and move who to her spot? Brooks?

Charles Olney: In her postgame comments, Pauw said that Polkinghorne isn’t really match fit yet, and my impression is that once she’s fully ready to go, she slots into the backline. That said, I really liked how Houston looked in that 4-1-4-1. Polks did a nice job occupying the space between the two lines, and provided some of the shield that Houston has been missing all year.

Becky Schoenecker: What about Campbell?

RJ Allen: She frustrates me. Campbell that is. Because you can see how much talent she has but she makes some really odd choices and she needs more coaching that doesn’t look like it’s happening.

Charles Olney: I have no issues with Campbell. She made a bad mistake on the Sinclair goal, and didn’t exactly cover herself with glory elsewhere. But she’s a perfectly good keeper now, and still has a lot of room for improvement.

Luis Hernandez: To me, both teams looked better than what they had early in the season. Houston has come a long way but Campbell just isn’t helping her cause in the national team picture nor with the Dash. Teams seem to be scoring on her from easy chances that she needs to do better on.

Blasian: I know it makes sense for non-Naeher and Harris goalkeepers to get NT call-ups, but it doesn’t seem to me that she’s earned it.

Becky Schoenecker: Do you think it’s a lack of confidence at this point? She’s a capable goalkeeper, but compared to the other keepers in the league she’s sliding fast.

RJ Allen: I think it’s coaching.

Charles Olney: Keepers just have so few chances to make a difference that the noise can easily drown out the signal. It could easily just be a normal bad stretch and not really signify much of anything. I’d wait a lot longer to decide that there’s something fundamentally wrong.

Luis Hernandez: Portland is seeming to be getting healthier than they have been in a while and that was the performance they needed on the road to keep their playoff hopes alive, so they can defend their championship.

RJ Allen: You also hate goalkeepers, Charles.

Blasian: I could see it if it’s just in her decision-making, but to allow a goal like Portland’s third seems to just be about fundamentals

Luis Hernandez: Sinc is just amazing with what she’s been able to do, and now she’s got everyone else around her contributing so that’s going to make Portland dangerous going forward. The Thorns just need to keep pace with the rest of the pace and overtake one of those teams ahead of them in the standings.

RJ Allen: I think Campbell coming right out of college and starting so quickly was an issue.

Becky Schoenecker: To me that’s a defeating goal, she was already making questionable decisions, but I think the next game will be huge for her. If she’s able to recover and make some good saves it might start an upward swing and get her confidence back.

RJ Allen: She didn’t have time to warm in to the league and steps were missed in the move between college and the pros. She has to go back to basics and no coach seemingly is taking her there.

Becky Schoenecker: And you’re right, coming out of college I doubt Houston – and a lot of these teams – have quality goalkeeping coaches. How can anyone expect to get better if it’s just shooting practice with an assistant.

Blasian: That next game is @ Orlando…not an attack I’d want to face in that scenario

RJ Allen: No. Marta, Morgan, Syd and Hill can eat people alive in they want.

Charles Olney: Speaking of goalkeepers and the US pool, anyone have thoughts on Adi Franch’s return?

RJ Allen: Becky is right. Goalkeeping coaches are lacking league wide with very few exceptions.

Becky Schoenecker: I’m not looking for her to get Houston a win, just for her not to make it so easy for them to lose.

RJ Allen: Welcome back. She is one of my favorites in the league even if she’s good for a WTF now and then.

Becky Schoenecker: People are so quick to blame goalies, but no resources are set aside to improve them.

Luis Hernandez: To me, Franch needs more performances this season to be seriously considered back into the WNT picture.

RJ Allen: Let’s be real though. NWSL play has very little to do with who gets called up *after* Ellis has put them on her radar.

Becky Schoenecker: I agree, but I think she can get there her improvement from last year to this year has been amazing to see (and crazy enough wasn’t Angerer coaching her?)

Luis Hernandez: But I’d put AD ahead of Campbell for sure. I think we should just turn the page on Campbell for a while.

RJ Allen: I would say that good NWSL play can get you on her radar but after? It has almost no connection.

Charles Olney: She had one or two scary moments trying to play the ball with her feet, but I thought was otherwise pretty solid. Portland have to be happy to have her back. Eckerstrom provided some nice cover, but is clearly a step below the top keepers in the league.

Luis Hernandez: I’d like to see Bledsoe get a camp call-up

Becky Schoenecker: Yes to Bledsoe

RJ Allen: I would be happy with a Naeher, Bledsoe, Smith camp.

Blasian: I am not as high on Bledsoe as y’all are.

Luis Hernandez: She occasionally makes a bonehead decision but is mostly solid.

RJ Allen: The goalkeeper pool is as deep as a thimble long term right now.

Luis Hernandez: I’d like to Bledsoe over Smith

Charles Olney: I don’t really know her game at all, and maybe it’s just a case of the grass always being greener, but I’m certainly curious about what Casey Murphy can do.

Becky Schoenecker: Well with the number of times she’s forced to see the ball I can understand that haha

RJ Allen: Casey Murphy I doubt gets a real shot until she is state side.

Blasian: Within the Spirit team, I think we might be having this conversation about Kelsey Wys had she not thrown away the title and then got injured in Australia.

Luis Hernandez: Murphy has a problem being under the radar. Who’s really watching her matches and is she convincing enough to break into the team?

RJ Allen: There are NWSL players who should have gone up 2 or 3 years ago than Ellis just won’t call up. I do wonder at what point either they get calls up or we (media types) just move on from them.

Charles Olney: [Cough] Colaprico and DiBernardo [Cough]

Blasian: Absolutely, both of them.

RJ Allen: But would Ellis know how to use them if she had them? What good is having Colaprico on the bench?

Blasian: She doesn’t know how to use most of her current players

Charles Olney: I do think that we often fixate too much on these marginal decisions. I’m the biggest DiBernardo fan you’ll find, but even I don’t think she’s a starter or anything. Same with Colaprico. Could be a nice bench player, but it’s not likely to make a huge difference either way.

I will say, though, that DiBernardo is precisely the TYPE of player that the US needs. Whether she’s quite at the level needed to make that sort of player useful is a fair question. But Ellis could certainly make it work, even given her tactical limitations.

Luis Hernandez: I’m just waiting for Ellis to be out of the picture. I’d like to think the federation is looking for the women’s general manager, but I doubt it.

RJ Allen: 2021 for sure the USWNT has a new coach. And Ellis as the GM because this timeline sucks. They have said they are looking for a GM. The problem is it will be someone Ellis approves of or advises them on.

Luis Hernandez: I know I’m beating a dead horse when I say this but at this point the only evaluation for a player on the WNT is “can this player win us a World Cup?” If the answer is anything but yes, then move on.

Blasian: Spain’s men’s team has shown it’s never too late to change managers.

RJ Allen: I am pretty happy about Zerboni coming up, TBH. I thin the US leaning in to the “punch the other team in the mouth” thing she and Horan can pull off is at least fun.

Luis Hernandez: I agree with RJ here. That’s the value of having USSF backing the NWSL

Charles Olney: Alright: final question. We’ve got a few games coming up this afternoon. What are people looking forward to?

RJ Allen: Seattle vs North Carolina should be a hoot.

Luis Hernandez: I’m looking forward to the Courage’s response to the loss last week

RJ Allen: And even if Press isn’t playing I think Utah vs Chicago will be something to keep an eye on.

Blasian: I’m staying up for the 1 am Spirit kickoff to experience the sadness live.

Luis Hernandez: The Pride attack if they all show up. And I think the best match this week is going to be Red Stars/Royals. I also want to say that Dani Weatherholt who is going to miss this week’s game should be considered for the national team and is extremely underrated.

Becky Schoenecker: I’m excited for the Chicago Utah game.

Charles Olney: I agree with folks hyping Chicago-Utah. Has a lot of potential to be a super interesting game, and also is a HUGE match for its playoff implications

RJ Allen: Can I bring up one thing unrelated to the games today that I really love? I am really loving seeing players – a lot of USWNT players but also NWSL players – using #MensWorldCup as a hashtag.

Becky Schoenecker: That’s great!

RJ Allen: There are two World Cups. A men’s and a women’s. Only using a gender term with one is silly. Either both are just the World Cup with the year, or it’s men’s and women’s. I don’t make the rules, I just enforce them.

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances in Weeks 11 and 12

Posted on by RJ Allen

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances is a weekly series that looks at the best attacking, defensive, and goalkeeping performances each week.

Weeks 11 and 12 saw a shake-up in the standings and in the rosters across the league. The Utah Royals lifted themselves into 4th place and handed the North Carolina Courage their first defeat of the season thanks to a last-minute goal from Brittany Ratcliffe. The Orlando Pride continued to tally up goals with a 3-2 win over Sky Blue FC, and the Washington Spirit earned back-to-back clean sheets in their scoreless draws against Sky Blue in Week 11 and the Seattle Reign in Week 12. Meanwhile, a blockbuster trade unfolded following this weekend’s action, which saw Sofia Huerta and Taylor Comeau going to Houston, Christen Press and Sam Johnson going to Utah, and Brooke Elby coming to Chicago. The pending deal left Huerta, Comeau, and Johnson unavailable for the Red Stars 1-1 draw with the Portland Thorns, a game that left both teams out of the top four. Here is a full breakdown of the scores from these two weeks:

Sky Blue vs. Washington Spirit (0-0)

Washington Spirit vs. Seattle Reign (0-0)

North Carolina Courage vs. Utah Royals (0-1)

Orlando Pride vs. Sky Blue (3-2)

Chicago Red Stars vs. Portland Thorns (1-1)

Top Three Goalkeepers

1.  Aubrey Bledsoe— Bledsoe had two great games in Weeks 11 and 12, earning back-to-back clean sheets against Sky Blue and the Seattle Reign. Bledsoe faced 37 shots in those two games and made 13 saves. Her brilliant saves were too numerous to count, but I’ll give you some of the highlights. In the first half, Sky Blue got the ball down inside the 18-yard box. They couldn’t get an initial shot off, but after the balance bounced around a bit in the box, it landed at the feet of Katelyn Johnson right in front of goal. But Bledsoe dove and was able to block the shot and clear it out of the box. Then, in her match against the Seattle Reign, she blocked a penalty from Megan Rapinoe in the 51st minute. After that, she made countless brilliant saves to keep her team even. In the 86th minute, Rapinoe got a beautiful ball from Steph Catley and tried to head it into the top corner, but Bledsoe jumped and blocked the shot, earning herself a Save of the Week nomination. She put forth an excellent effort to get her team two points in two matches and stop one of the best offenses in the league.

2. Britt Eckerstrom— It was a fierce battle between the Chicago Red Stars and the Portland Thorns on Saturday night. Both goalkeepers had amazing nights, but Chicago was able to get the better shots off and Eckerstrom had to make some massive saves. The only goal she allowed was a rebound off a penalty from Yuki Nagasato that she initially blocked but couldn’t hold onto. In the 64th minute, Alyssa Mautz tried to sneak a ball under the crossbar, but Eckerstrom made a leaping stop and pushed the ball over the net. Sam Kerr got a great ball in the 86th minute of the match, outrunning her defender as she tried to slip the ball into the far corner. But Eckerstrom made a diving stop, with her arms fully extended, and the ball went off her fingertips and out for a Chicago corner. That save was also enough to earn her a Save of the Week nomination and helped keep her team from dropping points on the road.

3. Alyssa Naeher— I narrowly put Eckerstrom’s performance ahead of Naeher, who also made some crucial saves in that 1-1 draw in Chicago. Her first big moment came in the 15th minute, when Ellie Carpenter launched a shot from just inside the 18-yard box. Naeher made a diving side, deflecting the ball which Portland ultimately reposed and then kicked over the net. Another big save came in the 90th minute, when Tyler Lussi sent a ball into the box. It almost curved into the goal, but Naeher managed to jump up and swat the ball down, deflecting it to the side rather than in front of her. The save showed great awareness and earned Naeher a Save of the Week nomination. Ultimately, Naeher faced 11 shots from Portland and made three saves.

Top Three Defenders

1. Becky Sauerbrunn— The Utah Royals faced one of the most productive offenses in the league this weekend, and managed to hold them scoreless. That is thanks, in part, to the great defensive work of the Royals, especially Sauerbrunn. Sauerbrunn made five tackles against the Courage, and had six interceptions and fourteen clearances. While they definitely had a bit of help from the crossbar, Sauerbrunn continued to prove both in this game and throughout the season why she is arguably the best defender in the country.

2.  Estelle Johnson— Johnson helped earn her team back-to-back clean sheets in Weeks 11 and 12. She had some particularly brilliant moments in the first match against Sky Blue. While Sky Blue has only managed to pick up two points this season, their attacking force can be quite threatening, even when they’re missing their national team players. But Johnson, working alongside Whitney Church, shut that down. Johnson had eight clearances on the night, as well as three interceptions and four blocks. One of her better moments came towards the end of the match, where she was able to slide in front of Shea Groom on the breakaway and block her shot to preserve the draw. Even though Johnson conceded the penalty kick in the Seattle Reign match, her first appearance of the two is worthy of a nod.

3. Whitney Church—Church didn’t appear in the Spirit’s second game of these two weeks due to an excused absence, but she did have quite a strong game against Sky Blue. Working with Estelle Johnson, Church came up with a few crucial blocks and clearances, and gave Sky Blue little chance to set-up in the final third. She had an important block in the 64th minute, when Shea Groom slid the ball into the 18-yard box for Madison Tiernan. Church was tracking her, Tiernan’s shot bounced right off Church. Church has started in eleven games for the Spirit this season, missing only their most recent draw against the Seattle Reign. 

Top Three Attackers

1. Sydney Leroux— It was a low-scoring week in the NWSL, with only the game between Orlando and Sky Blue breaking from the mold. Leroux opened up that scoring in the second minute thanks to a nice cross from Chioma Ubogagu. Leroux was left unmarked, and she was able to set up her shot and slide it into the bottom corner past Kailen Sheridan. Less than 30 minutes later, after Sky Blue equalized, Leroux was able to find her second goal of the night. This time, Christine Nairn sent the ball into the box and Leroux was able to finish it with a nice header (and a superman pose). Leroux brings her season goal tally up to four and ties Rachel Hill and Chioma Ubogagu as the Pride’s leading goal-scorer this season.

2. Brittany Ratcliffe— Ratcliffe certainly had the most talked about goal of the week. She came on as a substitute for Katrina Gorry in the 77th minute, and certainly proved her worth when she scored a stoppage time goal against the North Carolina Courage to end their twelve game winning streak. The moment of magic unfolded just a few minutes before the final whistle. Diana Matheson sent a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. It bounced around a bit, and it seemed like Jaelene Hinkle was going to run with it, but Ratcliffe stripped the defender and took her shot, sending it into the top corner of the net. There was nothing North Carolina could do but watch.

3. Rachel Hill— The second year player out of the University of Connecticut is really starting to develop a name for herself this season. In the match against Sky Blue, Orlando was thwarted by their own poor defense and despite two brilliant goals from Sydney Leroux, they were drawing 2-2. Cue Rachel Hill. She came in during the 60th minute for Chioma Ubogagu and scored the Pride’s game winner in the final ten minutes of the game. The goal is Hill’s fourth of the season, and for some reason, Hill seems really good at making her goals count. Whether it was that ambitious first goal against Chicago, which gave the Pride the early momentum and motivation to win the match 5-2, or her late goal which briefly equalized their match against the North Carolina Courage towards the end of May, Hill has certainly proved her worth on this star-studded offense.

NWSL Week 12: A Tweetstorm Review

Posted on by RJ Allen

An NWSL Gameday means quality games and quality tweets. Whether they’re updates, gifs, hot takes, or highlights the NWSL and its fans have you covered. Each week we’ll be taking some of the best tweets to review the game, so make sure you’re tweeting you might just find yourself in the next piece.

With a hectic day of games was summed up pretty well here.

Overlapping matches made it hard to catch all the action live and with score updates during games, getting through one without any spoilers from the commentators was nearly impossible.

Washington 0, Seattle 0

To start things off we go to Washington where Aubrey Bledsoe had herself a game and Rose Lavelle made her first start of the season.

In the battle of Rapinoe v Bledsoe, Bledsoe came out on top.

Though Washington had some of the better play throughout the game, they were unable to capitalize and the score ended zero all.  However, with Lavelle walking off with a limp after the match Washington, and possibly the USWNT, may have bigger problems than a draw.

North Carolina 0, Utah 1

Utah traveled to Wakemed Soccer Park and put an end to the Courage’s winning streak.

Brittany Ratcliffe waited until the last minute to collect a free kick, turn and fire in a stunner to give Utah the win.

https://twitter.com/TheSoccerCritic/status/1008152688016678913

Chicago 1, Portland 1

Chicago and Portland started with the announcement of players being out of the lineup due to impending trades.

As far as announcing is concerned, Charles is still waiting for them to read his piece. As a public service announcement it is ok to say a player isn’t doing well, or made a poor pass.

Chicago were first to score off a rebound from a PK, but were unable to hold the lead very long with Portland scoring just minutes later.

Horan had the goal for the Thorns, but after collecting her fifth yellow card of the season she’ll have to sit out in their next match.

New Jersey 2, Orlando 3

If the lack of goals in the earlier matches had you down, New Jersey and Orlando had you covered, albeit mostly due to questionable defense from both teams.

Route Two Soccer: Why the US Can’t Figure Out How to Break Down a Bunker

Posted on by RJ Allen

Why does the United States Women’s National Team struggle to break down compact, deep defensive teams?

In many ways, this has been the defining question of the two years since the US crashed out of the Olympics after failing to pick apart a very defensive Sweden. Hope Solo called them “a bunch of cowards” for playing that way. But Sweden weren’t cowards; they were just being practical.

Return to the question: why does the US struggle to break down a defensive block? Because everyone does. That’s why teams do it.

Soccer is a game of inches, of low margins and tiny probabilities. The default is for teams to not score, and it takes something special to upset that balance. Good teams still win because they possess the talent necessary to make the difference, but it’s hardly a certainty. We’ve all seen games where one team dominates but simply can’t break through, thanks to a goalkeeper standing on their head. Or games where the dominant team hits the crossbar three or four times. Just a few inches in one direction and they’d have cruised to victory.

This is frustrating, but if you’re the better team, the best you can do is expand the number of good shots you generate, and rely on your talented players to convert some of the chances.

Conversely, for weaker teams, it can make a lot of sense to play a defensive style. By reducing the chances available to both teams, you’ll hurt your own odds of scoring. But you’ll hurt the odds of the other team more. Playing defensively doesn’t change the basic structure of the match: the superior team is still superior and remains the favorite. But it can change the odds. By cutting down on the number of chances, you reduce their ability to exploit that superiority to the fullest extent.

Not every defensive approach is the same. At the extreme, teams can put all eleven players behind the ball, retreating deep into their defensive quadrant. In a more limited form, they can employ the classic ‘two banks of four.’ And there are plenty of ‘defensive’ setups that don’t necessarily rely on a lot of deep numbers but instead look to clog up the middle. The popular 4-2-3-1 setup can be quite defensive if both holding midfield players are more destructive than creative.

These all pose slightly different tactical problems. But when people talk about ‘bunkers,’ they usually mean teams who set up at least two lines of deep defense, conceding much of the midfield into order to shorten the space between their lines. The goal is to create two walls of bodies that close off the elusive ‘pockets of space’ that soccer commentators so love to talk about.

This generally makes for tactics that resemble nothing so much as the siege of a fortified Medieval castle. The superior team will unleash plenty of shots, but usually from distance, or from poor angles. They’ll have space to maneuver 30 yards from goal, but will have trouble getting any closer. They’ll have plenty of room on the wings to send in crosses, but will rarely get a clean head on the ball when it comes in.

When this sort of defensive play works, it’s usually down to a combination of three factors: good execution by the weaker team, poor execution by the stronger team, and luck.

The missing element here, often the most critical factor in other matches, is tactics. That’s because the whole point of deep defensive blocks is their capacity to severely limit the number of tactical issues in a game. There is no special sauce, no secret ingredient, no tactical innovation that will ‘solve’ this problem. A deep defensive block eliminates most of the spaces that players want to poke into. It jams up all the locks that smart tactics are trying to pick. The whole point is to reduce the number of unknowns in a game, to prevent superior teams from exploiting a wide range of game states.

This doesn’t mean defensive blocks are unbeatable. Far from it. Good teams can beat them, and more often than not they do. But not because of any particularly innovative techniques. The solution to beating this approach is to do the obvious things, execute them, and wait for the weight of probability to turn one of your half-chances into a goal.

So what are the obvious things?

First, play good crossers on the wings and good headers up front. This is where a ‘classic number 9’ can be useful—a big, bruising player who can out jump and outmuscle the opposing defenders. Think Abby Wambach. But while a strong #9 is important here, the bigger element is simply having wide players capable of posing a serious threat. Defensive blocks are strongest when they’re narrow. The more dangers you can create from wide spaces, the more stretched the defensive lines will have to be, and the more opportunities you’ll find in the middle.

Second, press aggressively when you lose possession. Defensive lines work because they’re tight and controlled. In a true bunker, the weaker team will treat this solidity as paramount, and won’t even try to counter for fear of losing their shape. But very few teams play that way. And the more that the opponent tries to attack, the harder it will be for them to recover. That can be exploited.

Third, shoot from distance. Deep defensive teams will generally offer plenty of space from 30-35 yards out. Coming out to pressure the ball is risky, because it creates holes that can be exploited. But if you have players willing and able to unleash dangerous shots from that range, it makes holding the defensive lines much more difficult.

Fourth, work the ball quickly through tight spaces. No block is impermeable. There will always still be space, just less than usual. A player with exceptional skill on the ball or with superb passing agility will often be able to exploit the tiniest of opportunity. This isn’t easy, and will often result in losing the ball, but that’s a cost that must be paid.

These are all simple ideas, and usually, they’ll get the job done. A defender will make a mistake, get caught out of position, miss a crucial tackle, or lunge in and concede a penalty. Or they’ll just get unlucky. A deflected shot will go in, or a cleared ball will fall right to the feet of an attacker. Moreover, even if they execute perfectly, there will still be half-chances. High-quality finishers aren’t guaranteed to convert those chances, but more often than not, one will eventually fall.

But probability isn’t certainty. Sometimes the chances just don’t fall. And when that happens, there can be a temptation to say that the coach needs to try something else. Unfortunately, the simple reality is that there aren’t really any other options. You just have to keep plugging away, putting the defensive team under pressure, and forcing them to execute.

None of this is to say that coaching has no role to play here. In a game of small margins, every opportunity to exploit an advantage needs to be taken. Good coaches will prepare for defensive teams by working on set pieces, by developing setups that will be capable of exploiting wide spaces, by emphasizing the importance of quick ball movement. They’ll be willing to adapt their approach. Perhaps they’ll bring on a big physical number 9 who normally wouldn’t start. Perhaps they’ll shift to a 442 which allows them to get four wide attackers involved without losing numbers in the middle. And so on.

Of course, it’s always worth looking for improvements in these margins. But marginal improvements are the best that can ever really be hoped for. At the end of the day, these games are usually determined by execution, not tactics.

 

Backline Chat: USWNT Friendlies, the Men’s World Cup, and Back to the NWSL

Posted on by RJ Allen

Charles Olney (@olneyce): Alright, welcome to our slack chat for this week. Today we’re going to start with the US national team, who just finished up a pair of friendlies against China. How do people think it went?

For what it’s worth, my general takeaway is: the US still isn’t playing great, but two more wins against solid competition sure sounds a lot better than two draws or two losses.

RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): I think it’s harder to say than people might want it to be because of who was out for the US. Not having maybe 5 starters/starters coming back from being hurt really makes it muddy as to what are really issues. I will say it does show how poor Ellis can be at game planning though.

Allison Cary (@findingallison): Yeah, I thought they were lucky to get the win yesterday. But they did get the win, so I guess that counts for something.

Charles Olney: Why do you say lucky to get the win, Allison? Because of the save from Harris, or a more general comment?

Allison Cary: It wasn’t far off from being a draw. I guess that was more my point. Both with China equalizing in the second half and nearly equalizing again had Harris not made that save.

Charles Olney: To my eyes, they were totally dominant in the first half, and should have had a two-goal margin (I think Ertz’s goal was onside). They struggled more in the second half, for sure. I’d say it was a pretty classic USWNT performance–good enough for the win, but not a whole lot more.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I think they generally looked like the better side in the first half. But then not finishing those chances… I mean, it doesn’t mean much to say I thought they played better if they can’t score.

(This coming from a bitter France fan).

RJ Allen: How much is “totally dominant” worth when they weren’t on the scoreboard though? I agree the US was the better side – though maybe by not as much as you do – but for most of the time it was a 1 goal or draw game.

Charles Olney: Well, like I said I think they should have been up 2-0. But this does sort of get at the larger question I wanted to ask.

I spent some time on twitter this week hyping up the US. Now admittedly that’s partly just me making the argument for the sake of making the argument, but I do think that expectations are sometimes set a little too high. So let me ask it this way: who do you think are favorites to win the World Cup?

Allison Cary: I think England is in a good position to go far.

RJ Allen: Right now my top 4 are US, England, Aussies and France.

Allison Cary: I’m a bit surprised by France, but otherwise I agree.

RJ Allen: They are at home. That gives them a boost for me.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I think they’ve hurt me too many times for me to have faith. But I hope you’re right.

Charles Olney: I think that’s a fair top 4. And I’d have a hard time drawing a clear line between those, or to exclude Germany, the Netherlands, etc. Which I think really just shows that things are pretty close at the top of the game right now. But all things being equal, it’s hard for me to say that anyone is in a MORE favorable position than the US.

Which isn’t to say that there isn’t plenty of reasons for concern about the US. But I think people need to calibrate their expectations. This is a good team, quite possibly the favorite, even accounting for their limitations.

Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown): I’m okay with the WNT performance. Championship caliber teams find ways to win. Was it ideal? Not even close but I think there’s a lot to take away and hopefully Jill improves the squad. I was also happy to see the team get tested in a friendly. I think the team is in good position heading into the World Cup. Favored but not a favorite.

RJ Allen: The US has a lot of champagne problems and one or two big ones. The problem is people confusing the two.

Charles Olney: So let’s dial in a little before we move on. What do you see as the big problems?

RJ Allen: Morgan vs Press vs (Insert forward of your choice here) is not a real problem.

Charles Olney: I agree that the forwards just aren’t a ‘problem’ in any meaningful sense of the term. Whoever is in form this time next year is going to be one of the best strikers in the world. If it’s Morgan, great. If it’s Press, awesome. If it’s Pugh and Rapinoe, wonderful. If it’s Amy Rodriguez, amazing.

Alanna Fairbairn (@jfhobbit): I see the lack of defensive depth as being the biggest problem.

RJ Allen: I think the outside back area and maybe center midfield are the biggest problems right now. The outside backs are all hurt so Ellis is using players there that she shouldn’t and not calling up those she should. And center midfield just feels like a lack of something. An ill-fitting connection might be the best way to put it.

Charles Olney: I’d say the US’s biggest problem over the past few years has been sorting out the midfield, but would say that the issues are starting to shift backward a bit. Mostly because I’ve decided to just accept that the US isn’t going to get the sort of midfield play that I really want from them. And in that case, the group of Mewis, Ertz, Brian, Zerboni, etc. is going to ensure that we make it difficult for the other team, even if we don’t necessarily generate a ton through the center either. But that puts a lot on the fullbacks, so that really feels like the crisis point

RJ Allen: I think it was Kim McCauley who said on Twitter – maybe joking – the US should lean in the being assholes on the pitch and I’m not sure she is wrong. The US has players who can dominate and sometimes I really think they shy away from that for some reason that doesn’t benefit the team. Horan, Zerboni, O’Hara and even Morgan – among others – have the talent and the style about them that can bend teams to their will a lot more than they sometimes do.

Charles Olney: It’s a strange place for the team, which was supposedly spending the past few years developing and improving technically. We haven’t really seen much in the way of results there. But I sometimes wonder if that was just a big waste of time to even discuss.

RJ Allen: You really want to throw a team off? Like Horan, Zerboni, O’Hara and Morgan make them pay – within the laws of the game – and a lot of teams would get rattled. They half do it anyway.

Charles Olney: One final comment I’ll throw out is that I thought the second game showed a (relatively rare) example of Ellis tweaking things slightly to get good results. The setup in the first half wasn’t all that different from the previous game, but the midfield pinching in aggressively forced China to stay compact, and then Dunn on the left and Press on the right had tons of space to work. And it was pretty successful!

I think that’s a big thing to watch going forward. Now that we’re actually getting close to real games, will Ellis the tinkerer be able to plug a few holes here and there, even if she’s never going to fundamentally outwit anyone tactically.

RJ Allen: Ellis is a fine coach. She is fine. Like dry toast. She isn’t your favorite and she isn’t horrible.

Charles Olney: I’d say that’s fair.

Allison Cary: “Like dry toast” is honestly just the best comparison.

Luis Hernandex: I’m not fond of the tactics the WNT employs at times and I put that on the coach. To me that’s the biggest problem. I’m just convinced Jill is gone after the World Cup. I’d also like the US to better develop fullbacks. I’d also like to see us develop a true number 10. So yeah youth development? Even though we just had the U-17 win the CONCACAF tournament.

Charles Olney: Alright, so we can set the national team aside for a bit. They won’t be back until the Tournament of Nations, and we can devote our attention elsewhere. Mostly to the NWSL, but there’s also another big event going on this summer that I think we should touch on at least for a moment here: the men’s World Cup.

It’s the biggest event in world sports, and while we focus on women’s soccer, obviously, I’m guessing that some of us will have at least an eye on it.

So: who will be watching?

Alanna Fairbairn: I will be, when I’m not out of town and easy streaming range. I’m nominally rooting for Iceland because I love a good underdog story

RJ Allen: I would like Iceland to win because their men’s and women’s coaches help each out during majors and I think that’s the coolest thing.

Allison Cary: I’m excited about it. Especially being in England, and London specifically. It’ll be really cool to see how the people here get into it.

Charles Olney: For myself, it’s going to be a strange experience. I think I watched 90% or more of the games in the last four cups, but I’m pretty much checking out of this one. I’m just beyond sick of FIFA’s corruption, and while the Qatar cup is the true moral travesty, Russia is hardly a great place to plant your flag, either. So I’m going to grudgingly watch a few matches here and there, but mostly trying to just let it slide past.

I’ll certainly watch the Mexico games, and root for them.

And I’ll be hoping for Messi to get the title he deserves, so we can finally put to rest all the ‘you can’t be the GOAT without a title’ talk.

RJ Allen: Is Messi the short one or the tall one?

Charles Olney: The short one.

RJ Allen: I am putting a moral pox on him until that federation gives anything approximating a damn about their women’s team. You shouldn’t be able to enter the men’s world cup if you don’t have or fund well your women’s team.

Alanna Fairbairn: That would be a interesting political squabble to watch, if FIFA started requiring that.

Charles Olney: I’d support it. It’s a drop in the bucket. They could all pay it.

Luis Hernandez: I’m going to watch every men’s World Cup match. I have my bracket filled out. Just looking forward to seeing good soccer. Not having a horse in the race, I have Germany winning it again going back to back. I can’t root for Mexico.

Charles Olney: Alright, one final question about the boys side of things: any thoughts about the announcement that the joint bid will be hosting the 2026 cup? Will that have any effect on the women’s side of things?

Alanna Fairbairn: I would hope the main effect is an uptick in good soccer stadiums to play in. As well as general sport visibility

Allison Cary: If it really grows support for the game in the U.S the way people think it will, it’s possible we could also carry some of those fans over into the women’s game. But that may be wishful thinking.

RJ Allen: I do think one thing that might change is a few teams that play in football/soccer places might end up getting new places to play.

Charles Olney: In general, I’m a proponent of ‘the rising tide lifts all boats’ theory, so more interest in the game overall will be good. But I’m also a believer in ‘people won’t put resources toward the women’s game unless you hold their feet to the fire, and maybe not even then’ so the effect might not be nearly as big as we’d hope.

Alanna Fairbairn: I would hope that USSF does some PR around the women’s team. Like when the did they One Nation, One Team bit around the 2015 Women’s World Cup to bring people in. Actively go for more fan crossover.

Charles Olney: I hope so, too, but wouldn’t hold my breath for it.

Luis Hernandez: I’m hoping to live to see the World Cup in 2026. Kidding. Kinda. I hope it grows the game even more for the nation and allow our host partners to give us a pass politically. Plus can we also host the Women’s World Cup now? Please.

RJ Allen: We’ve hosted it twice. I don’t think the US should until at least after 2027. I’d love England to get a WWC.

Alanna Fairbairn: That would be brilliant. Way better summer climate too

Allison Cary: That would be fun.

Charles Olney: Okay, final topic: the NWSL will be starting back up again this weekend. Any games that have people particularly excited? Any storylines you’re watching for?

Alanna Fairbairn: So for this weekend, I will be interested to see who of the internationals come back from their break hyped and ready to go, and who comes back exhausted and needing a rest

I noticed that even Megan Rapinoe on her Instagram story was mentioning how stinking long the US camp was this go around.

Charles Olney: I’d say the most important game of the weekend is Chicago-Portland. Both teams will REALLY want a win there, given their struggles so far.

Allison Cary: Yeah, that could be a really defining match if either team can walk away with three points (Portland and Chicago).

RJ Allen: I think Portland is the better team but that doesn’t mean they win.

Charles Olney: I’m certainly curious about when and if Chicago starts to get some of their players back. DiBernardo and Short are supposedly close. Morgan Brian is back in the States and they still have her rights. If they could add those three players in the next week or two, that could make a HUGE difference.

Or it could disrupt the things that were just starting to gel.

Either way, it should be very interesting to follow.

Alanna Fairbairn: I think if DiBernardo is still out, Brian could be an interesting addition to the midfield. She’s at least healthy and well rested now. But it depends on if she decides to stay or requests somewhere else.

Charles Olney: My read on her performance for the NT is that whatever ‘injuries’ she had in France were more a matter of minor setbacks than anything serious. She didn’t look more ready than she did back in April, but didn’t look worse, either. I wouldn’t want to count on her yet, but it could be a big addition if they work it carefully.

RJ Allen: Morgan Brian holds very little possibility for me until she proves she can be healthy long term. See also Lavelle, Rose.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I don’t know that I’d expect to see Brian right away. And I agree with RJ: the injuries thing is critical.

Alanna Fairbairn: And possibly Pugh on that list too, with the injury she picked up in camp

Charles Olney: On a similar note, Julie Ertz still doesn’t look 100% to me, and I’m curious how long it will taker her to get completely right. That could be another huge question for them. Basically: Chicago could be one of the best teams in the league or a continuing disaster over the next month. We have no idea!

Allison Cary: Yep.

Charles Olney: Thoughts about Orlando-Sky Blue? Obviously Orlando are favorites, but Sky Blue has looked a LITTLE bit better. And they have to win at some point. Is it this weekend? And what are they going to do with Carli Lloyd?

Alanna Fairbairn: Rest her and put her in as a super sub. It is time for Lloyd to go the way of Wambach; if she refuses to leave, cut her minutes and give her a chance at the end of the game to add a tally or two to her record.

RJ Allen: They will lose and Reddy will say it is bad luck.

Charles Olney: I have a sneaking suspicion that they pull this one out, but RJ’s clear-eyed cynicism is probably more accurate than my sneaking suspicion.

RJ Allen: You also thought North Carolina were going to get the L in Houston. And while it was a draw it was not a win for H-Town.

Charles Olney: They were so close though!

RJ Allen: Close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes.

Allison Cary: To be fair, I thought there was a chance Houston might win that match. But I don’t think Sky Blue get the win here. Maybe a draw, if the Pride are having an off day (which is entirely possible).

Alanna Fairbairn: Thus why I’m excited that Houston got Polkinghorne, so she can hopefully help to plug up the defensive holes. And they can maybe defend for longer than 75 minutes a match

RJ Allen: With Polkinghorne in, Brooks to the midfield?

Alanna Fairbairn: Maybe? Or possibly Polkinghorne could be a partner for Chapman on the outside

Charles Olney: I’m certainly curious to see how that affects their backline. I’m a known Van Wyk critic (though I think she’s improved a lot of late), so I’d start to phase her out a bit. But I’ve learned to not try to anticipate what Vera Pauw will do.

Alanna Fairbairn: I do think Brooks to a holding midfield spot is also a possibility. Simply because they just lost Mewis, and they need someone to hold it down in the midfield so Daly and Ohai can do what they do

Charles Olney: I think whatever happens will be an interesting indicator of how Pauw ultimately sees the team. They could play all three of their center backs and get a more solid backline, but sacrifice some attacking potential. Is that a trade Pauw wants to make? Or move Brooks up? I have a hard time seeing them keep the juggling act alive without a stronger support structure in the central midfield, but I’ve been wrong so far.

Luis Hernandez: With the two year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting on the 12th and the club having Pride night with a fundraiser to LGBT charities, I’ll be looking forward to the Orlando/SB match. It should boost everything for the Pride and hopefully the attendance number will not disappoint. I’m also looking forward to the first NWSL match on ESPN News.