Match Report: Mullen vs Overland

 Match Report: Mullen vs. Overland

JV@4:30 (North grass field)

V@4:30 (Turf)

Location: Overland High School (12400 E Jewell Ave, Aurora, CO 80012)

Please remember that we are away (white/gold(blue)/white) - games are at 4:30 - 3:30 arrival time. Make sure you are eating throughout the day and that you have a good lunch!

Match Report Preface:

Overland has had a decent start to their season, and tonight they are fighting to go .500 - They have notable wins of Vista Peak and Rangeview, but only one shutout, which means we have to find our way in. They are gonna be hungry to balance out their lead campaign, plus it is their home turf and homecoming week. Come prepared for a game.

Overland Strengths: 

Overland's primary strength appears to be their wing play. From the film that I have watched, their wingers are fast, and elusive. They are tricky and good with the ball at their feet. In both the Columbine game and the Sallis game, the goal scoring opportunities come from the left winger cutting inside. 

Additionally, they appear a little more structurally sound than they have in years past, and they are recovering well in addition to winning some strong open field tackles.

Expect to see standard Overland play. Tricky and technical with the ball at their feet, impressive individual players, strong 1v1 offense and defense, but a general disconnect between players.

Overland weaknesses:

From their film, there are really only 3 apparent weaknesses in this Overland side, but if we can exploit them, we can really take control of the game.

1. The Sallis 9 was able to easily get in behind their back 4. Unfortunately for him, a lot of the times he was called offsides; however, if he had timed his runs better, he would have had a hay-day. It seems like Overland loses elevation in their backfield sometimes as early as 35 out from goal, which results in an easily exploited back line. This is especially important because their home field has a lot more length than it does width. If they hold a high line than the switching ball across, and the through ball into Finn on the ground will both be on.

*Our 9 needs to make sure to make horizontal runs across the back line and then cut in when the ball is played. We should be able to win that physical battle, and we should have the backline beat for speed. Additionally, he can back into the CB's (Like Lutheran) and then roll off on the ball through.

2. Overland gives the ball away, a lot, in the middle of the park. This is a team that can counter well, when they can get the ball wide, but they lack technical ability through the middle. Their passing game is not strong. If we keep our structure in the middle of the park and we make sure that our 6's don't both get pulled out, they will just give us the ball. In other words, if you keep your shape and recover well, they are going to pass it right to us. And when this happens, we do need to look for the quick counter if it is on.

3. Their goalie is a little squirrely. I have seen him make some strong saves, but I have also seen him give the ball away and do some weird things. We need to pressure him when the ball is at his feet and look for chances to exploit his mistakes.

Mullen Keys to success:

The biggest thing for today is that we need to keep our structure and be quick in transition when the opportunity presents itself, both with the big switching ball, and the through ball on the ground.

Additionally, since we know that the strength of their attack resides in their wingers, we need to make sure to actively send our outside backs. This will force the wingers to get back and defend, which will result in longer runs into the attack. If we can pin the wingers back in their own 1/3, it will really dampen their ability to go forward.

Set pieces:

(Corners)

1 - Low driven ball to the near post. Two attackers crash the near post, other attackers fill in the middle and back post. 

2- Short corner overlap. Attackers cover near, middle, far - slight delay on the run in.

3- short corner choice. The players taking the corner will choose to overlap or take on the player. Attackers cover all positions, and delay runs in.

Jolly - Bend it in the goal. Attackers cover all locations, especially back post. Anything that goes long should be headed back toward goal.

Bumblebee - cluster around the goalie inside the six. Ball should be played into the cluster. 

White - Chipped ball to the near post flicked across the goal. Remember, initial runners attack the near and far post and bounce off. When the front post runner bounces off the near post, the ball should be played and the remaining attackers should be making runs toward goal.

Blue - Long ball to the back post. Like "white" runners should bounce off the near and far post, but this corner will be played long to the back post. The back post runner should then play the ball back across the middle of the goal for the finish. 

7- We set up in 2, but play a long ball out. That ball is then played back to the 2 or a penetrating run is made into the box. Fire the ball on an inswing to the back post and look for the player crashing on the opposite flank.

Snake - this essentially "1" but higher. Two runners near the top of the box, even with the near post, and a group of runners at the top of the box even with the far post. All runners complete an "x" route. Near post both attack the far post, while one runner goes to the corner on a diversion run. The ball is played on the ground, left by the first runner and struck first time by the trailing runner.

11 - Three runners at the near post, two at the back. The three runners circle around to the near post, middle, and far post, while the two at the back make direct runs across the goal.

Reminders: 

1. No mistakes out of the back. Smart decisions and smart passes that avoid the counter.

2. Exploit the space on the flanks and at the top of the box. Outside backs need to get involved in the attack. They should have space to move forward, and their attack will spread the midfield.

    -Outside backs need to dribble at the Overland full backs and then distribute the ball into space or feet. One/Twos around the defense will be very effective.

3. Know the set pieces. Capitalize on set pieces. If we can take advantage of these moments, we will have a great deal of success. 

4. Discipline and structure in the back. We need to hold position and recover for one another. 

5. When in possession of the ball in our defensive third, we need to play quickly, not get the ball stuck under our feet, and play into space instead of small spaces. It is a big field, don't fear the dynamic long ball.

6. Patience. We can't chase them all game. We will have to be okay giving up moments of possession in order to strike when the timing is right. Marking assignment and a high level of confrontation will be key!

7. We need to keep the ball out of the middle of the field in the central third. Swinging the ball quickly through the 6 and the 10 will open up the attack so that outside backs and wingers can serve. (See diagram above.)

Good luck!

Match Report: Mullen vs. Lutheran Parker

 Mullen vs. Lutheran Parker

JV@5

V@7

Location: Lutheran High School (11249 Newlin Gulch Blvd, Parker, CO)

Arrival Time for JV is 4pm and 6pm for Varsity. We are away so White/gold(Blue)/White. Make sure you are consuming good calories today and staying hydrated. Varsity players should eat a good meal at some point before the late game.

Preface:

Lutheran has had a good start to the season with 5 wins over notable opponents. They are coming into this game with the intent of making a name for themselves in the 4A classification. They are going to be gritty, and hungry to win. They have also had the week off games, so they'll most likely be at full strength.

Lutheran Strengths: 

Most notably, Lutheran is strong, fast, and athletic. I think these are their greatest strengths as a team. They tackle hard in the middle of the park, their wingers have some good speed (and they are gritty so they drive through weak tackles), and they play very direct with a heavy reliance on their athleticism. This has worked for them, for the most part, this season.

Additionally, Lutheran appears to be incredibly opportunistic. I have seen them score a number of goals against the run of play, and they are excellent at turning their opponents mistakes into goal scoring opportunities. They go strong to first balls, and capitalize on poor clearances and bad passes out of the back. They are also quite masterful taking it to poorly organized teams. They use the space well.

Finally, they have a relatively strong midfield that wins a lot of 50/50s, and works through tackles on the attack. The midfield sits well in the gaps, and finds their central striker between the CBs. When a defense is out of position or fails to clear the ball out of the back, their center forward does well to find his way in. He is also quite impressive at toeing the offsides line, so we should not count on a trap (not that we do anyway) but don't expect him to be called offsides often.

Lutheran weaknesses: 

The biggest thing about Lutheran thus far is that they appear to struggle against well organized defenses. Especially ones who can keep their structure in the middle of the park. Lutheran relies a lot on poor defensive structure in the run of play or on set pieces to score their goals. When a team recovers well and gets organized behind the ball it really disrupts Lutheran's ability to play the direct and opportunistic game they rely on for success.

Additionally, Lutheran really seemed to struggle with Regis' press. When the outside backs and wings had to play under pressure, it disrupted their ability to get anything started out of the back. Furthermore, when the midfield was pressed hard, and Lutheran South won balls out of the air, LHS Parker could not get anything forward. The constant pressure on the back line, from a press, or returning balls out of the air led to a number of mistakes.

Lastly, LHS Parker's outside backs have not shown a lot of involvement in the attack thus far. They rely heavily on their CAM and attackers to capitalize on opportunities. If our outside backs get forward, and we reward them with good passes, the LHS wingers will have to track back, which will hinder their ability to attack.

So if we press the back line, win balls out of the air in the middle of the park, and get our outside backs involved in the attack, we should cause them some problems. 

Mullen Keys to success:

The biggest key to success this evening will be keeping our structure and shape, especially in the middle of the park.

As you can see in the build up to Lutheran's second goal against HF. All three midfielders commit to one player in the middle of the park. Not only do they leave a massive gap between themselves and the back line, they also leaver the LHS 10 wide open to dribble at the back line, which he does. Then, the weakside CB leaves his man to step to the ball, rendering the other CB and OB totally irrelevant. The CF receives the ball at the PK spot (and is kept onside by the fact that while the weakside CB is stepping, the other CB drops...) and he slots the ball into the upper corner.

This goal is easily prevented by sending one midfielder to press the ball, while the others retain shape and structure. In the event of a breakdown, the free CB should step while the other retains shape.

Everything about this play is wrong, but easily prevented if we retain structure in the middle of the park.

On LHS' fourth goal of this game, HF again abandons the middle of the park and leaves a huge gap in between the CBs. Lutheran is simply able to sit in the gap for a one time finish on a ball across the box. We need to remain in pressure cover, and keep our shape. This will prevent LHS' opportunistic moments.

Set pieces:

(Corners)

1 - Low driven ball to the near post. Two attackers crash the near post, other attackers fill in the middle and back post. 

2- Short corner overlap. Attackers cover near, middle, far - slight delay on the run in.

3- short corner choice. The players taking the corner will choose to overlap or take on the player. Attackers cover all positions, and delay runs in.

Jolly - Bend it in the goal. Attackers cover all locations, especially back post. Anything that goes long should be headed back toward goal.

Bumblebee - cluster around the goalie inside the six. Ball should be played into the cluster. 

White - Chipped ball to the near post flicked across the goal. Remember, initial runners attack the near and far post and bounce off. When the front post runner bounces off the near post, the ball should be played and the remaining attackers should be making runs toward goal.

Blue - Long ball to the back post. Like "white" runners should bounce off the near and far post, but this corner will be played long to the back post. The back post runner should then play the ball back across the middle of the goal for the finish. 

7- We set up in 2, but play a long ball out. That ball is then played back to the 2 or a penetrating run is made into the box. Fire the ball on an inswing to the back post and look for the player crashing on the opposite flank.

11 - Three runners at the near post, two at the back. The three runners circle around to the near post, middle, and far post, while the two at the back make direct runs across the goal.

Reminders: 

1. No mistakes out of the back. Smart decisions and smart passes that avoid the counter.

2. Exploit the space on the flanks and at the top of the box. Outside backs need to get involved in the attack. They should have space to move forward, and their attack will spread the midfield.

    -Outside backs need to dribble at the LHS full backs and then distribute the ball into space or feet. One/Twos around the defense will be very effective.

3. Know the set pieces. Capitalize on set pieces. If we can take advantage of these moments, we will have a great deal of success. 

4. Discipline and structure in the back. We need to hold position and recover for one another. 

5. When in possession of the ball in our defensive third, we need to play quickly, not get the ball stuck under our feet, and play into space instead of small spaces. It is a big field, don't fear the dynamic long ball.

6. Patience. We can't chase them all game. We will have to be okay giving up moments of possession in order to strike when the timing is right. Marking assignment and a high level of confrontation will be key!

7. We need to keep the ball out of the middle of the field in the central third. Swinging the ball quickly through the 6 and the 10 will open up the attack so that outside backs and wingers can serve. (See diagram above.)

Good luck!

Match Report: Mullen vs. Coronado

 Mullen vs. Coronado

JV@4

V@6

Location: Garry Berry Stadium (South Turf field along Constitution)

Varsity: This is a 6pm game - we will have some food after school, but you need to make sure to eat lots of calories prior to this game. We are away, so we are white, gold, white.

Preface:

Coronado has had a very rough start to the season, and they are coming off a bad loss on Tuesday night to LP down in the springs. They have a history of giving up goals early in the game, so if we can capitalize on this trend (with a set piece or fast break) they will feel the sting of repeated history, and it will really put them on their heels.

Coronado strengths:

On the whole, Coronado has demonstrated an ability to be adaptable. They surprised us last year in the first round of the playoffs with a low block that was historically much different than the futbol they had been playing throughout the season. We find ourselves in a similar situation. In watching their film, they have allowed the game to open up, and they have tried to run with a lot of their opponents. I do not know if that is a tactic they will implement against us or not; however, I know that their coach has a great deal of respect for you, so I imagine we will see a more disciplined and patient side. They may very well block, and they have the ability to do so, as well as a strong keeper to back them up.

They also have a couple of players of interest.

The kid with the long hair who plays the deep six is quick, and he is aggressive. He has some height, and he will go to ground often. Additionally, he is dangerous on set pieces - taking them, and going in - and he moves the ball up the field well when given the time.

Number 10 has played out on the left flank this season, and he is very technical with the ball at his feet. He has some moves, and likes to take players on 1v1. From what I have seen, he can play a little.

The kid who plays the number nine is pretty fierce (Chad did a really nice job of emulating him in the scrimmage, so CB's expect to see something similar to that) he is quick and hungry for goal. What he lacks in technical, he makes up for with some grit.

Finally, I think their goalie is probably their greatest asset. He played super well against us last season, and he has been okay so far this season. He can get behind the ball, and he is pretty athletic. However, the biggest weakness he has shown is in his consistency. If we stay active, and on him, he is bound to make a mistake of two. Find a way in and let's fire.

Coronado weaknesses:

I think that Coronado's greatest weakness right now is their identity. They lost a nail biter last week on an own goal late, and they have not fared well in the springs this season. Mentally they are going to struggle if we are sharp and on form. We are simply going to feel like another team they can't hang with.

Tactically, we might be looking at two different scenarios: if they block, they are going to struggle to get out of the back and create goal scoring opportunities. They are going to have to prove that they are willing to suffer for 80, and I do not think they have that resolve. 

If they open up the game, their shaped is naturally stretched, leaving huge gaps between their attack and defense, and particularly their defense and the rest of their team. If the game opens up, we need to look to exploit that gap, playing the ball to feet inside of it. Once we draw defenders, we need well anticipated runs through on goal. 

Against a block we need to be patient, play crosses into the block, penetrate it, and shoot from outside of it.

In open play, we need to counter quickly, and exploit the space in transition.

Mullen key to success:

Today I really want us to focus on our anticipated movement.

As you can see in this snap shot, Jaycee carries the ball inside drawing in the outside back. Alex S anticipates the through ball, attacking the near post. Then, equally as important, Alex Evans makes a run to the near post to attack the ball across the middle. 

All of these runs are made in anticipation of the pass, not in reaction to it. 

Today's focus: see the game for what is going to happen. Look for opportunities to get in on goal, make the anticipated run.

Set pieces:

(Corners)

1 - Low driven ball to the near post. Two attackers crash the near post, other attackers fill in the middle and back post. 

2- Short corner overlap. Attackers cover near, middle, far - slight delay on the run in.

3- short corner choice. The players taking the corner will choose to overlap or take on the player. Attackers cover all positions, and delay runs in.

Jolly - Bend it in the goal. Attackers cover all locations, especially back post. Anything that goes long should be headed back toward goal.

Bumblebee - cluster around the goalie inside the six. Ball should be played into the cluster. 

White - Chipped ball to the near post flicked across the goal. Remember, initial runners attack the near and far post and bounce off. When the front post runner bounces off the near post, the ball should be played and the remaining attackers should be making runs toward goal.

Blue - Long ball to the back post. Like "white" runners should bounce off the near and far post, but this corner will be played long to the back post. The back post runner should then play the ball back across the middle of the goal for the finish. 

7- We set up in 2, but play a long ball out. That ball is then played back to the 2 or a penetrating run is made into the box. Fire the ball on an inswing to the back post and look for the player crashing on the opposite flank.

11 - Three runners at the near post, two at the back. The three runners circle around to the near post, middle, and far post, while the two at the back make direct runs across the goal.

Keys to success: 

1. No mistakes out of the back. Smart decisions and smart passes that avoid the counter.

2. Exploit the space on the flanks and at the top of the box. Outside backs need to get involved in the attack. They should have space to move forward, and their attack will spread the midfield.

    -Outside backs need to dribble at the Coronado full backs and then distribute the ball into space or feet. One/Twos around the defense will be very effective.

3. Know the set pieces. Capitalize on set pieces. If we can take advantage of these moments, we will have a great deal of success. 

4. Discipline and structure in the back. We need to hold position and recover for one another. 

5. When in possession of the ball in our defensive third, we need to play quickly, not get the ball stuck under our feet, and play into space instead of small spaces. It is a big field, don't fear the dynamic long ball.

6. Patience. We can't chase them all game. We will have to be okay giving up moments of possession in order to strike when the timing is right. Marking assignment and a high level of confrontation will be key!

7. We need to keep the ball out of the middle of the field in the central third. Swinging the ball quickly through the 6 and the 10 will open up the attack so that outside backs and wingers can serve. (See diagram above.)

Good luck!

Match Report: Mullen vs. Northfield (Round 2)

 Match Details:

JV@430

V@6:30

Location: Northfield High School (5500 Central Park Blvd, Denver, CO 80238) - Both teams are playing in the turf stadium

Things to remember: This is an away game - We are white/gold (JV:Navy)/white. Make sure to stay hydrated and keep a consistent flow of calories.

Players of interest:

Northfield is returning a handful of players from their state championship run.

Both 6's played in the final last year, and they are strong. However, remember that they can be drawn out of possession and struggle mentally when dispossed.

7 (Back for another year) - FIFA pace: 96. He carries the ball forward at pace and has a very positive touch. He will get back and defend, but all he really wants to do is dribble. He loves to cut in on his right foot from the left side, so we need a 6 or 10 there in cover to immediately close down the internal run.

6 - Also plays the six, and he has a rocket; however, he struggles under pressure, and he makes bad passes and has bad touches on the ball. He is also a complainer. 

18 - The better of the two 6s. He moves the ball well, and will go forward. We need to close him down - he is always looking for the penetrating two line pass

19 - Plays on the defensive line, but will go forward to his own demise. Press him hard, and try to create turn overs in our attacking third. 

Game Scenarios: 

Scenario 1: Three in the back

If Northfield chooses to come out with three in the back like they have all season, we will want to focus on pressing the center backs and strong side wings. Additionally, from an attacking standpoint, we will want to overload their back three. Every turn over needs to become a counter attack, and we need to exploit the weak side quickly because they will not have a recovery defender. Furthermore, the outside backs will need to elevate to push the northfield wingbacks into their own final third, while one of our sixes makes a third run between the outside center back and the central center back. We are going to want to feed this third run as much as possible for him to bring the ball in on goal or across the face of it. Against a 3 in the back, it is absolutely imperative to get inside your defender on the weakside of the game.

As you can see here, when the ball is with the left center back, our 7 is pressed to him and forcing the sideline. Our 9 is preventing the pass back to the middle, and our 2 is marking the winger. The 6's and our 10 are sharing the midfield and our RCB is in position to cut off any passes through or to the corner for one of their forwards or a 10 making that run. Most importantly, our 11 is marked tight to the weakside winger, so that our 3 can share the other forward.

In this scenario, it is important to remember that they will have two forwards who move off the ball brilliantly. We will have to trust our system, constantly communicate, and share players as they move around the field. We also need to make sure that we never get high and flat. Our defense must always form the cup to catch and recover on players moving through. It is also the responsibility of the attackers to make sure that the northfield defense can not send through balls (on the ground/through the midfield) that find the attackers. That makes us insanely susceptible to 3rd runs out of the midfield. 

Remember, when we are making recovery runs to stop players, it is important for our 6's to ask the question "Where are the off ball players moving?" Tonight, much like basketball, if will be imparative to have an eye for ball and player. Where is one, and where is the other headed. 

Lastly, in the 3-5-2, they do not necessarily look for the big switch, like Battle did, but they switch the ball through their 6's and their 10. If we can stifle that ball in the middle of the park, we can prevent the switch, and we can use it to counter to the weakside.

Scenario 2: Four in the back

If northfield comes out with 4 in the back, the scenario will be much more straight forward. Hopefully, if this is what they do, number 9 will become their other center back. We will press this 4 in the back in the same way that we have pressed every team we have played. Marking assignments don't change. The only difference from scenario one is that they will most likely only have one forward if they play with 4 in the back, but they will then have two central backs so the 9 and 10 will need to work together to press the ball wide. If they play with 4 in the back, we will have to be extra attentive to the CB's wanting to dribble unmarked out of the back to make that long through pass that skips the midfield. The 9 and 10 need to make sure to take away any time to do that.

The major advantage to this scenario is that one, it is untrained, but two, number 4 relies a lot on the fact that he gets to play really deep when he is the sole central defender. This allows him to make up for his lack of speed. However, when they moved to 4 in the back the other night, they got caught flat a number of times, and we can exploit this. Switching balls to the weakside, balls across the back of the defense, and through balls on the ground will all be on against a 4 in the back. 

Big things to remember: 

1. We can't foul in the final third, they have terrific free kick execution.

2. We can't dive in on these players, they are too good 1v1

3. We must use our recovery system and stay organized. 

Ultimately, if we are patient and keep our shape, they will turn the ball over to us. They seem more vunerable on the flanks this year than last. Wings aren't tracking back and there is space behind, in the corners. Let's look to exploit those areas and bring the ball across the middle.

**Finally - from the film at Skyview, they are still diving and looking for fouls (it is almost hard to watch...) so lets defend patiently, and see what the ref gives us. 

Set pieces:

(Corners)

1 - Low driven ball to the near post. Two attackers crash the near post, other attackers fill in the middle and back post. 

2- Short corner overlap. Attackers cover near, middle, far - slight delay on the run in.

3- short corner choice. The players taking the corner will choose to overlap or take on the player. Attackers cover all positions, and delay runs in.

Jolly - Bend it in the goal. Attackers cover all locations, especially back post. Anything that goes long should be headed back toward goal.

Bumblebee - cluster around the goalie inside the six. Ball should be played into the cluster. 

White - Chipped ball to the near post flicked across the goal. Remember, initial runners attack the near and far post and bounce off. When the front post runner bounces off the near post, the ball should be played and the remaining attackers should be making runs toward goal.

Blue - Long ball to the back post. Like "white" runners should bounce off the near and far post, but this corner will be played long to the back post. The back post runner should then play the ball back across the middle of the goal for the finish. 

7- We set up in 2, but play a long ball out. That ball is then played back to the 2 or a penetrating run is made into the box. Fire the ball on an inswing to the back post and look for the player crashing on the opposite flank.

Keys to success: 

1. No mistakes out of the back. Smart decisions and smart passes that avoid the counter.

2. Exploit the space on the flanks and at the top of the box. Outside backs need to get involved in the attack. They should have space to move forward, and their attack will spread the midfield.

    -Outside backs need to dribble at the Northfield full backs and then distribute the ball into space or feet. One/Twos around the defense will be very effective.

3. Know the set pieces. Capitalize on set pieces. If we can take advantage of these moments, we will have a great deal of success. 

4. Discipline and structure in the back. We need to hold position and recover for one another. 

5. When in possession of the ball in our defensive third, we need to play quickly, not get the ball stuck under our feet, and play into space instead of small spaces. It is a big field, don't fear the dynamic long ball.

6. Patience. We can't chase them all game. We will have to be okay giving up moments of possession in order to strike when the timing is right. Marking assignment and a high level of confrontation will be key!

7. We need to keep the ball out of the middle of the field in the central third. Swinging the ball quickly through the 6 and the 10 will open up the attack so that outside backs and wingers can serve. (See diagram above.)

Good luck!