Mullen vs Creek (2022)

 Mullen vs. Creek 

Location: MSC (Mullen Soccer Complex)

V@4 - Varsity soccer field

JV@4 - North West 40 (Northwest corner of the complex)

We are home, so wear navy all the way down. There will be food available at 2:45 for all players.

Varsity has a team meeting at 2:45 in C5 - warm up for all teams is @3:20

Creek Strengths:

This season Creek is athletic, fast and incredibly opportunistic. They are grittier than years past, and they pressure the ball well. Furthermore, they are insanely direct, and a big ball game favors their style of play. In all the film I've watched, they rarely complete more that two passes before sending a big ball over the top. The forwards then pressure the back line and create opportunities, often from seemingly nothing.

In front of goal, Creek has proven quite dangerous. They have good finishers, so given the opportunity, they can put the ball away. 

Finally, and most importantly, this Creek team is marvelously opportunistic. They pressure hard, create mistakes, and put the ball in the back of the net.

If we were to examine the CT game in particular, it went a little something like this.

Goal 1: CT OB makes a bad pass directly to the creek winger. He dribbles down to the end line, beats a player, passes it across goal, they score.

Goal 2: Creek has a negative throw to their OB - The CT OB is not goal side of his player. The Creek OB plays a ball down the line, the CT CB doesn't cover. Creek Scores

Goal 3: CT failed clearance. Creek Scores

Goal 4: Creek throw into the box, flicked by a creek player. 3 CT players around the ball, nobody clears it, is dribbles through to open creek player. Creek Scores.

Against Lakewood (who was up 2-0):

Goal 1: Lakewood player tries to shield a ball out of bounds for a goal kick, when he realizes it won't go, he has a weak clearance (4 yards) to a creek player in the box. Creek scores.

Goal 2: Poor lakewood clearance goalie jumps up to catch it, his own player interferes with him, he drops it (against the players hand...) Creek PK. Creek scores.

LITERALLY EVERY GOAL THAT I HAVE SEEN CREEK SCORE THIS SEASON, BOTH IN PERSON, AND ON FILM, HAS BEEN A RESULT OF MISTAKES MADE BY THE OTHER TEAM.

If we give them the chance to score, they will. If we play clean and smart, they won't.

Creek weaknesses:

I think that their main weakness is the direct nature of their play. Almost everything is big, and if they can't find a way in, they just get frustrated and push harder. Their passing game in the middle of the park is not strong, and if we keep our structure, they will pass the ball right to us.

Additionally, while they pressure hard, they seem weak against a possession style game, they can be moved out of shape easily, so the big switching ball, and short passes in the middle of the park are both on. Lakewood, who is having a rough season, was able to move the ball around them well. 

They are going to struggle against our structure. They rely heavily on gaps and mistakes to create opportunities, and if we don't give them anything, they will struggle to create on their own. Our discipline matters tonight more than ever!

Finally, they are shown weak in transition. Both Valor's winning goal, and Arapahoe's come on the counter. If we can regain possession in the middle of the park, and get in behind their defense with a switching ball or well executed through ball, we can create a lot of opportunities. 

Final note: Valor scored on a corner, but this Creek team does go hard to the ball. We are going to have to match their intensity (in game, and on set pieces). I think we can find our way in if we execute well and finish clean. 

Main key to success:

Creek's wingers are strong, and we need to pull them back into their defensive third. Our outside backs need to get high, so that the wingers need to get back and mark so that Creek doesn't have numbers forward in the big ball game.

Additionally, 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.

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 Creek 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.

Good luck!