Columbus - Postmatch
- Thread starter NYCFC_Dan
- Start date
I think of Pulisic as a clinical finisher more than a Passer. Not that he can’t pass, but he’s our best dribbler and finisher, and fast to boot. We could have some scary fast lines with Pulisic, Weah, Lewis, and Wood.I think Amon is a similar player, but maybe he’s more of a wide forward, similar to Weah.
I used this comparison before, but I think the closest US player is Pulisic.
I’ll stick with the best comparison among worldwide, well-known players being my other one (Mane).
“Hey, defender, come close me down on the sideline.” [kick it or flick it around him and a couple of others]
“Meep, meep” [blazes toward the last defender and gets in on goal]
Clink! [hits post]
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We started in a flatter version of Dome's 4-2-4 (which you could call a 4-2-3-1 if you wanted). It was fine in possession but neither DM was keeping close tabs on Higuaín so they played right up our gut. First time an opponent has exploited the two-man midfield like they should.
After the half Ring played higher than Ofori, like we saw against Toronto, in order to get between Columbus's lines since Higuaín and Zardes weren't pressuring the double pivot. But Ofori was getting isolated in defensive transitions, so Dome brought on Awuah with instructions to shadow Higuaín. Lewis moved wide and Ring scooted up to the second striker role, which he played a little deeper so that we looked more 4-2-3-1ish.
There was never anything like a 4-1-4-1, not sure where Warshaw got that idea. But numbered formation notation is hopeless so whatever.
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Agreed. And actually right at the beginning of the second half it was more like a 4-1-1-4 for a little while.
It's been looking to me like Domé's "safe default" formation is 4-2-3-1 with a fluid front 3-1, with fullbacks getting up when in possession and dropping back when out of possession.
Also agreed. Over the past decade the game has become far more fluid, with players tasked with a wider range of responsibilities, than can be expressed with a numerical shorthand from a more tactically rigid era. While watching yesterday I was doing a lot of brainstorming about a better, modern way of visualizing tactics, but it got a bit weedy when I was imagining three-axis charts and flexing polygons and color gradients and ratios being transformed by various functions.
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I've been abroad since before Dome's first game and TV is completely inadequate for trying to figure out what's going on. I'm not sure whether it's just that Yankee Stadium offers poor sightlines for the cameras, but it seems like what the team is doing now is particularly fluid and discombobulating. For instance, I've watched Pep teams for ages and never had this much trouble reading the game.
I suppose what I'm wondering is whether we might be seeing something quite novel with Dome, or whether TV just fails to capture what's happening all over the pitch.
I've been abroad since before Dome's first game and TV is completely inadequate for trying to figure out what's going on. I'm not sure whether it's just that Yankee Stadium offers poor sightlines for the cameras, but it seems like what the team is doing now is particularly fluid and discombobulating. For instance, I've watched Pep teams for ages and never had this much trouble reading the game.
I suppose what I'm wondering is whether we might be seeing something quite novel with Dome, or whether TV just fails to capture what's happening all over the pitch.
Probably both. We need a camera in set up in the 300s. I’m not sure why they don’t do this.
Definitely. I hope they add a Tactical Cam view (directly overhead, no commentary) to the stream options on Fox Sports Go like was available during the World Cup.
But Domé's evident instructions regarding spatial relationships vs game state are definitely hard to parse if you can't see everyone.
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I've been abroad since before Dome's first game and TV is completely inadequate for trying to figure out what's going on. I'm not sure whether it's just that Yankee Stadium offers poor sightlines for the cameras, but it seems like what the team is doing now is particularly fluid and discombobulating. For instance, I've watched Pep teams for ages and never had this much trouble reading the game.
I suppose what I'm wondering is whether we might be seeing something quite novel with Dome, or whether TV just fails to capture what's happening all over the pitch.
Camera angles are a big part of it. You'll rarely see more than half the field on TV at Yankee Stadium, so in a 4-2-4 that's a major chunk of the team doing god knows what at any time. I imagine that would have been even more confusing for games like RBNY and CLB, where there was a lot of direct play in both directions.
Steffen has 2 HUGE saves he's good.... also cost columbus on the first goal though. Still think he beats T&T blindfolded.....
Confirmation in this week's press conference- He was talking about when other teams play deep (linked to 5:00):
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I know we've all said this already but man I love Dome's press conferences. He's open, honest, and not afraid to talk about actual soccer concepts. The little details he shares, like that his second-half adjustments were focused on breaking the Trapp-Higuaín connection or that he thinks Lewis struggles against a low block*, shed helpful light on the team. And his assessment of games is on point: he's not afraid to say that we were better than Chicago but worse, at least in the first half, than Columbus. I'd imagine having a coach who speaks his mind like that is helpful for players who were worried about where they stood. And the soccer knowledge is good for all of us.
*But what about the two goals Lewis created this week from pressing? The questioner was trying to get at that but wound up with one of those "talk about X" non-questions. It's like our press corps is still learning how to talk to a coach who actually answers them.
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Pls crdt here too. 
Also, pls crdt when Alex Callens is named MLS MVP. We give up 2-3 without him last night. That boy = good.
We all dream of a team of Lex Callens. A team of Lex Callens. A team of Lex Callens.
The issue here is getting tactical analysis from Warshaw. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed in that regard. He should stick to “what this means from a player perspective”.
The camera angle is a huge issue, it makes the pitch seem smaller than it actually is - all those fans of other teams complaining about a “postage stamp” field are probably seeing it on TV.
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See but I think Warshaw's great because he thinks about tactics from a player's perspective. Sometimes his coach-level overviews feel off but he picks up on the little nuts and bolts of tactics in a way that nobody else does.
I was about to say that his approach reminds me of one of my favorite things I've read about tactics, this old Deadspin article from some unknown ex-player:
https://deadspin.com/why-soccer-tactics-matter-a-player-explains-1566582214
Turns out I've always been a fan and didn't know it.
That save on Maxi's header across goal was insane.
Agreed. And that header by Maxi was insane.
