TAKEAWAYS | All Square In The CITY
The clash atop the Western Conference table ends 0-0 between LAFC and St. Louis.
My birthday was two weeks ago. Don’t worry, presents are accepted year-round if you missed it. But this isn’t about me.
I turned 39, the same age as Giorgio Chiellini. In fact, his birthday was a little over two weeks before mine. Last night, he nearly scored from a bicycle kick late in a match against the leaders in the Western Conference.
Like the rest of you, I marveled at the attempt. I even felt robbed of what would have been an all-time moment in LAFC history had he scored. I also saw the comments of disbelief that a man that age could gracefully attempt such a feat.
Then I realized. I’m old, too.
Okay, so it was about me. It was a 0-0 match. LAFC managed the game and had the better of the opportunities against St. Louis CITY (I don’t know why it’s capitalized either). And while the draw did the Black & Gold no good in the standings, we learned that even if LAFC has to go back there for the Western Conference finals there’s no reason to think they can’t get the result.
Instead of getting too high or too low from the result, my mind took me to existential dread about my age in relation to one of the sport’s legendary defenders. So, I’ve got that going for me. Speaking of, how’s your mental health these days?
Here are the Takeaways from LAFC’s 0-0 in the CITY of St. Louis:
Breaking The Press
If you’re a head coach going into a match against St. Louis, there’s one question you have for your team: How do we break their press?
When facing a pressing side, teams employ one of two solutions. They can adopt the braver, riskier option and attempt to play through the press. In other words, they attempt to pass or dribble through the onrush of opposing players in their own half. The reward is having the ball in control in the offensive half, usually with a number of the opposition’s players in your wake. The risk is losing the ball closer to your goal and having to scramble as the other team runs down your throat.
The safer option is to play over the press. The opponent moves six players into your half in search of the ball, you simply kick it over them and sort things out on the other end. It’s a gamble in its own right. You’re asking your attackers to win an aerial battle and get control of the ball or the second ball if they can’t control the initial long ball cleanly. But at least the ball is closer to the opponent’s goal and further from your own.
However, sometimes there is a third option. Teams can choose to play around the press. And that’s what LAFC initially did to stifle St. Louis in the first half.
The shape St. Louis adopts in its press is a 4-4-2 diamond – think of the four midfielders on the pitch in a square and then rotate that square so one corner is pointing towards either goal. With two central strikers as the initial pressing line ahead of the diamond, It’s naturally narrow in its coverage across the field by design. Teams adopting this shape understand the value of the middle of the field.
LAFC counteracted this by sending its fullbacks high and wide up the pitch, sometimes completely beyond STL’s first two lines of pressure. The danger in playing around the press is if the opponent can move quickly enough, it results in a cul-de-sac with the touchline serving as a de facto defender.
Through clever positioning and quick decisions, LAFC started bypassing the press from St. Louis using the wide areas on numerous occasions. The warning shot came after the VAR review in the 16th minute. Ryan Hollingshead received the ball on the right and was able to dribble 50 yards before a St. Louis player shifted to confront him.
It can’t go without saying a major factor in creating that space was Cristian Olivera. His discipline in staying high and wide to pin St. Louis left back Anthony Markanich created a pathway from Hollingshead. LAFC played with that fullback-winger interchange all night to keep St. Louis guessing. The understanding between Hollinghsead and Olivera in particular was pivotal to LAFC’s chance creation in the first half.
If we’re going to give credit to Steve Cherundolo for his setup to beat the St. Louis press in the first half, we should be equally complimentary to Bradley Carnell. The St. Louis head coach adjusted his side in the second half. St. Louis did a better job covering the wide areas and forcing LAFC to play over the press.
The 0-0 result felt fair in the end. Each coach had a chance to affect the game. Ultimately, they canceled each other out.
More In His Tool Bag
Speaking of Cristian Olivera, he was my standout player of the match.
When Olivera arrived, there were obvious similarities to Brian Rodriguez – the speed, the dribbles, Peñarol, the tattoos, etc. How you felt about Rodriguez’s tenure likely informed your optimism or lack thereof on Olivera’s signing.
But over the last two matches, we’ve seen Olivera show he’s more than just a straight-line, off-the-ball burner on the wing. The LAFC attacker produced possibly his most well-rounded match in St. Louis. Olivera finished the match with the most progressive carries (8) and was second in shots with five. As already mentioned, his understanding and interchange with Hollingshead was pivotal to the match but also a sign of his comfort in LAFC’s system.
It’s beginning to look like LAFC has found a bonafide option opposite Bouanga in attack. That leaves opponents with a pick-your-poison conundrum going into the playoffs.
Not All Zeros Are Bad
The dreaded 0-0 draw. Nearly everyone hates it, neutral and die-hard alike. But one silver lining was the first clean sheet of 2023 for Maxime Crépeau.
The goalkeeper made his triumphant return at home against the Galaxy. He earned a victory despite not making a save – not entirely his fault. Against St. Louis, we finally saw his shot-stopping skills tested. And he passed with flying colors.
Crépeau made four saves to keep St. Louis off the scoresheet. I think we can officially say Crépeau is back. Playing in just his second first-team match in 319 days, the LAFC goalkeeper put any worries to bed with a strong save on Eduard Löwen in the ninth minute. From there, he was his usual self with three subsequent saves and numerous collections.
It’s good to have you back, Max.
If 39 is old...I’m about ready to be put out to pasture. Belated happy birthday!
Happy belated birthday. I have a Vela pin with your name on it (on the package).
Thanks for your levelheaded analysis. Looking forward to seeing how the team tilts with Philly, which way Mario and others go, and if we’ve got the goods to make a run in the playoffs