TAKEAWAYS | Low Block For The Win

LAFC stifles the Galaxy attack in 2-1 derby win.

Football has all the feels.

From unbridled exuberance when the ball hits the back of the net. To the joy of defeating a rival. Down to the depths of misery when you’re on the wrong end of the scoreline.

But one feeling we don’t talk about often is suffering.

There’s probably a good reason for that. Relative to other places we don’t know real suffering - both in the US and MLS. But around the world, the idea of suffering is synonymous with football. It’s almost a necessity.

“I am glad we won while suffering, I think this team needs to suffer a little to achieve victory, to understand you can win while suffering," Antonio Conte once said of his team.

In a rivalry where form and position in the table don’t matter, you have nothing to fall back on but the 90 minutes. And sometimes, you have to do whatever it takes. The only thing that matters in a derby is who wins and who loses.

Early in its history, LAFC avoided suffering. There was only one way to play. And too often, the suffering wasn’t the process, it was the result

Slowly, but surely, that has changed for the Black & Gold. On Saturday against the Galaxy, we saw a team willing to suffer. As I always say about matches between these two teams: There is no joy, only relief.

Here are the Takeaways from LAFC’s 2-1 win over the Galaxy:

Seeing Double

Gastón Brugman’s shot from the top of the box and Hugo Lloris’s double-handed save less than three minutes into the match must have awoken LAFC to the reality of the derby. Directly from that save, the Black & Gold connected pass after pass some 90 yards down to the other end. A minute later, LAFC might have thought they were still dreaming.

A sinking sense of deja vu must have hit the Galaxy as Timothy Tillman guided the first corner of the match into the back of the net from close range. I knew I had seen a near-carbon copy of this play before.

Here is the second of two set-piece goals the Galaxy conceded in the first half a few weeks ago in Kansas City:

Now, LAFC’s version:

The Galaxy may have entered the derby at the top of the Western Conference but when it comes to defending set pieces this season, they can only look up. If I remember the goal from a couple of weeks ago, then you know the LAFC coaching staff had studied and dissected it in great detail. And they must have seen something they could exploit.

Against SKC, the near post service and subsequent deflection froze Maya Yoshida at the center of the six-yard box. That slight bit of hesitation from the Galaxy’s best set-piece defender was LAFC’s in.

This play is by design. Three LAFC players converge on the near post. All three players know just a slight flick to the back post to execute the play. For his part, Timothy Tillman finishes his run with purpose and is rewarded as once again Yoshida is caught at a standstill when his teammates don’t clear the near-post service.

The coaching staff identified a weakness, designed a scheme to exploit it, and the players carried out the plan. This was a recurring theme on Saturday afternoon.

Tactics, Tactics, Tactics

Not all low blocks are created equal.

The basic premise of the low block is simple. The opponent’s objective is to move the ball as close to your goal as possible with the fewest defenders in the way. The closer they are, the more likely they’ll score. So, don’t let them access those areas by concentrating most of your players in front of your own goal. 

This, of course, means the defending team is purposely farther from the opponent’s goal, thus increasing its own difficulty in scoring. But the low block is tragically misunderstood. While it can be the last resort of an inferior team in thwarting an opponent’s advances, it can also be a devastating weapon. 

Steve Cherundolo understands a low block. And he’s not precious about possession for the sake of having the ball. He wants his team to use the ball to score goals. Goals win games, not possession. 

By employing a low block, Cherundolo got a two-for-one. He curtailed the Galaxy’s biggest strength, while maximizing his team’s own: attacking in transition. 

After the match, I thought he summed up the game plan perfectly.

“Teams that are stronger in possession will always have to defend counters,” Cherundolo said. “And I think the best way to do that is counterpressure. So, you immediately apply pressure to win the back and to avoid counterattacks. I think that their formation doesn’t allow for that to happen organically or very easily. But it gives them advantages with the ball.”

Despite gaudy passing numbers and 68 percent of the possession, the Galaxy had fewer shots than LAFC and half the number of shots on target. Make no mistake though, it was part of the plan. The lure was set. The Galaxy leaned into its natural inclination to attack. To break down LAFC’s low block, the Galaxy committed numbers forward and swapped positions, leaving Greg Vanney’s team susceptible to counterattacks.

In a match where only the scoreline matters, the tactics of Cherundolo and his staff won the day.

The Finer Details

Don’t worry. If you were less than pleased by watching your team defending for most of 90 minutes, Cherundolo had some soothing words for you after the match.

“By no means is that a blueprint for the rest of the season or something to look out for from LAFC,” Cherundolo said. “I would explain it a little differently, we can do that if we need to.”

So, there you go. But humor me, as I point out just a few more things about LAFC’s low block.

Because it’s naturally defensive by its posture, the low block is sometimes mischaracterized as an “easier” way of playing than possession-based styles. It looks passive. The defending team is clogging up the path to goal and little else. 

But LAFC’s low block was anything but passive. It was purposeful and focused.

These next few plays demonstrate how LAFC employed the low block and in what areas they focused their energy. 

Notice the midfield of LAFC. They’re compact in a line of three, blocking passing lanes in front of the center backs. Cristian Olivera and Dénis Bouanga drop deep to increase LAFC’s reach across the field. This forces the Galaxy to go wide in an attempt to pull the block apart but LAFC is prepared. 

Ryan Hollingshead has a close eye on Gabriel Pec. In most cases, a winger receiving the ball near the touchline 40 yards from goal wouldn’t necessarily trouble the LAFC fullbacks. But LAFC is acutely aware of the danger Pec poses with space and the ball at his feet - the same goes for Joseph Paintsil on the other flank. 

As the pass becomes clear, Hollingshead aggressively closes down Pec instead of staying in line with his defensive partners. Hurried, Pec can’t face up his marker and has to play the ball backward. This triggers LAFC to chase. They get tight to the Galaxy players on the side and force a turnover.

A few minutes later, the defensive action is replicated - this time from one flank to the other. The purpose of showing you this is to demonstrate LAFC’s focus on being active in the low block, occupying the center of the pitch, aggressively closing down the Galaxy’s talented 1v1 wingers, and covering for teammates. 

Even when it breaks down, and Paintsil eludes the pressure, Jesus Murillo is there. The center back is attentive and quickly slides over. It’s a heads-up play, and, if you notice, the cover doesn’t end with Murillo. Ilie Sánchez dropped into the backline to fill the gaps created by center backs sliding over throughout the match. 

And here is all of it coming together, resulting in that counterattack opportunity Cherundolo was talking about with the Galaxy unable to apply pressure.

The point is that LAFC wasn’t acquiescing to the Galaxy. And this stuff doesn’t just happen on the day. It was clearly drilled in training all week. Even if we won’t see this tactic often from LAFC, it’s important that in the biggest match of the season thus far a winning game plan was devised by the coaching staff and executed on the pitch. That goes a long way towards players trusting each other on the pitch, and maybe more importantly, trusting the coaching staff.