Today I returned to the classroom for my Coaching & Leadership course for eighty+ undergraduate students. For the first class of the new semester, I facilitated a European Handball session on 'switching play', which is a session plan I've done plenty of times in the soccer world. Here were some of the key reflections:
Many youth coaches opt for a "man-marking" or player-to-player marking scheme, as they deem it easier to teach than a zonal marking scheme. Spaces on a pitch can be more arbitrary, whereas opposition players are right there in front of you.
As Lionel Messi has grabbed all the headlines this summer, FC Cincinnati have quietly gone under the radar again. Pat Noonan's Cincinnati currently have eleven points on the next best team in the East, and ten on the next best team overall in the entire MLS. Despite their league-leading status, they've kept fewer than 50% of the possession this season. So what have they done so well this campaign? Here is a tactical analysis of Pat Noonan's Cincinnati in 2023.
Antoine Coupland is a 19-year-old winger for Vancouver Whitecaps II, who has played predominantly on the right this season. His attributes and playing-style make him more of an 'Inverted Winger', which would likely work best coming inside onto his stronger left-foot from the right-hand-side.
Niko Sigur is a 19-year-old Canadian/Croatian currently playing right-back for Hajduk Split. After moving away from York University and Vaughn Azzurri, he chose to represent Croatia at international level. Since then, he's risen through their youth ranks and is now having a great time in Hajduk's first-team. This means his market value is currently listed at 700k, so the most likely scenario I see would be a loan.
Perhaps more than any CPL striker, Myer Bevan nicely combines all the traits you'd want in a centre-forward. He's smooth on the ball, quick to beat his man when running the channels, proficient in front of goal, and a dominant battler. At 8 goals in his 16 appearances, Bevan currently leads the league in scoring alongside Terran Campbell.
The best strikers in the modern era are able to combine a vast array of skillsets. We've seen this play out in the CPL this season, with those unable to fully combine all the necessary skillsets also failing to turn their talents into goals. Here is my analysis of four of the next best centre-forwards in the CPL.
TheMastermindSite 