Technically Speaking: Revolution vs. Red Bulls

Chris Tierney embraces Diego Fagundez following the teenager’s 54th minute goal against New York on Saturday. (Photo: Kari Heistad/CapturedImages.biz)

Is this becoming a pattern? A boring first half followed by a pretty good second – the Revs coming out hard after half-time till they score – then a slide downhill? The Revs and Red Bulls tied 1-1 last night, with both goals scored within a minute—the Revs striking first (Diego Fagundez), about 14 minutes into the second half, the Red Bulls returning it (Lloyd Sam) less than a minute later. Overall, stats like ball possession, shots, shots on goal, corner kicks, fouls, were close enough that a tie seems a fair result for both teams. But that tying goal leaves a bad taste in the mouth for the Revs and their fans.

Excessive celebration after scoring has always been a mystery to me. I come from an old-fashioned era when you shook hands with the goal-scorer and got back into position for the kick-off. This is what even now I coach my teams to do. Joyous celebration can only result in a loss of concentration on the part of the scoring team; for their opponents, it serves as a powerful motivator to dig in and get the equalizer. The Revs’ celebration lasted fifteen seconds. Fagundez slid across the field in joy, and there were high-fives, hip bumps and hugs galore.

Our resident coach and former pro Rick Sewall dissects Saturday’s Revs-Red Bulls game.

Twenty seconds after the kick-off, Chris Tierney and Kalifa Cisse both got caught out of position and napping, and Stephen McCarthy, the last man in front of the goal, stood frozen watching Sam shoot the ball into it. That close to the goal, the defender has to challenge a potential shooter. Hell, at least show some sense of urgency—it may not work, but at least you will have done something. Save your celebration for victory beers in the clubhouse.

Fagundez deserved the man of the match award last night. He was all over the place, at both ends of the field, and he had two great scoring opportunities in addition to the goal he scored. I was amazed to see him totally unmarked, standing in the vicinity of the penalty spot, in perfect scoring position, with about 15 seconds to go in the game. This is what is called very sloppy defense.  Where was Juninho, New York’s defensive midfielder? They were lucky Fagundez missed.

Heaps’ complaints at and about referees, whether they are deserved or not, are a waste of time and counterproductive to boot. Having a bad reputation with the referee community doesn’t help your team. Complaints are also distracting to your players, who need to bear down and concentrate on what is in their control.

Since players often shoot (and should shoot) from about 90 feet away, and the goal is only 8 feet high, keeping the ball under the crossbar is a major challenge. Think of it geometrically: when you have a right triangle with a vertical side of 8’ and a horizontal side of 90’, the angle for the shooter (that is, the angle between the ground and the hypotenuse created by the flight of the ball) is a max of 10^o. To keep the rise of the ball within that minimal acceptable arc, a training technique called “locking the hip” is very useful.

To teach locking the hip: first, have the player stand with feet parallel, about hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, upper body slightly forward, head forward, looking at the feet. Second, with the toe still on the ground, lift the heel of the kicking foot up as far as possible. The ankle should be locked in this position. Third, with the kicking foot still in this position, rotate the knee of the kicking leg away from the placement leg as far as possible (this is a teaching step that sensitizes players to the correct body position—not something they do in an actual game situation). Fourth, snap the knee back toward the other knee as far as possible. At the same time, elevate the hip of the kicking leg about 3 or 4 inches. Fifth, swing the kicking leg from the hip. The elevated hip should make it impossible to stub the toe, and the “locked” hip also should make it impossible to cross the legs on the follow-through. This technique enables the shooter to be more accurate, and will also maximize the power behind the shot, getting full value from the strength of the hip joint (the major source of power).

Heaps has been experimenting with different ways to iron out some complex personnel questions. With luck, another week of practice will bring him closer to the perfect line-up. Good luck vs. Houston next Saturday.