Just got done watching the Quakes U-17 team lose to the LA Galaxy 3-1. Two of the Galaxy’s three goals came as a result of corner kicks. This is a reoccurring theme of Quake’s soccer at all levels. They are poor at set pieces on both ends of the field. It is estimated that between 30-40% of all goals scored at the professional level come off of set pieces. Jesse’s tenure has been marked by having one of, if not the worst, MLS team at defending and scoring set pieces. Chris Leitch’s teams were so soft on set pieces it was embarrassing. If the Quake’s organization wants to compete and make the playoffs at any level, they need to makes changes to what they are doing in this area. My proposal is that Jesse hire someone to come in and train from the academy up to the first team how to properly defend and attack effectively with throw-ins, free kicks, corner kicks and penalty kicks. Think of it as a “special teams coach” that designs playbooks that can take the Quakes from one of the worst to one of the best in this skill.
Jesse is supposed to be an expert. I believe that is why Dave Kaval hired an agency to perform a did a "worldwide search" to find a top executive. .
One reason the Quakes suck at corner kicks is that the team is so small and no one but Flo and Kashia can head the ball. Is that true in the academy teams as well? Do they tend to pick smaller players? Just wondering. On free kicks from distance we do better because we have guys who can kick a good shot on goal in a set piece.
Actually, I recall a couple (literally) times during the season when Magnus and Cristian worked well together on short corners, but other than that, we were woeful on these.
All of these "reasons" is why we need some directed coaching to improve the situation. It shouldn't make any difference who is on the pitch, it we had some set plans that we could execute flawlessly then we could turn this aspect of the game to our favor. The thing I notice is that sometimes we look like we know what we are doing and we have a plan and a shot on goal results, other times we look like a REC team. We clearly are practicing this aspect, why can't they execute it each time. Shoot, it would be hilarious if the coach held up a sign with the corner kick play to run. BTW, I simply hate that Magnus and Espinoza are both standing around for a corner kick, they are two scoring threats with their strong shots, they should be in the scrum waiting to send one in. Train TT, Lima or Judson to kick the corner.
I think Almeyda has made our attacking set pieces far more creative...due to the fact that we only have 1-2 guys that have the determination, size and fight to get their head on the ball. We are a bunch of smurfs with little box presence. We're trying to come up with a little trickery to make a play, but the bottom line is the talent and execution are not there to pull it off. You need to have some amount of height. Every team we play against have at 4-5 guys with height...our defending on set pieces is crap because we have miss matches for multiple players. Scares the hell out of me to see a ball whipped into our box. It was a large part of our undoing down the stretch. We gave up soft headers in multiple critical games. I agree with Jeff, it is our Achilles heal...we are a long way from Lenny and Gordo...and Clay was dominant in the box on both ends...we have absolutely no box presence...kills us against bunkered teams and kills us defensively, we're so vulnerable, especially late in games. You can only do so much without actually having taller grittier players...so we need to bring in some with quality skill....$$$
I don't think that he needs to hire a specialist. Almeyda was innovative and we scored several time off of corner kicks. However, I would like to see someone who can get a free kick on goal more often. Defensively, we didn't give up a lot of goals on corners either. It would be interesting to have a comparison to other teams. Continue to work on the set pieces, but I would like more focus on our strengths of his system which is high pressure, individual skill (both attacking and defending), and ball movement. For example, I want to see Lima improve his individual skill and speed of thought more than defending set pieces.
None of the Quakes CB is at all effective in the air. I don't know that I've ever seen Kashia lose contact with the turf - man doesn't jump at all...
Somewhat Disagree. Flo and him are surprisingly effective for their height on the defensive end. However, on the offensive side, they struggle with getting their header's on target.
I though Chris Leitch was Jesse's consultant? Isn't the title of "Technical Director" enough to be a specialist? How many more do you need?
We really look like Smurfs. When we attend home games, one of our common comments just before kick off is, "Look, the other team looks much taller and bigger. We are so small."
I thought our corners and free kicks were much better this year. Much more creative and acknowledges the limitations of the team. Turned one of our weaknesses into something exciting and a bit of a threat. Not perfect yet but much improved. Whenever we were awarded a corner I would always lean over to my wife and remind her to keep her eye on the ball as they so often took the corners quick and short. Of course we all missed Paul Maries corner anyway.
To me, a bigger factor than height has been poor service. We have been in need of guys that can bend balls into enticing areas. The locations of offensive corner kicks have been horrendous. I would think that professional players could be skilled enough to clear the first player with a corner kick but the Quakes have consistently struggled with that.