UNC 2019

A very interesting but strange game. UNC won 2-0. I could have been 2-2- had FSU made two very makeable shots. It could have been 5-0 if the three shots off the wood had gone in. And, it could have been anything in between. I thought UNC dominated 3/4 of the game and FSU 1/4. But, overall, I thought UNC looked a good deal stronger.

That being said, UNC looked really ragged in their main-line strategy/formation - the newly introduced 3-5-2 which seems to be primarily a 3-2-3-2 alignment with Pinto and Otto playing a double pivot and Russo and Cox paired strikers. Would somebody please explain to me what the intended advantage Anson seems to be trying for? I guess he got spooked by the low scoring and tie game a few weeks ago and I guess he is thinking that the extra player in the midfield gives them a numerical advantage (and I suppose it does). And I guess he is trying hard to get Russo more involved by moving her off the flank and more into the middle. But, even though they have scored off this formation and should have scored a couple more from it, they look really ragged running it. 10 off sides (although I didn't confirm all of them were from it)! I guess one explanation is that they haven't gotten their rhythm and developed their instincts about where everybody is in the new shape. But, a couple of things I don't understand. It seems to have resulted in a swap for greater involvement by Russo with an accompanying reduced (significantly) involvement of And. and she had been playing very well when the change was put in. The other question I have is the pairing of Russo and Cox. Both are great or gonna be great, but I don't sense any natural interaction between the two. So, I don't like it. Overloads the midfield but results in a lot of congestion there. But, I guess it did produced two turnovers that resulted in breakaways and two nearly identical beautiful goals.

I really liked their 4-3-3. Impenetrable back line when Bell is there. Strong interaction of the 3 strikers up front and loads of talent there. 3 Strong midfielders play a sort of vertical "V." Strong runs up the sides by the two wide backs. Don't understand why they were not scoring more out of it. (Guess Anson did and that's why the 3-5-2). When the blue team came on, I think they may have gone to it, but didn't look back to be sure - know it included 4 backs.

One other formation they went to when they were ahead was a 4-2-3-1 with Cox chasing. They were playing that a lot last year or two with Russo as the chaser but don't recall seeing it this year. It looks strong as a lead-holder but not a very interesting one or one that is likely to produce scoring chances.

So, I agree with the people who are saying UNC may be in a class of its own, but it is amazing how they can look as out of tune as they did at the fine edge in which they seem to be trying to play, what with the 10 off sides. If they really do get the advantage that Anson seems to be trying for, they will be amazing. And the versatility and sophistication of their play! It will be truly remarkable if Anson can get this to work as a quilt of 3 or 4 alignments he can throw at opponents. Anybody know of another college team trying to do anything like this and on this scale?

 

Your user name suggests you might have a little residual bias.

 

UNC finally on the U, so I can watch it on Comcast!
But, I'm turning the channel at halftime to watch the NWSL final, where Heather O'Reilly is starting, now a UNC assistant coach right?!

Terrible programming on a day things could have been spaced out easily it seems. Both on ESPN as well so stupid for viewers AND for the local fans. Crowd in Cary looks pretty good, UNC stadium is awesome but makes it look like there's no one there.

Both NC teams just scored.....enjoy.

 

We (UNC) were all sitting (and standing) on the other side where some shade could be found. It was HOT out there..

 

UNC #1 seed for the ACC tourney, ranked 2 or 3 nationally. The Wahoos are #3 in the ACC tourney, but a consensus #1 nationally in the polls. Wait, let me start over...

 

Dont get your point. UNC and UVA did not play in the regular season and who is ranked where now hardly matters.

 

Its women's college soccer. many ranked teams have gone to Miami and lost. Its not an easy place to play.

 

Having been to all (UNC) their home games I find them almost impossible to score on. I was unable to watch the Miami game and can't find highlights of Miami's goals.. Did anyone see the game - if so, can you comment on the two goals? I see Dickey didn't play the second half as she usually does.

 

Both were legitimate goals but both came off of turnovers by unc. The first was immediately before the half with the blue team playing out the first half. Play was around the UNC box. Ru followed a Miami pass to the end line on her right, blocking the Miami player. Not sure if it would have gone out, but ru elected to try to play it out toward the right sideline. The Miami player was right there and Ru's ball was deflected off the Miami player right beside her, popped back in the opposite direction right in front of the Miami right post about 6 yards out, and a Miami player made a nice shot into the far side net.

The second goal play started abut 10 yards inside the UNC half - W-M had attempted about a 30 yard pass out of the back, it was intercepted, followed by a couple of nice Miami passes, and a final header from close range into the right side of the goal.

So, both goals came as a result of defense mistakes and nice advantage play and finishes by Miami. (You can still see the game on replay on espn.)

What's going on with UNC? My read is that all this is a result of Anson's shift in formation for the starters/White team (the Blue team seems to be sticking with a 4-3-3- or some approximation of that). As has been pretty thoroughly pointed out, about 3-4 games ago, he shifted the starters to a 3-5-2 (which is usually being played as something like a 3-2-3-2, with Otto and Pinto playing as a double ivot and And., Fox, and Jones playing more fluid and offensive roles forward). Early, they looked completely uncoordinated with 10 off sides, passes to space but no one running onto them, etc. The off sides went away but they still don't seem to have the sense of where each other are that they had earlier this season. And the 3 backs are definitely a defensive weakness, particularly with W-M's slow foot speed (even though she more than makes up for this with the 4-back formation when she has better cover on her left). (With Bell and W-M playing center backs, they were impregnable.) The "bargain" Anson seems to be trying to strike is to swap a defensive position for an extra midfielder and reducing the 3 forwards to 2 (another midfielder) with Russo play more centrally. That has moved And. back to an outside midfielder as opposed to playing a forward position. So far, it has not resulted in Russo becoming more productive offensively. But it has also cost them width on the front line. Earlier, the forwards and defensive outside backs made overlapping runs down the sidelines, got to the end line, and could pass across the box or even back against the grain to forwards and midfielders crashing the box. Now, the formation leads to more of a wedge shape with Russo and Cox playing closer and more centrally. So far, not much production from Russo, although she works very hard and contributes in so many ways (still not fully recovered?), and Cox has not yet become a scorer - she too plays very well except for finishing. So, the whole thing seems to balance out with more errors and vulnerability in the back, more control of the midfield with two extra players there but also more congestion there, and less offensive space and variety/options.

But, they are also adapting to the set. Maybe they will all get on the same page and maybe the trade off between offensive production (reduced) and defensive vulnerability (increased) will stabilized into a net gain. I guess we'll see!

 

You must be a lot of fun at parties...

 

Is that three undefeated regular seasons in a row for unc in acc play? That's really incredible.

 

Finally was able to watch the Miami game on espn replay (what a wonderful service! you can look at the same sequence as many times as you want, like Wuben-Moy's run from the back line, through the midfield, into the box, and ending with a clear intentional "striker's" shot into the far side of the net). And, I think i'm finally beginning to understand what UNC is doing or aiming to do with the new 3-5-2 formation.

Anson has created a set in which he has (potentially) 9 offensive players variously crashing the box while still providing reasonable defensive coverage with the various rotations back to provide a back line and defensive coverage. The only field player I have not seen crashing is Dorsey, although she often brings the ball out of the back - just don't recall seeing her continuing all the way. W-M is now coming all the way into the box from her defensive position pretty deliberately and I expect to see this more. For at least 4 or 5 games we have seen Bell doing the same - ending up in the box. She is extremely effective heading on corner kicks, but she is also continuing up in the run of play. Fox . . . enough said - she is everywhere doing everything. Same for And. Pinto often hangs back on turnovers to give Otto an outlet, but both of them are moving forward in position to receive passes in or near the box. and, of course, Jones is all over the place just outside the box and ready to make runs forward from there.

You almost feel sorry for Cox and Russo. I originally thought the motivation for the whole thing was to get them more central and more chances. But, it hasn't worked out that way. They are getting opportunities and taking shots, but don't think either has scored in 6 or 8 games. It's almost as if they are decoys, demanding and absorbing attention by opposition defenders - with good cause - but freeing up opportunities for others to carry the offense - like W-M, Bell, Jones, Otto, Pinto, etc., etc., etc.

The center is still congested and we're not seeing many runs straight down the flanks to the end lines, and our main offensive go-to-players have not broken through, but goals are coming and coming from almost everywhere. The really exciting thing is how the whole team is rotating and shifting into areas/positions to provide shape and coverage when something really strange happens. And they all seem to getting the hang of this new dynamic way of playing.

Then the blue team comes in and everything changes.

 

great game today. It was clear two high level teams were going at it full force. i wasn't convinced by UVA at the beginning of the year but they really are a great team and will go far in the tourney. This championship game could've went either way. Maycee Bell was really good, as was Wubben-Moy, Fox, and Russo. Unfortunate accident with Pinto colliding with the UVA keeper. it was a 50-50 ball and both players were going for it. i've already read in another thread calling it a dirty play, and assumptions that UNC is a dirty team, which i find ridiculous.

 

Well, when your keeper it taken out in such a way, you let me know if you think it was "not dirty".

 

No connection to either program but watch the video. Ball in keepers hands at contact and pinto 100% not in control of her body. IMO that is straight red. I don’t call it dirty but Anson teaches this aggressive play in practice.

 

I do not understand how anyone can think it is anything other than a red?

 

Completely silly comment. Dorance teaches his kids to make head-to-head contact with the opponent? C'mon. Pinto could easily have got hurt herself. She was looking at the ball--trying to head the ball. It looked like inadvertent contact, which is the way the referee saw it as well.

 

i watched the replay multiple times. Pinto was looking straight up at the ball. as was the keeper. Ofcourse everything looks worse when a serious injury is the result but collisions like this aren't new. if both players had been positioned slightly differently and their backs collided instead and both were fine, i doubt much would have been made of this.