Possession style of play

Doesn't answer your question but here's someone you and your daughters should probably see, "possession style" or not -- Wake Forest's Katie Stengel.

Here's a couple quotes from Anson Dorrance in the Winston Salem Journal. I think he coaches one of the other ACC teams. He seems to know what he's talking about...

I really would like to go to Irvine in a few hours to see her play but it doesn't look like I can make it...

Thanks to another BigSoccer member (can't remember who) for mentioning this article.

 

Two teams that will attempt to possess the ball for long periods are Stanford and Portland. I'm sure there are others, but those are two.

 

I'm curious to see what others will say once they start chiming in. Good question and good that you want your daughters to see something besides someone who runs fast.

I wouldn't call UCLA a possession style team but if you get a chance to see them, I would. They're not as great a team as they were the last 5 or 6 years but they still play pretty good soccer. They have a tremendous "possession" player in Kylie Wright but she's been playing more on the backline this season because of the lack of defenders. Last night, though, she was in the midfield again and I was thinking of pointing her out to some young people at the game, to watch her play because she does so many things well. I suspect Notre Dame's Courtney Barg has similar qualities from reading the ND fans but unfortunately she didn't play at UCLA earlier this season when they came to visit. (Recovering from an injury I think).

Last night, as she has so often in her 4 years here, Kylie showed her ability to turn from pressure and then turn back. And once she has created that bit of space she gets the pass off so quickly, in stride. Elegant play and seemingly simple but it takes such good positional awareness as well as ball control and passing skills to do. She, like a handful of players in the college game, makes it look effortless but it takes a special player to do that.

Stanford and Portland are obvious choices. Portland's Sophie Schmidt is a special player. Keelin Winters is a dominating midfield force. They work their outside backs into the attack beautifully. I miss Michelle Enyeart, who graduated last year. She was their most creative player.

Stanford's great - I miss Kelly O'Hara and Ali Riley a lot though. But you can still see them play in WPS (and Ali Riley was simply outstanding. Everytime I see her play, I can't help thinking how the US national team could use her.)

But I'm sure they'll chime in with better informed comments than mine.

Check out the Notre Dame thread. They're having a really interesting discussion right now about Courtney Barg. A lot of the things they're saying about her and whether she could fit in with the national team, I could put in Kylie's name in place of Courtney and wonder the same thing -- about speed (pure speed) vs speed of play and speed of thought.

 

Are you geographically limited, perhaps the better question might be games being played in a particular region, but if not, I'm insanely jealous.

 

Yeah, really, huh?!!!

 

It is true that the best teams have the speed to go with their technical style of play. And with regard to Carolina, I would not be quick to pigeon-hole their style. They can go either way. Their first preference is to try to work it up the wings and classically send it across the goal mouth. If this not an easy option, you'll find them turning to short passing in the midfield trying to build a scoring opportunity.

Midfield control is always a key to a possession/build pressure type of team. Last year a great example of this was the national finals where, especially in the first half, Carolina dominated Stanford by all measures, including time of possession in the midfield. This year, UNC is not as capable in the midfield, and most observers, (myself included) would say that Stanford has the best midfield/possession game, and for this and other reasons, absolutely deserves their #1 ranking. Your soccer-playing daughter would be well advised to watch Stanford -especially noting how they move without the ball and use the width of the field.

 

I've never known a coach that did'nt like fast players, add skill to that speed and they will beat a slow skilled player everytime..end of story. The only people who will tell you different are people who don't run fast!.

 

This is why I find the Notre Dame discussion going on right now quite interesting. Someone there linked to a very interesting opinion piece by Shek Borkowski, the former FC Indiana coach. Here's how it starts -

 

quickness is a great asset just like pure speed is a great asset..add skill to those and you have a winning combination. What I find humorus is when people get on here and act like speed and athleticism is some kind of detriment to the game. I've never heard a complaint about a good player being too fast.!

 

Your intent was excellent I didn't mean you, I like the style of play you are talking about and in my opinion a team like Stanford is a nice possession team that is fun to watch. But they are also an athletic, fast team too.When they played Portland a highly technical team they beat 4-2 they didn't out technical Portland. A team like UNC plays the style they play because it obviously works, their players are skilled enough to play any style soccer they want. They chose thier style because it works for them.

 

BEST POSSESION TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY:
Portland, UVA, FSU, Stanford, Santa Clara, Oregon State. (in no order)

Best kickball teams in the country:
UNC, the SEC, Wisconsin, BYU, Missouri.

Now take all of this with a grain of salt...if you like possesion in men's professional soccer you watch La Liga (Spain) and if you like a more direct game you watch the English Premier League. Both are entertaining and both get results...just like the group mentioned above.

 

The possession game at the college level has been slowly disappearing over the past 10 years. I think Stanford and Portland play it best at the time being, but fewer and fewer teams play this style and it's slightly depressing. UNC gets a bad rap about not being skillful - this might have been true 10 years ago, but the team has been far more technical/tactical than people give them credit for.

I don't blame the college coaches completely because the youth coaches of this country are the one ruining player development (and parents who think winning championships at u10 is important).

Too many college coaches are recruiting big & fast over small & skillful. If you don't think small can be successful I suggest you take a look at the Spanish men's team --- quite a few "small" players and last I checked they were pretty good.

Back to college... I've always felt the best possession teams played on the coasts (with the exception of Notre Dame) while the teams playing the middle of the country tended to be more direct, physical and long ball styles.

 

Indeed. UNC passes well (particularly close passing) and tends to rotate the ball around a lot more than many people credit them with doing. They never have only kicked it over the top, bypassing midfield like many of the critics seem to think.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Of all the teams in NCAA D1 women's soccer, these are the two who do it the best. Unfortunately, Portland got knocked out earlier than expected. They really play a great brand of possession soccer. Stanford does as well but with a bit more offensive punch at the moment.

Oregon State also impressed me with their ability to play fast, aggressive possession soccer.

 

Not all schools in the SEC play kickball. Florida at times would play possession to a fault, trying to make so many passes in the box as opposed to taking more shots. I often thought they wanted to hold the keepers hand while they shot it by her. They do play a pretty passing game though.

 

That's a fair point...Krikup has transformed them from the track team to a team with some ideas!

 

During recruitment, many coaches will say they play possession but what they really mean is they play for territorial advantage (like in Rugby). So though the ball spend a great deal of time in the opponents end of the field, the team with the territorial advantage did not possess it. You can spot the possession teams because the player making a run off the ball is the first option and receives the pass while in the territorial teams the first opton is to punt it into the oppositions end and then attempt to retrieve it. True possession soccer is hard to find but Stanford and a few other teams try to play it as it is the highest evolved form of the sport. It is the best way to defend (having the ball) and to attack and gives more consistent results then yarding the ball down the field in hopes of turning it into a scoring opportunity. The problem is that the team has to have an exceptionally high skill level especially the first touch, and the Coach has to have the discipline to lose will developing a winning possession based squad. Most NCAA coaches don't have this luxury so they do what they can to recruit racehorses to challenge everywhere on the field. Anyway, many coaches will tell the recruits they play possession because that is what they think the recruit wants to hear and the coach probably wishes it were true. If you have a chance, watch the prospective team play and watch if the players are ALWAYS in formation (like statues), and if the game looks like a ping pong match on grass or if they run off the ball and if it looks like the player that is running off the ball and obviously ready to receive the pass actually is used or bypassed, this includes passing the ball back to maintain it.
Good luck!!! It's a jungle out there in Recruitment Land and the best advice is to get a good education rather than concentrating solely on being a varsity athlete.

 

Add Wake Forest to the list of top possession teams. They, FSU and UVa have some quality games in ACC land.

 

I think all coaches like to think they play a possession style of soccer. It seems to me that the majority of them possess the ball in the defensive 1/3. They do not use their CM's enough. IMO this is possession with out a purpose. Let me qualify that statement. A team needs to poke and prod w/ the ball until the defense gives them an option, swinging the ball across the back line, and then sending it long to the flanks and crossing the ball, does not constitute possession. I personally would like to see the attack come from the Center of the pitch. I like players that are able to keep possession with the dribble and take what the defense gives them. More often than not, these players keep the ball for way to long. Knowing when to pass and when to dribble is a key component in successful possession soccer. Possession occurs by dribbling and passing.Teaching this does not fall on the College coaches. Our youth structure has got it wrong. Parents pushing the buttons at the youth level , is causing our game , the inability to grow. The win at all costs @ U-12 and below has got to disappear. Winning is not important at the younger ages. We need to focus on technical training 1st, then work in the principles of tactics, then add principles of attacking soccer. I tend to ramble, it is my A D D, please forgive me. We have too few creative players. I will take 10 Martas over 100 Abby Wambachs anyday. As to the SEC playing kickball, possibly, but take a look at the majority of The Big East, The Big10, The Big 12 and with the exception of 2 or 3 teams in the ACC. It is not pretty soccer, but it is effective in the women's college game, for the time being. Speed of the game does not mean hoof it up the pitch. It is the movement of players off the ball, and the movement of the ball. JMO Once again sorry for rambling.

 

Kannegiesser, Germans4Allies4, Crazy4socr...
You guys all make very valid points and I'd like to illustrate this point.

Anson is telling media, people, recruits, whoever will listen that last year’s Tarheel team played like Barcelona. This is a prime example. They look nothing like Barca in their playing style. UNC is skilled but chooses not to play a Barca style brand. Just because you can put together a combination does not mean that's a possession style.

 

How would you describe UNC's style of play?

I've spoken to a player who played against them this season and found it to be unique. Based on what she said, it didn't sound like they run a possession-oriented style.