Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Photos
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There was a small however vital second early within the first half of the Orlando Satisfaction’s Nationwide Ladies’s Soccer League semifinal match in opposition to the Kansas Metropolis Present. The Present gained the ball and reset their buildup on the midway line with their middle backs. Claire Hutton dropped deep to supply a passing choice, however upon receipt of the ball, shortly handed it again to Kayla Sharples. The sequence in the end concludes with a ball excessive that Orlando proper again Cori Dyke intercepts.
The backwards cross from Hutton to Sharples might not even register when watching the sport reside, nevertheless it serves as a key instance of Orlando’s defensive strategy all season. Neither Marta nor Barbra Banda press the backline, regardless of their excessive place. Neither striker instantly presses Hutton when she receives the ball. You wouldn’t catch Gotham or Kansas Metropolis defending so “passively” (quotes intentional). And but, the Satisfaction gained the Defend and can vie for a trophy within the NWSL Championship on Saturday.
No person conceded fewer targets than the Satisfaction and Gotham this season, and but every had radical variations in how they approached out-of-possession ways. No playoff semifinalist allowed extra high quality offense within the attacking third and attacking half, respectively, as Orlando did all year long. Solely the Chicago Crimson Stars made fewer on-ball defensive actions within the attacking half amongst all eight playoff groups.
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