Interesting from Araos:
To strike the right balance of containing the Crew while pursuing a road goal, The Pigeons need strong two-way play from their wingers. Jack Harrison and Rodney Wallace are probably going to get the nod on Tuesday and have had successes and struggles in defending and attacking over the season. Both will be responsible for preventing Columbus’ fullbacks, Hector Jimenez and Harrison Afful, from supporting the midfield and joining the attack. If Jimenez and Afful are able to do so, the Crew are not only going to be able to better retain possession in advanced positions but will be able to stretch City’s defense and create space for playmaker Federico Higuaín to drift into and craft opportunities on goal.
Although much of their work in keeping Jimenez and Afful contained will take place behind the ball, Harrison and Wallace have to take them on when they are in possession for City to truly nullify Columbus. Although he was the team’s second-leading scorer, Harrison only has two goals since the beginning of July while Wallace has not scored since May. A look at data from American Soccer Analysis shows, Harrison outscored his expected goals (xGD 3.62) by almost as much as Wallace underscored his (xGD -3.98) which would suggest that their combined 14 goals is a pretty fair reflection of their performance this season.
Harrison and Wallace are also a mixed bag when it comes to their ability to successfully dribble at defenders. According to WhoScored, Harrison averages almost as many successful dribbles per game as David Villa while Wallace averages as many as Khiry Shelton. Fortunately for them, neither Jimenez nor Afful are exceptionally guardian defenders. So even if there’s no guarantee that Harrison or Wallace will create a goal from taking their defenders on, chances are they can have enough success with it to keep them honest.
Fucking yikes, Rodney.
To strike the right balance of containing the Crew while pursuing a road goal, The Pigeons need strong two-way play from their wingers. Jack Harrison and Rodney Wallace are probably going to get the nod on Tuesday and have had successes and struggles in defending and attacking over the season. Both will be responsible for preventing Columbus’ fullbacks, Hector Jimenez and Harrison Afful, from supporting the midfield and joining the attack. If Jimenez and Afful are able to do so, the Crew are not only going to be able to better retain possession in advanced positions but will be able to stretch City’s defense and create space for playmaker Federico Higuaín to drift into and craft opportunities on goal.
Although much of their work in keeping Jimenez and Afful contained will take place behind the ball, Harrison and Wallace have to take them on when they are in possession for City to truly nullify Columbus. Although he was the team’s second-leading scorer, Harrison only has two goals since the beginning of July while Wallace has not scored since May. A look at data from American Soccer Analysis shows, Harrison outscored his expected goals (xGD 3.62) by almost as much as Wallace underscored his (xGD -3.98) which would suggest that their combined 14 goals is a pretty fair reflection of their performance this season.
Harrison and Wallace are also a mixed bag when it comes to their ability to successfully dribble at defenders. According to WhoScored, Harrison averages almost as many successful dribbles per game as David Villa while Wallace averages as many as Khiry Shelton. Fortunately for them, neither Jimenez nor Afful are exceptionally guardian defenders. So even if there’s no guarantee that Harrison or Wallace will create a goal from taking their defenders on, chances are they can have enough success with it to keep them honest.
Fucking yikes, Rodney.
