April 01, 2016
Kevin Kinkead/for PhillyVoice
The Union look to make it three straight victories Saturday in Chicago.
It's been 12 days since the Union last played, which seems like an eternity, especially after a great win.
Jim Curtin's team goes for three straight wins this weekend, which hasn't happened since September of 2014.
The manager will have a few more options in the midfield, depending on the health of Tranquillo Barnetta and Vincent Nogueira. I don't think either player will start, especially on the road, but both guys could end up on the bench at Toyota Stadium.
Four games in, there's no real reason to break up a formation that's working.That shape features the Warren Creavalle and Brian Carroll double pivot. It uses Creavalle in the 8 spot to prowl the midfield and disrupt opponent passing lanes and rhythm.
In the near future, when Nogueira is healthy, you might see him come back in the 8 spot, with Creavalle moving slightly back to Carroll's spot. That idea is illustrated in the graphic.
Jim Curtin was asked this week whether Creavalle can be effective in that number 6 role:
"I think so. I think he is, again, his skillset is winning balls and connecting," Curtin said on Wednesday. "He has the fast twitch muscles to get out of really tight spaces and make good decisions on the ball. I think he likes the freedom, I think the 8 has a little more freedom to run and press, just because there’s always one extra guy behind you, so you can take a little more risk. So, you know, we’ll weigh that. (Brian Carroll) has been playing very well in training and in the games. Again, every time another year goes by you forget how…I think he’s getting smarter and seeing things earlier - Brian Carroll that is - and does a good job of dictating and telling Warren where to go. But, yeah, Warren is capable, we’ve trained him in the 6 role a bunch, so, he's more than comfortable to do that. But, we’ll make a decision as to what’s best for the weekend, though."
Elsewhere in the midfield, you've got five or six guys who can fill any of the front three spots. Ilsinho on the right and Chris Pontius on the left makes the most sense, with Roland Alberg or Barnetta playing in the CAM role. Even then, you've got capable guys like Sebastien Le Toux and Leo Fernandes on the bench.
There's a lot of talk about the Chicago Fire's fancy new formation, but there's nothing fancy about it. It's a 3-5-2. The graphics used by the team are somewhat goofy and misleading. It's a standard shape with wingbacks who cover the flank space on either side of the field.
This was how the Fire started in the scoreless draw with Columbus:
Here's today's #cf97 Starting XI and bench presented by @UIHealth. Kickoff at 4pm CT on @CSNChicago Plus. #CHIvCLB pic.twitter.com/3vSVJf7Q5t
— Chicago Fire (@ChicagoFire) March 19, 2016
It's pointless to debate whether it's a "3-5-2" or a "5-3-2" because there's no real difference in the modern game. The movement of the wingbacks in this shape is extremely fluid. One moment, you're defending. In another moment, you're bombing forward. The defense shifts from the three to the five throughout the course of the game.
The first time Chicago tried this shape was the road draw in Orlando. They had an early sending off in that one, so there wasn't much of a sample size to see the formation in action. They kept with it in their most recent match, and couldn't find a goal, but they did earn a clean sheet against a very good Columbus team. It feels like they understand the defensive concepts of the shape, but need to learn how to attack from it. It's not an easy system to learn, especially when you have a lot of new players on the roster.
The biggest concern for Chicago is the absence of David Accam, who has apparently been ruled out of Saturday's game. The Ghana forward is probably the fastest player in the league and torched Philly for a couple of goals in a February preseason game. He is, by far, Chicago's best player.
One of the keys to the maturation of young center halves is their ability to pass out of the back.
The concept is really simple; if you keep the ball on the ground and move it between the lines, you win the possession battle and probably create more chances going forward.
Ken Tribbett and Richie Marquez have done a good job this year of cutting down on the long balls and "hoofed" clearances. They're playing more high-percentage, short range passes to guys like Brian Carroll, Fabinho, and Keegan Rosenberry.
Take a look at their combined passing chart from last Sunday's win:
Most of their passes were shorter and smarter, and really helped build the attack from the back. By my count, Marquez went 25 for 33 (76%) in passing and Tribbett was 44 for 55 (80%) on the afternoon. There's certainly room for improvement, but conceptually, they both seem to be buying into the idea of valuing the ball and attemping to get it to the feet of the playmakers.
