Sacramento at Colorado: Tactical Analysis - A Classic Republic Win
09/20: Sacramento’s line up, the good, the bad, and what stood out
The Lineup:
Welcome back to Quail City Soccer’s Tactical Analysis! After work commitments kept me from getting an article out last week when Republic fell apart late against Phoenix, this week’s Republic match made my job much easier when they picked up a 2-0 win over Colorado. This match was a perfect example of a classic Republic win under Neill Collins’ system—low possession, two goals on the counter, and a clean sheet. Even better, Sacramento did this with a somewhat rotated squad, with three typical starters out. While Khori Bennett was a known absence due to the double yellow/red he picked up last week against Phoenix, the club has been fairly tight-lipped about injuries to both Sebastián Herrera (hasn’t played since September 6th) and Jared Timmer (hasn’t played since August 20th).
To make matters worse, sources have informed Quail City Soccer that Timmer will likely undergo season-ending surgery. Additionally, Parano was forced off in the 39th minute of this match, further complicating things as the Quails march towards the playoffs. Needless to say, this is not ideal. Players needed to step up and step up they did.
Djedje has stepped up into Timmer’s role at right center back, and is averaging a 6.98 over the last five games. With Cicerone being moved from the wing to the front to cover for Bennett, both Willey and Jamieson stepped into the left wing role, with Jamieson notably coming off the bench and notching a goal and an assist in just 32 minutes. And with Parano going out injured, Felipe stepped into the midfield and pushed Roro up to the right wing mid-game. Despite all these changes, both to the starting XI and mid-game, Republic looked like a cohesive unit throughout. The most noticeable tactical adjustment was just how narrow they played compared to usual; just look at Sacramento’s (left) heat map versus Colorado’s (right):
I think this is the most narrow we’ve seen Republic play all season—but Colorado is spread so wide that it works really well, especially for the counter attack sort of play we’ve come to expect.
The Good:
Collins’ Tactics On Display
This match was probably the best display of Collins tactics that we have seen all season. Republic held just 43.4% possession, had almost half the number of touches inside the opponents box, and had nearly 100 fewer passes. Despite that, they had more shots, double the xG, and won 2-0. Exactly how Sacramento want to play every week.
Vitiello’s Athletics
All that being said, this game is probably a draw if Vitiello doesn’t make two extremely strong and athletic saves. On the first one, the Colorado player takes a great touch to put a strong shot on target:
The first save is a good save from that close, especially with how much pace is on the ball; the follow up play of pushing the ball away is what really saves the goal, and Vitiello draws the foul to boot.
His second save is right at the end of the game and keeps Colorado from getting back into it:
This is one of those saves that looks simple if you’re not a goalkeeper, but reading the shot and getting down that quickly on a point blank shot, without allowing a rebound, is not easy. Sometimes, it’s not the glamorous stuff that saves a game.
Quick Counter Goals
All three times (yes, three) that Republic hit the back of the net came from periods where they didn’t hold possession. Both allowed goals came from quick counters— while they played out a bit longer than those six second goals we’ve talked about all season, the same principle applies. Look at how Republic counter in Jamieson’s goal:
Republic take possession after a missed Colorado header, Gurr makes the run all the way up from his defensive position, and Jamieson takes a lovely touch and then smashes it home to finish the sequence. It’s perfect, despite only six total touches in the entire play, and it’s exactly how Sacramento wants to catch the opposing side napping.
Things play out very similarly in Cicerone’s goal:
It’s a long counter ball over the top, a great first touch, and then Jamieson and Cicerone are off to the races. Jamieson plays a perfect one-tap ball, which is so often misplayed at the USL level, and Cicerone is just too quick for Colorado’s defenders.
Republic also hit the net earlier in the match, on a disallowed goal off a corner:
Unfortunately, Cicerone is just offside, but this is a good sign; Republic actually haven’t scored a single corner goal all season. If they can find a way to make corners work for them heading into the playoffs, they’ll be in even better shape. A Cicerone looked really good on the header; even if he’s a step offside, just having the finishing touch here is a good sign down the stretch.
The Bad:
Dangerous Play From The Back
Other than the two dangerous allowed shots that Vitiello saved that were covered above, Republic only struggled in one other place: playing out from the back. On a few occasions, dangerous and unnecessary giveaways caused the backline to be under immediate pressure that they were out of position to deal with. Look how dangerous one misplaced pass is here in the 55th minute:
Colorado is pushing far enough into Sacramento’s side that winning the ball gives them an instant chance on goal. Fortunately, the shot gets dragged wide, but this is a very different game if it’s on frame, as Vitiello was not going to be able to get to this one. It happens again late in the game too, when poor play around a throw-in to Republic’s own half causes major issues:
This is one of the saves that Vitiello had that we highlighted earlier, but he shouldn’t have had to make it. This is purely the result of tired legs and poor decisions, a recipe that has caused Republic to lose so many points late in games this season. While they come out on the better side of things here, these are the chances that can end playoff runs.
Parano Injured?
Collins was forced to make a sub late in the first half to remove Parano from the game due to injury. While the details of the injury have not been announced by the club, Parano being out for any length of time doesn’t help Republic’s injury situation. If he is out for an extended period, expect to see Roro take over on the right wing while Willey and Ross start in the midfield.
What Stood Out:
This was a confidence boosting win. The Quails played how they wanted despite injuries and rotation and beat the defending champs on their own turf. Even better, Tulsa dropped points this week to Oakland, meaning the three points here moves Republic tantalizingly closer to first in the West. Even if Republic can’t catch Tulsa, which is not entirely in their hands, they still hold on to second place by five points, enough to still be comfortable if they drop a few points down this final stretch.
Republic has six games remaining, and their “magic number” to clinch a playoff spot now sits at seven. The magic number is the total number of points Republic need to go their way to clinch—that seven points can be a combination of points Republic earns and points that the teams behind them drop. Their magic number to guarantee a second-place finish is only 14; that alone shows how tight the playoff race is behind them.
There is still work to be done and Republic can’t coast out these final six games. They’re going to need to have resilience, especially if Herrera and now Parano are going to be out injured for any length of time. But the team’s mentality is there—as Jack Gurr stated post-match:
“The feeling on the team is that we’re all together. We were disappointed with last week, but every time we’ve seemed to have a disappointment or a little bit of an off week, we’ve come back and bounced back really positively. It’s something that comes from the top down, from the staff. We talk a lot about the indomitable spirit and togetherness, and that’s what we want to represent as a club. And that’s exactly what we showed tonight.”