I got a screen grab showing the moment the pass was made. As much as I hate to admit, it wasn't even close. He was offside. Two of them actually.
Still, that play and the one where Kenwyne headed onto the cross-bar should be consistent options in the Warrior's offensive repertoire.
I have seen T&T score off similar plays under Hart. They are devastating because they come off runs from outside the box into open space in the box; they are tough to defend as they are usually the result of very few touches so there is practically no build up and the result are goals out of what looks like nothing.
Even if the defense goes with the man making the run, there's always the possibility of it being a dummy run.
This business of one attacker trying to get around multiple defenders on the ground stopped working when I played football and look how long ago that was. It died when marking space replaced man to man inside the box. Plus, T&T players can be notorious ball watchers when the man with the ball takes on multiple defenders. Yet, when they do try to help is like the man wid de ball does say, "doh worry, I have dis", and keep forcing his way. All a good defender has to do his guide him to a bad angle for a low percentage shot which Trinis seem to always take for some strange reason.
Enjoyed reading this (the entire post).
I haven't reviewed the second half yet, so I'll reserve comment on the offside situation ... but just finished reviewing the first half. It definitely provides a prologue for what happened next.
There's much to what you state. What I would like to read more about is the assertion regarding "marking space versus man to man inside the box" ...
Give us a follow-up?
Regardless of all the advancements, football is still a simple game: Get the ball in their net more often then they get it in ours. As long as your fundamentals are fairly sound and you don't have unforgivable mental lapses that is.
That said, I used the wrong term when I said
marking space. I should have said,
zone defense.
I think there's no better strategy for defending the penalty box, especially against better prepared opponents. It is best for blunting an opponent's dummy run, or run into open space or a pass into open space for a player to run into. I could be wrong since I am old fashioned that way and see things in football that I wonder who the hell thought that shit was a good idea? Like goalies in short short sleeves and gloves like they is Mutt or Jeff. But I digress.
Given similarities between how basketball players and footballers attack, zone defense, adapted for the nuances of football, works better than man to man, in the penalty box. Assign a defender to an area and give him or her the front door key to it.
Any reasonably knowledgable goalie hates to see a player in front of him not know if to chase a man all over the penalty box or stay put. Things happen quick in that box so while they in two minds, someone else gets the ball and the goalie becomes target practice.
When I was getting the ball out the back of my net, hearing the steups start and then,
". . .I tort you was pickin him up" and the denial with ". . . Me? Why me? He not your man? . . .", didn't help.
In my lil coaching I insisted defenders break off from man to man into zone as soon as the other team entered the penalty box. However, field awareness is not easily taught so I'd get hoarse during games.
I say it is still a valid strategy. Guard an area and stop anyone from coming through it without paying a toll of some sort. Let the other team come up with a plan: Unless football has its version of basketball's pick and roll.
Sorry about the confusion with the term I used cause I eh invent nuttin new. I bet the US team employs zone defense.
I might have tuh watch tuh see fuh sure.
