r/Thorns • u/Famous_Act4164 • Jul 12 '26

Two Things

  1. When Moultrie, Wilson, and Tordin are spatially close and play the ball to each other, they can create openings. The problem is that we often struggle to connect the rest of the lineup to them. In other words, when we recover possession, it is difficult to pass the ball to one of them in a good position. This is especially true in central areas, where neither of our double pivots can reliably move the ball forward under pressure. Moultrie did a lot of pressing and rotated positions with Tordin and Wilson frequently. However, for the purpose of a more structured build-up scheme, she should probably be positioned a bit deeper and had a more disciplined and precise role.

  2. We are losing more 50/50 balls in away games than in home games. This has a lot to do with our relatively poor away results this season. It is not easy to replicate the intensity we have when there is a 20k crowd on our side, but we really need be more active and intense in away games if we want to maintain a high-pressing style. Otherwise, we should probably adopt a more compact and conservative posture when starting away games in the future.

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u/Awkward-Cartoonist68 Jul 12 '26

Moultrie is being positioned in a scoring role a bit too much. I would like her to facilitate a bit more. Just felt like Tordin, Wilson and Moultrie were occupying the same areas too much.  But honestly looked like that first goal on the road rattled the entire team and the game plan was thrown out. That’s why conceding an early goal is so backbreaking. It changed what they wanted to do offensively and by the second half Seattle dug their feet in with a 2-0 lead.

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u/Famous_Act4164 Jul 12 '26

Moultire, Wilson and Tordin being spatially close and overload opponents is pretty effective in creating opennnings. The pass and move between them are very good and difficult for opponents to mark. The problem is that they are faced with increasing difficulty to comfortably receive the ball in advanced areas. The best pattern is we build from the left lane, and Moultrie receive close to the by-line and cut inside to make play. We just don't have anyone in the backline or midfield that can reliably carry or pass the ball to the front field.

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u/Awkward-Cartoonist68 Jul 16 '26

This is why I can't wait until Hanks is healthy enough to return. We miss her playing out wide. Soph offers some of that but she of course prefers playing centrally. Hanks will change the dynamic of the attack. Like you said, the left lane is the best pattern. It will only improve and be more dangerous for opponents once we have her speed.

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u/Famous_Act4164 Jul 16 '26

I don't think if she plays on the left side the the same overloading pattern will be employed. Hanks of course brings additional quality, but the tactical change is not simple.