It's finally over.
Out with the preseason and in with meaningful matches. And don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily dislike the preseason. It's nice having a chance to sort of ease into things. But when you have to try and glean a bit of insight from a match when a) you're not really sure who's fit and who isn't and b) you're definitely not sure who's holding back for the regular season and who's coasting, then preseason begins to wear on you a bit.
- LAFC 1-0 Vancouver Whitecaps
- 13' LAFC - Carlos Vela | WATCH
That will no longer be a problem as of right now. Because with LAFC's 1-0 win over Vancouver on Saturday at Banc of California Stadium, the 2019 preseason is officially over.
Here are the final takeaways for the 2019 preseason:
Let's All Play Together
Bob Bradley put out a trio of Mark-Anthony Kaye, Eduard Atuesta, and Lee Nguyen from the start against Vancouver. And I thought they were good individually, but excellent as a unit.
The three midfielders owned the center of the pitch. In possession, they found ways to combine with each other, helping LAFC move up the pitch collectively. Out of possession, they filled gaps nicely and kept their shape. Vancouver really didn't get on the ball at all in midfield in the first half.
When the midfield trio supports and balances each other like that, LAFC controls matches. It didn't result in a slew of goals on Saturday, but at least it kept the Whitecaps from finding any real penetration when LAFC transitioned to defense after a turnover or when possession broke down. For me, keeping track of how LAFC reacted when they were high up the pitch and the ball was lost was an area of focus. In the final preseason match, LAFC's midfield shape was the best it's been all preseason.
Christian Turns Provider
Another player that had his best performance of the preseason against Vancouver was Christian Ramirez. He didn't score but he made a conscious effort to do all the other things that can make a striker valuable in Bob Bradley's system.
Ramirez was a constant source of pressure for the Vancouver defense. During the buildup, he forced the Vancouver center backs to look to the wide areas to initiate play. The striker clearly made a conscious effort positionally to defend the middle of the pitch. And when possession was lost, he was quick to counterpress.
The highlight of the night, of course, was his assist to Carlos Vela for the lone goal of the night. The game-winning assist is valuable in and of itself, but it was the manner in which it came that was promising for Ramirez going forward.
Ramirez dropped off his marker and with his back to goal received a pass from Eduard Atuesta. The initial ball wasn't the tidiest, but Ramirez collected it with his instep and in one motion turned before quickly moving the ball along to Carlos Vela with his opposite foot. Technically, it was perfect. And from the standpoint of what was needed in the moment, it was again on point.
If Ramirez can continue to add those moments in attack, he can be counted on to provide so much more to LAFC's attack than just goals. Don't get me wrong, you want your center forward scoring. But if he can be a part of attacks even when he isn't, he's so much more valuable.
Around The Edges
One of the characteristics Bob Bradley mentioned postmatch about Vancouver was the narrow shape they had in defense. They made it difficult for LAFC to find those avenues to goal inside the width of the penalty area. Which in the end, probably was why LAFC was unable to find a second goal on a few occasions.
In my mind, I thought LAFC could have attempted to use its width to get behind the Vancouver backline. With the wide attackers LAFC possesses, one of the things they do well to put teams under pressure is send balls from central areas into space for an attacker to come off the touchline behind the defense and then cut across goal first time for a tap in. When you get into those areas, even at the edge of the opposition's penalty area, you can make a lot happen. Teams don't like to defend facing their own goal. And maybe on the night, Vancouver just had too many bodies in the box centrally for LAFC to engineer a tap in. But if that is the case, you can still find some success cutting the ball back to a late runner from midfield.
The runs were there on a few occasions from the likes of Mark-Anthony Kaye and Lee Nguyen, even Eduard Atuesta got forward in support, but on the night LAFC was unable to connect the final killer pass.
Bring On The Start Of The Season
All things considered, the 1-0 victory is a good way to cap the preseason. LAFC dominated when it came to meaningful possession and held Vancouver without a shot on goal. There were few if any moments where LAFC looked in complete disarray or defending for its life. For the most part, the team was balanced and more than competent defending the Whitecaps.
After scoring his fourth goal of the preseason, Carlos Vela did suffer a slight knock and had to come off. Without a doubt, that is a concern. But at this stage, Bob Bradley could only say that Vela felt some soreness in his right knee and the rest was too soon to tell. Not the best news, but also, not the worst.
Either way, we're now only a week away from LAFC hosting its first regular season match of 2019. And I can't wait.
