NWSL 2020: Portland Thorns vs OL Reign

The NWSL Challenge Cup brought us a Cascadia rivalry game between heated opponents Portland Thorns and OL Reign. The contention between these teams is well documented and is known to give way to sold-out stadiums and exciting score lines. Analysis shows us that Thorns entered the match with an aggressive approach to their out of possession tactics, while Reign sought to patiently build and progress possession out of the back. This tactical analysis will look at exactly it all played out.

Lineups

OL Reign (4-1-4-1): Betos, Cox, Brooks, Barnes, Jiménez, Long, Huerta, Weatherholt, Quinn, Balcer, Taylor.

Portland Thorns (4-3-3): Geist, Westphal, Reynolds, Hubly, Klingenberg, Salem, Rodriguez, Boureille, Weaver, Sinclair, Charley.

Portland: aggressive pressing

Portland enacted an aggressive approach when out of possession. When considering that Thorns had the highest ball recovery rate in the attacking third of the pitch in the 2019 campaign (19%) this does not come as a shock.

Thorns aimed to force play to the flanks where they could use the sideline as an additional wall of pressure and therefore aid in restricting attacking space for Reign. Portland were able to do this at times while having fewer players in the immediate area than Reign. This was done through the combination of high pressure on the ball carrier while using cover shadows to take away additional passing options. By effectively pressing with an underload, Portland were able to apply effective pressure without sacrificing positioning in other areas of the pitch.

Additionally, Thorns were able to quickly shift horizontally when Reign sought to switch the point of attack. The Thorns defensive shape would travel with the ball and arrive in Reigns new platform of attack as the ball arrived.

We can see below a moment in which Thorns were able to press Reign out of their left flank and into a ball loss on the opposite flank. Portland right-wing, Simone Charley, directly pressures Reign centreback, Lauren Barnes. As Charley moves towards Barnes, she positions herself in the passing lane between Barnes and Reign left-back Stephanie Cox.

We can see that Reign have no reasonable forward or horizontal options in this moment. We also see that Thorns are negating any Reign progression with an underload of three players versus five.

As the ball is released backwards to Reign goalkeeper Michelle Betos, the Thorns unit shifts horizontally to reposition themselves centrally. In the image below we see that Thorns left-wing Morgan Weaver has read the goalkeepers eyes and sees that the pass will soon be sent to the Reign right flank. Additionally, Charley has kept the intensity of her pressure and is bearing down on the goalkeeper, creating a time constraint for the passing player.