NWSL Challenge Cup 2020: Houston Dash vs Utah Royals

The NWSL Challenge Cup 2020 moved into the quarter-final stages last weekend with some big names on display and even more surprising results. The most shocking result was Portland Thorns besting North Carolina Courage in a 1-0 scoreline, however, the focus of our tactical analysis is the other quarter-final between Utah Royals and Houston Dash. The game was lively throughout in terms of duels and ultimately needed penalties to decide a winner. Their previous encounter in the tournament saw them put on one of the most exciting matches with a 3-3 draw. We’ll look at the tactics that both head coaches applied to win the game in this tactical analysis.

Lineups

Craig Harrington continued with his three defender formation that has got the Royals so far, playing with wing-backs as their primary source of width. Kelley O’Hara made a return to the starting lineup adding experience and attacking threat down Utah Royals’ right flank. Houston Dash opted for a 4-3-2-1 system where they would once again rely on Rachel Daly as their primary outlet up front. Both teams had some good attacking players but relied on defensive stability as their core fundamentals to not give away unnecessary space. On the basis of their previous encounter in the tournament, this would have been playing on the minds of both managers.

Houston Dash: discipline & compactness

Houston Dash’s defensive structure was the core fundamental tactic they based their game plan around. Stopping Veronica Boquete and Amy Rodriguez was critical to their defensive success and Sophie Schmidt was integral to their operation. Screening the front of their back four and stopping the ‘10’ was key by not allowing Vero to have the sort of freedom she typically is able to find as the primary playmaker. If we look at Dash’s average positions map (further below) you notice Schmidt (#13) is situated in front of the two central defenders and maintained her position whilst the other two midfielders pushed up slightly. Clarksons ideas are similar to that of Atletico Madrids Diego Simeone, specifically, the ideas he would regularly employ against more dominant sides in LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League.