Lindsey Horan is a name that is well known to those familiar with the American women’s soccer landscape. She aided the USA in a dominant 2019 Womens World Cup title run and has won silverware with multiple club teams as well. In this scout report, we will look into some of the qualities that allow Horan to create such an impact on every team she plays for. Through analysis, we can see that her individual ability is at a high enough level that she is able to positively affect both attacking and defensive tactics for her teammates. This tactical analysis will look at exactly how she does it.
Background
Horan was born in 1994 in Golden Colorado (a few miles west of Denver). By the time she was 13 years old, she had already been recruited into the ranks of youth club, Colorado Rush. With Rush, she made an immediate impact and quickly began to draw attention from across the country. Upon graduating high school, Horan was offered a scholarship to play for the University of North Carolina, who was and is currently coached by World Cup-winning and 21 time NCAA title-winning Anson Dorrance.
Horan decided to take her talents and development abroad and instead signed with Paris Saint-Germain in 2012. There, playing as a forward, she scored 46 goals in 58 appearances. In her time with the club, she helped PSG to a UEFA Champions League final win in 2015. Within a year, Horan chose to return to the United States and joined former PSG teammate Tobin Heath with the Portland Thorns. Horan was soon converted to a central midfielder (a role she also played with the USWNT).
With Thorns, Horan experienced another streak of success. She led the Thorns to a championship in 2017 over North Carolina Courage by scoring the lone goal of the match. In 2018 she was named the MVP of the NWSL.
For her country, Horan was first called to the USWNT U-17 squad at age 15. She quickly made an impact and by age 18 she was called into the senior squad. Horan was a robust presence in the United States midfield unit that saw her win her first World Cup.
Aerial ability
Horan ranks third in the NWSL in aerial duels with 9.95 per 90 minutes along with a 60% success rate (second in the league). Her aerial ability is particularly useful for the Portland Thorns, due to their typically aggressive press when out of possession.
Thorns have the second-highest press in the league with an average PPDA of 9.95 per 90 minutes. This leads Thorns to recover the ball in the attacking third of the pitch a league-leading 19% of the time.
When teams are faced against a high press, the use of long balls over the opposing press tends to be increased in usage. Horan’s aerial ability allow Thorns to press high and remain comfortable knowing they have her lurking in the midfield to win aerial balls.
Horan can be found excelling in aerial duels when she is positioned both in front of and behind her direct opponent. She has the spatial awareness to line up in an optimal location and position herself to claim important space before the ball arrives. If the opponent is in front of her, as the ball arrives she tends to lower her centre of gravity and keep her opponent at bay with her arms (without fouling).
If the opponent is behind her she likes to arrive near the ball and initiate a jump before the opponent can (literally) gain the upper hand. By jumping first and opening one’s arms, a player can create a sort of block against nearby opponents who also jump. If the opposition jumps as well, they will jump into the arms of the first player will not rise any higher. Sometimes the jump of an opponent into the first players outspread arms can also push the first player higher into the air.
Below, we can see a few examples of Horan executing her aerial technique. In a match vs Seattle Reign (now OL Reign) a long ball from the keeper has been executed. Horan quickly assesses where the ball is travelling and moves to the ball’s destination. Her direct opponent attempts to back into Horan’s space to win the ball.
As we can see, Horan has lowered her hips and therefore her centre of gravity. This movement along with the outstretching of her left arm and elbow allows Horan to “box out” the Reign midfielder. The ball arrives and Horan is able to win the header with little interference from her opponent.
When an aerial ball is arriving and Horan is in front of her direct opponent she takes a different approach. Instead of moving to the space of arrival immediately, she moves a couple of metres away to leave the space vacant. Her positioning tends to draw the opponent towards her as both players prepare to win the header.
