Sam Kerr 2018/19 – scout report

“When I first changed to football it wasn’t exciting for me, I was taken away from something I loved, and that sucked.” – Sam Kerr

In a world where elite female footballers have started to stand out, it is a surprise to see a startling admission from one of the world’s leading strikers. A Ballon d’Or nominee and golden boot winner across two continents, Sam Kerr has been on top the game for several seasons and her rise has been nothing but spectacular. After playing AFL football and switching to football in her early teens, Kerr never envisioned herself playing at the highest level but making her international debut at the age of 15 persuaded her to continue taking it seriously. Even after back to back injuries that almost ruled her out of the 2015 World Cup, Kerr showed incredible resilience to come back strong.

After a stunning World Cup, Kerr returns to the National Women’s Soccer League for the Chicago Red Stars looking to propel them to the top four. The Chicago club currently sits sixth, five points behind league leaders North Carolina Courage.

With a crunch clash against North Carolina coming up on Monday, the Red Stars will need Kerr firing on all cylinders to claim all three points. This scout report and tactical analysis aims to bring a deeper understanding of Kerr’s style of play and what we can expect from her for the rest of the season.

Sam Kerr – Playstyle

Sam Kerr is a 25-year-old striker that plies her trade in the United States for the Chicago Red Stars and Perth Glory in the A League. Kerr has been the top scorer in the NWSL for the past two seasons scoring a combined 33 goals and currently leads the charts with nine. She became the NWSLs record all-time goal scorer and the first player in its history to score four times in one game en route to claiming the competitions 2017 Golden Boot and MVP Award.

Kerr is a predator in the penalty area who is characterised by her exceptional lethality and positioning. The Australian forward excels in one v one situations often getting the better of goalkeepers when through on goal. Although she is a traditional number nine, Kerr’s preference to drop deep into midfield and link up play creates space for her team. This drags players out of position allowing her teammates to exploit the spaces in behind.

Golden girl  Goals

Kerr is an elite level striker to primarily score goals. The modern number nine has seen their roles differ under different tactics. Some are tasked to hold up play whilst others are asked to create space for more clinical attackers. Kerr can do it all. She has the ability to create space, hold up play, and most importantly score a plethora of goals.

The best way to characterise Kerr’s role is that of a deep-lying, complete centre-forward. This type of forward is an archetype of an all-round goal-scoring striker. She is often seen dropping into midfield, laying off possession to her midfield whilst the wingers are seen running in behind the opposition full-backs. While we will explore her link-up play in more detail later on, it plays an important part in the build-up that places her in excellent goal-scoring positions.

Kerr’s balance, positioning, and timing is a hallmark of her style of play. She times her runs to perfection giving the last defender no chance as she powers through towards goal. As the sequence of play above suggests, Kerr is positioned on the shoulder of the defensive line between the two centre-backs.

As possession is won back in midfield, the Australian striker drops slightly to gain an extra yard of space to run off of. As the ball is played through, Kerr races through the two defenders who are seemingly unaware of Kerr’s quick movement into the penalty area. Eventually, she is faced within a one v one against the Houston Dash goalkeeper who she successfully rounds and scores.

Not only is Kerr an expert dribbler but the Chicago Red Stars forward is equally proficient aerially. Standing at 5’6, Kerr isn’t an obvious aerial threat, however, her smart movement and positioning inside the penalty area allows her to gain traction over her markers and score headed goals. The following phase of play is an excellent example that combines her intelligent movement and heading ability.