D.C. United occupy 13th in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, having accumulated 26 points from 25 matches, reflecting statistically poor performance in a forgettable season.
On the defensive front, the stats are considered catastrophic, as D.C. United rank as the third-worst defensive line in Major League Soccer, conceding 50 goals after SJ Earthquakes and Sporting KC, whove conceded 61 and 52, respectively.
On the offensive side, their performance is relatively better, leaning towards average, having scored 35 so far.
However, a glimmer of hope emerges at the end of the tunnel, as their distinction lies in their offensive set-piece prowess.
They are considered one of the top teams in MLS in terms of attacking set-pieces, achieving an expected goals (xG) of 14.04 from set-pieces.
Head coach Troy Lesesne heavily relies on their standout striker, Christian Benteke, who excels in heading and aerial duels, as their primary target for direct scoring or assisting with headed passes to teammates.
Exploiting Christian Benteke
As we have mentioned, they hugely depend on Christian Benteke as the targeted player, but what is their way to merge his ability in aerial duels?
They prefer to target the far post and even the area after it because it is usually less crowded with zonal defenders while making a good trick to give him an advantage over his marker.
Lets see that in detail!
As shown below, the opponent defends with four zonal defenders, five man markers and a player on the edge of the box.
As the taker moves, movements begin:
1- A player tries to drag the last zonal defender, making him shift a little toward the near post to make the targeted area more empty.
2—Two players in the green move toward the near post in fake movements to drag their markers with them and also to make the first zonal defenders step forward, which may help in the desired shifting of the zonal line.
Here, we reach the most important point: how Benteke escapes from his marker.
He starts on the near post and then turns around to go to the far post, but why?
Doing that giv
