“Often lacked the final punch”: Why OL Reign can be positive about 2022 despite a mediocre start – tactical analysis

The 2022 NWSL regular season is now nine rounds old, which means that we have had a good opportunity to assess each of the 12 teams and see which could struggle this year and which will likely compete for the Championship. One team currently in the top six but underperforming by their usually high standards is OL Reign, with the Seattle-based side registering just two wins from their first eight matches of the season, although four of the other six have been draws.

This tactical analysis will take a closer look at their attacking and defensive tactics, picking out what has so far been letting them down. As well as pointing out the negatives, the analysis will also highlight the parts of their performances that have been positive, giving them something to build on as they look to kickstart their season into life.

Attack

OL Reign’s favoured formation has generally been a 4-2-3-1 under former Arsenal Women boss Laura Harvey, with a single striker supported by two wingers and a creative playmaker. This setup has allowed OL to get players up the wings and stretch out their attacks, ensuring that the attacking midfielder has forward passing options around the pitch and enabling them to create chances behind their opponents defensive line.

However, at times this season, they have lacked a decisiveness when moving the ball around the pitch, meaning that chances have not been taken and defenders have been able to protect their goal with more ease. As was noted in a pre-season preview, they have “often lacked the final punch” to finish moves off. Here, Brazil midfielder Angelina has Veronika Latsko and Megan Rapinoe as options on either side of her, with Latsko in the better position due to the traffic currently between the ball and Rapinoe. However, she takes neither option and instead hesitates with the ball, meaning that the San Diego Wave defenders have time to team up and force Angelina to shoot through their legs, taking the pace off her shot and giving Canada goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan a simple save.

To improve this, they simply need to make better decisions and not keep hold of the ball longer than is necessary, as a quicker ball from Angelina here would have given Latsko or Rapinoe a strong chance of scoring. However, we have seen plenty of mistimed passes and long-distance shots from them this season, so more quality with the ball in the final third and a better awareness of their surroundings will definitely help them to improve.