First, read Sam Stejskal's excellent piece on Chicago's impressive turn around project.
In recent weeks though the Fire seem to have stalled a bit going 1-2-1 in July. In their loss to SKC on Saturday (7/29) they allowed a goal that I think is indicative of a more basic issue.
(If MLS didn't restrict it's video content you'd be seeing the clip of Latif Blessing netting a hockey-style goal by screening Lampson on a shot inside 8 yards. Instead, you have to click the link to watch the highlight.)
(If MLS didn't restrict it's video content you'd be seeing the clip of Latif Blessing netting a hockey-style goal by screening Lampson on a shot inside 8 yards. Instead, you have to click the link to watch the highlight.)
SKC hit a quick transition long ball, the right back, Polster, mis-hit the clearance and Sporting were inside in the penalty box.
On the numbers, it's a 4-on-4 attack, but Chicago struggles with defensive shape – their back four recover in fine time but are flat and deep; basically at the 12. Conversely, SKC's attacking players do well to keep their shape: offensive players on both posts, one out wide and one trailing.
As is often the case, it's the trailing player that creates the goal. The ball cycles backward, Chicago's deep flat line is broken by a through-ball, and SKC gets a quality uncontested shot from eight yards out.
On the numbers, it's a 4-on-4 attack, but Chicago struggles with defensive shape – their back four recover in fine time but are flat and deep; basically at the 12. Conversely, SKC's attacking players do well to keep their shape: offensive players on both posts, one out wide and one trailing.
As is often the case, it's the trailing player that creates the goal. The ball cycles backward, Chicago's deep flat line is broken by a through-ball, and SKC gets a quality uncontested shot from eight yards out.
But to grasp why this is an indicator of other issues you need to notice who isn't involved in the play. Schweinsteiger never makes it back. Dax enters the box in a quasi-attempt to tackle the ball away from Feilhaber but tracks back too late (and is pretty weak), Juninho gets back even later and basically fills meaningless space back post, but Schweinsteiger is M.I.A.
You can make a case that in this particular instance; while they're pushing the ball high and getting countered, Shweinsteiger doesn't have much of a chance to get back. And at this stage of his career he's certainly not a box-to-box midfielder.
Nonetheless, by playing a 4-3-3, there will be multiple situations each game in which any of the three midfielders has to drop into the de facto d-mid role. That's just the way 4-3-3 defensive rotations work, especially when––like Chicago does––the offense pushes high using long, speculative balls.
That said, Schweinsteiger was basically nonexistent as a defensive player. Here are his Opta defensive stops vs. SKC:
For context, here's Dax + Juninho:
And at this point, you might say, "well this why you pair Dax and Juninho with a late career Scheweinsteiger" and at some level that's right, but on another level, when they're up against good teams with attacking players who stay disciplined and in-shape on the break, it's only a matter of time before they get caught out without Dax or Juninho in the 6 hole or with only Dax or Juninho at the 6 and no one else in sight; which is how SKC scored in this sequence.
That's the long-term issue Chicago is going to face against quality teams and in the playoffs. I know the goals against number looks good now, but I'm skeptical––based on what I've seen over the month of July––about their ability to keep quality teams out of the net as the season stretches on.
