The rope-a-dope is effective. It’s dangerous, difficult, and a bit silly to watch, but never forget that the rope-a-dope is effective. And if you don’t believe me, just ask any of the opponents Vancouver Whitecaps rope-a-doped with their deep defensive shape and sudden breaks during a six match unbeaten streak. The oft-forgotten part of the rope-a-dope is that you cannot just lull your opponent into a weary, false sense of security — you also need to deliver that knockout blow.
And Vancouver has a quartet of players capable of turning out your lights in a hurry. So why didn’t the Whitecaps’ bunker-and-bust-out strategy work against Philadelphia Union? And, more specifically, what did the Union do to stop it?
Do it to Davies
Perhaps my favorite play of the match came less than thirty seconds in. After a battle in the center, Vancouver found Superman’s long lost son, Alphonso Davies, in space on the right, and he reached into his bag of tricks for a deft spinning flick around Keegan Rosenberry. Like a true streetball bully, Rosenberry shoved him to the turf.
There are two possible timelines after this play: First, Rosenberry could lose confidence, worried that Davies is going to have the goods on him all match (see Shea, Brek in the same match for an example of how this plays out). Second, Rosenberry and the rest of the Union could shake off a rough start and double down on playing Davies the right way. That means taking away his space before he has a chance to pull off his audacious magic.
Union fans got the timeline they needed.
As Orlando City found out, stopping Davies is not a one-man job.
It’s hard to see what exactly went wrong here, but a wide angle view gives more information. Orlando’s midfield was pulled into the center while Will Johnson, the right fullback, drifted deep into what could charitably called a covering role, but is really just, well, drifting.
The teenaged Canadian winger could have built a DIY yellow brick road back to his house from the stadium with all the yellow card tackles he caused in this match. But the Union were ready for him. In the clip below, watch Ale Bedoya track Davies once Vancouver has the ball. Specifically, look at how he manages the space between himself and his mark, holding onto space in the center until the Whitecaps are pushed wide, then he closes tighter.
The Union captain’s management of that advanced half-space was crucial to the team’s success. Warren Creavalle can cover ground like a human tarp, but Philly is more effective when he can remain in the center of the pitch. Additionally, if Creavalle is pulled high, it exposes the Union’s center backs, and this is especially dangerous with the underrated Yordy Reyna as a second striker. Reyna can operate on either wing, and when he plays through the middle, he treats the position as though he were a winger, looking to collect the ball, turn, and run at defenders to draw them in so he can create holes on the wings for his lightning-fast teammates. This tactic is made possible by Vancouver’s extremely deep defensive block, which opens enormous spaces for Reyna to slip into so he can collect the ball without a man up his back.
By keeping the half-space locked down, Bedoya allowed Creavalle to focus on what was in front of him and, occasionally, drop into the back line to cover for Rosenberry.
Counterpress with the best
The second defensive key for Philly is really just a generalized version of Bedoya’s play. The Union were determined to counterpress following turnovers so Vancouver’s deadly transition attacks would die on the vine.
They were successful to an absurd degree.
The Whitecaps need to get the ball to Felipe or Reyna coming out of the back. Not because either player is a particularly superb passer, but because everyone else back there is particularly bad at this aspect of the game. Felipe’s passing chart says it all. Eight passes into the attacking half. Yeesh.
Below you can see a perfect example of the Union’s counterpress in action. Even though they lose the ball, they never allow Vancouver any space to start an attack. This is why Red Bull can argue that their pressing style can actually lead to less player running when executed correctly — the ball never leaves the area in which it was lost.
Los Angeles FC, the new club Philly faces next weekend, will be far more difficult to press. Laurent Ciman can spread the ball out of the back and LAFC is built to have a combination of tight space passers and dribblers to evade modern pressing tactics. The Union will need to be well-coordinated after a long trip to the west coast on Saturday.
