So another year in American soccer gone by, and what to make of it all on the tactics board? Making sweeping declarations about the technical bits of this sport is difficult. Such is the beauty of the game these days that every team can do a bit of everything. There is no one “correct” way of playing soccer, and different tactics work in different leagues for different teams with different personnel.
Such has been the case in the American game. MLS Cup winners LA Galaxy played a radically different style to the team they beat in the final, New York Red Bulls. Orlando Pride, too, looked mightily different to Washington Spirit in the NWSL. And on the national stage, both managers of the U.S.’s national teams – Mauricio Pochettino on the men’s side, Emma Hayes for the women – have employed markedly different styles.
The point here is that there is no single way to win in this game.
However, trends are real. And a look at the landscape of U.S. soccer shows some clear approaches forming at various levels – especially in MLS and NWSL. GOAL USA takes a look at some of the major tactical developments across various levels of the American game.