Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio
It's always fun for me when I can actually see a team's tactics when I'm watching a game (sometimes I can, sometimes I just take the announcers' word for it).
Last night I noticed something that the announcers didn't mention, which was Jamaica's "zone press." (I made up that term).
Rather than pressure the player with the ball, the Jamaican forwards and midfielders arranged themselves in a zone, and as soon as the US defense passed the ball, the nearest Jamaican would sprint toward the destination of the pass. Either they'd intercept, or be on the receiver just as the ball arrived. It was very effective in disrupting the US ball movement throughout the first half and the opening minutes of the second half. Only when the US changed its formation with the substitions did they start to break the press effectively.
It's always fun for me when I can actually see a team's tactics when I'm watching a game (sometimes I can, sometimes I just take the announcers' word for it).
Last night I noticed something that the announcers didn't mention, which was Jamaica's "zone press." (I made up that term).
Rather than pressure the player with the ball, the Jamaican forwards and midfielders arranged themselves in a zone, and as soon as the US defense passed the ball, the nearest Jamaican would sprint toward the destination of the pass. Either they'd intercept, or be on the receiver just as the ball arrived. It was very effective in disrupting the US ball movement throughout the first half and the opening minutes of the second half. Only when the US changed its formation with the substitions did they start to break the press effectively.