Sounders FC 2 (9-15-2, 29 points) returns home to the friendly confines of Starfire Stadium on September 9 (7:00 p.m. PT, live-stream on SoundersFC.com) for a crucial Western Conference clash with Reno 1868 FC (14-5-6, 48 points). The Rave Green will look to reverse their fortunes from their last outing, a 2-0 loss away to Phoenix Rising FC, in which they dominated proceedings for long stretches of the match, but ultimately lost behind two goals against the run of play.
Saturday’s clash marks the second all-time meeting between these two sides. Reno, an affiliate of the San Jose Earthquakes, has gone from strength-to-strength since beating S2 at home, collecting 40 points in the interim, including a historic 9-0 win over LA Galaxy II. Much like its parent club under the stewardship of Chris Leitch, Reno 1868 tends to play a progressive, expansive brand of soccer by controlling possession and building attacks out of the back.
While most teams are moving away from a traditional 4-4-2, Reno has found sustained success in this system by introducing a few tactical tweaks. For example, the two-man forward line isn’t composed of a typical target forward, who battles with center backs and holds the ball up, and a goal-scoring second forward, but rather they operate as a left and right-sided tandem. Their roles, however, are a bit specialized.
Dane Kelly, a USL legend with 57 career goals, leads the team with an eye-watering 16 goals from 24 appearances. No slouch in front of goal, Antoine Hoppenot has chipped in with 9 tallies and 6 assists. As a pairing, they overwhelm opposing center backs and generate space for the central midfield partnership to dictate the tempo of the match.
Another interesting tactical wrinkle is the role of the four-man midfield line. While the central midfield pairing appears to be rather flat, in reality one midfielder sits as a dedicated No. 6, and the other pushes forward as a hybrid No.8/No.10. The wide players, typically Chris Wehan and Seth Casipie, act as inverted wingers who drive inside and combine with the two strikers. Wehan, the more creative of the two, leads the team in chances created (51) and assists (9).
Here are three storylines to watch on Saturday.
Familiar Faces
Two of Reno’s standout players, goalkeeper Matt Bersano and center back Jimmy Ockford, have ties to S2. Bersano was the third-choice goalkeeper for the Rave Green last season behind Tyler Miller and current Orange County SC ‘keeper, Charlie Lyon. Ockford spent three seasons with the club and made a total of thirteen appearances for S2.
The last time these two sides met, S2’s No. 9 was Irvin Parra, who recently left the team to join Orange County SC. This time around, Ockford and and Bersano will face an unfamiliar foe in striker Felix Chenkam. A well-rounded attacking prospect, the Cameroonian will have the element of surprise on Saturday, with his subtle movements inside the box and nose for goal likely to cause problems for the Reno defense.
Center Back Partnership
With Reno possessing such a dynamic strike partnership up top, S2’s center backs will be in for a stern test on Saturday. One issue entering the match is that, over the last four games, the squad has rolled out three different center back pairings. So, depending on who gets the nod on Saturday, the manner in which that defensive battle plays out could look very different. Regardless of who finds themselves in the lineup, they’ll need plenty of help from the likes of Ray Saari, Francisco Narbon and Lorenzo Ramos to slow down Reno’s high-octane attack.
Proactive Going Forward
Since the Reno defenders tend struggle when it comes to tackling, look for S2 to work the ball to the flanks for the wingers to attack 1v1. With guys like Shandon Hopeau, David Olsen and Charles Renken working the wide channels, Reno’s midfielders will be forced to drop back and support defensively. If S2 can maintain possession in the attacking third, they can pin back the outside midfielders and effectively starve the opposing strikers of service.
With Reno struggling to defend in 1v1 scenarios, they typically adopt a ‘defend by committee’ approach, sagging off the attacker and showing him toward a second defender. While this strategy can limit space and cut-out passing lanes, it has one major weakness: shots from distance. Since the defenders drop off so as not to get beaten on the dribble, they allow attackers time and space to pick out their spot and unleash a shot. Expect Zach Mathers to showcase the full range of his shooting ability on Saturday.
