Wasatch Soccer SentinelIn his press conference following Coach Mark Briggs remarked that one of the focus areas during the week before the Portland Timbers 2 match was set pieces and corner kicks. He also explained that corner kicks were handled by his assistant coach Matt Glaeser. Let’s take a look back at the Monarchs’ execution of Goalkeeper Coach Matt Glaeser’s plays and how Portland struggled to mark corners last Saturday.
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Pablo Ruiz (31) is standing with right arm up while surveying the field and waiting for the referee’s whistle to take the kick. The two Timbers 2 halfbacks, Harold Hansen (45), who is just in front of Ruiz’s chest, and James Mulligan (84), who is on the left edge of the image, are positioned outside of the penalty area. One of Portland’s forwards, Jeremy Ebobisse (17), is just inside the goal area along with several other players masked by Mulligan. Sebastian Velasquez (55) is the Monarch near the right side of the image in position for a short kick.
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This image shows the situation immediately in front of goal. Ebobisse (17) is on the left edge of the image. Chandler Hoffman (49) of he Monarchs and Josh Phillips (49) are jostling each other immediately in front of Kendall McIntosh the Portland Timbers 2 goalie in his blue kit.
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This shows how the 4 players from both sides lined up along the edge of the penalty box. Nick Besler (13) is the rearmost of the two Monarchs along the left edge of the image. Michael Gallagher is the one slightly ahead and nearer the edge. Nick is lined up to scrape his defender off on Gallagher and he charges in toward the corner kick.
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Having heard the whistle, Ruiz is approaching the ball at the corner flag. Velasquez has begun to run into the penalty area causing Hansen to edge backward but both Mulligan and Ebobisse are still flatfooted and watching Ruiz. McIntosh is still screened by Phillips and Hoffman. The 8 player pack is just coming into the image and approaching the penalty spot with Besler in front and with a clear view of the kick.
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Mulligan has jumps up, but the kick sails over his head as it bends outward. Ebobisse remains in position just to the right of Mulligan. Besler and Gallagher are both clear to move onto the incoming kick.
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The corner kick continues to bend outward. Mulligan is back on the ground and out of the play. Ebobisse is beginning to react, but Besler is clear and lining up for his header.
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This shot is at nearly the same time but from another angle. The ball is the white circle off to the left of McIntosh and descending down outside of the goal box. Besler is clear out in front of his defender, Foster Langsdorf (28), and the rest of the pack. Ebobisse is still in about the same position, but McIntosh has begun to move to position himself to cover the larger portion of the goal between Hoffman and Phillips and his right goal post.
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Ebobisse and McIntosh are covering the wider side of goal. The ball is the white streak just above McIntosh coming in at the perfect height for Besler whose is positioned for his header. Hoffman and Phillips are still locked up behind the Langsdorf who is trailing Besler.
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The header is clear of Besler and passing just by Lansdorf’s head toward the far side of the goal. Both Ebobisse and McIntosh are caught flatfooted on the wrong side and Hoffman is screening Phillips.
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As Besler and Lansdorf look back over their shoulders, McIntosh makes a fantastic leap. Unfortunately he is too far and too late to stop the ball which is already into the goal above the ball boy and to the left of Besler and Phillips.
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Besler heads out toward Ruiz and Vasquez for the goal celebration. Gallagher, Hoffman, Ryden and Kacher (in left to right order) also head to the side. Ebobisse, Phillips and two other Timbers 2 defenders look on in dejection as McIntosh lies sprawled on the ground. Little could they suppose that less than five minutes later it would be repeated as Ryden and Kacher combined to take a long corner kick over the pack from Justin Portillo.
Take a look at both corner kicks in normal speed below.
