For goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, the issues just come down to the team’s mentality when defending corners. “I think we’ve kept the same shape, so I think it just comes down to desire and beating your guy and wanting to win the ball, or blocking shots, or getting out to stop the second-phase cross.”
Minnesota has spent a lot of time working on defending set pieces, which leaves Ramsay at what seemed to be a bit of a crossroads in terms of his next step as a coach.
“This is a conversation that takes place in probably 60, 70 percent of coaches’ offices at one point over the course of the season,” he said. “There are two schools of thought. One, you really double down on the detail and the work, at risk of it becoming a bit of a complex. Two, you let it lie a little bit, and hope that it solves itself to an extent. I think I’m always going to be one of those coaches that leans towards more work, more detail, more emphasis. “
Ramsay noted that his team has improved significantly on defending the initial phase of set plays, but it was now the following phases — when the team has to regroup, reset and defend again — that had become the issue. And his hope was that some of that might improve over time, especially given that the Loons have added new players, including new center back Jefferson Díaz.
“I think sometimes it’s a little bit of game intelligence, nous, communication, lack of rhythm, lack of cohesiveness across a group of players that haven’t played together often,” Ramsay said. “There’s a big difference between a back line or a set of zonal defenders that have faced 50 corners, versus a group that have faced six.”
And so Minnesota will keep working on set pieces, adding to what Trapp called the “20 days” of emphasis that the team had put on that particular phase, during their post-Leagues Cup break in the schedule.