The NWSL's Spanish evolution: Why the American game is moving towards a European style
Ever since its inception back in 2012, the tactics that most NWSL teams have looked to apply on the field have been focused on playing direct football and trying to score as soon as the ball has been regained.
The reason for that was that it closely aligned with what the USWNT’s game plan revolved around, and so, given that the majority of players in the national squad plied their trade in the NWSL, it made sense for the two to have the same basic formula in and out of possession.
Now though, there has been a change in the air, with the USWNT’s early exit from the 2023 World Cup showing that their direct style doesn’t have the same effect on the world stage anymore, whereas the more possession-based style that has been embraced by so much of Europe and other areas of the globe does and is seen by as the game’s present and future, with Spain, who originated that brand through their famous “tiki-taka” principles, showing through their World Cup triumph that it can lead to success.
For that reason, those in power have decided that the time has come to bring those tactics and that style into the American game, with the aim being to both keep it relevant in the modern era and to allow the USWNT to develop as they aim to take back what they lost last summer when the 2027 tournament comes around. In short, the women’s game in the USA is currently going through a Spanish-influenced evolution.
“Looking at the relatively basic statistic of passes attempted this season, the bottom half of that table features only one team currently in a playoff position, the Washington Spirit, sitting last in total attempts. Teams keeping the ball are, generally, being rewarded.
This matters for reasons beyond the NWSL collectively defending itself in an argument about the quality of the league. The NWSL is not the reason the U.S. women's national team played so poorly at the 2023 World Cup, but it is the home of almost every player on the U.S. roster, and that means the NWSL must be part of the solution in helping the U.S. women return to the top of the world stage.
International soccer is frequently won in moments of transition, which should (in theory) benefit the American style of play. Transitional moments, however, cannot paper over an inability to solve tactical problems in possession, which is where the U.S. and its players have long struggled. The problem was exacerbated by the improved tactical quality of opponents at the 2023 World Cup.”
Jeff Kasssouf, writing for ESPN in October 2023.
The Spanish brand
Before looking at what that could mean in the long run, there are some who may not be aware of what the traditional Spanish brand of football is. In brief, it revolves around keeping the ball on the ground and being more progressive with it, with players forming triangles a key sign of it being implemented as teams try to play through their opponents and to exploit gaps ahead of them, with the main focus being on building phases of play rather than simply playing long passes and going from one end to the other directly.
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