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
To work at its optimum, there are several key ingredients that have to be present, such as at least one ball-playing defender and players in the midfield who can distribute from deep or from more advanced positions and who are not worried about having the ball at their feet in tight spaces.
Decision-making is also important, with players needing to think fast in order to not only shift the ball around the field but to move into areas to receive it back, and a key example of a team who have done this well for so long is Barcelona (the men’s, women’s and academy sides), with their La Masia academy instilling it into every player who steps through the door.
“Possession. Position. Pressing. The three Ps – the bedrock of Barcelona’s footballing philosophy – can be seen everywhere you turn at the club’s famed academy, La Masia.”
Gianluca Nesci, writing for theScore in 2018.
It has taken decades of practice for Europe as a whole to get to this point, and so it will be a long-term process for the NWSL to get to the same stage and to have teams playing the same way, but reports do suggest that they are keen on taking the American professional game in that direction and clubs there have recognised the potential that it can bring both in terms of higher-quality players and coaches.
Juan Carlos Amorós’ tactics
This is not to say that the league needs to start from the bottom, because they already have a coach who has laid the groundwork for this process to build on, with Juan Carlos Amorós moving to the USA to first take charge of Houston Dash in 2022 and to then move to NJ/NY Gotham ahead of the 2023 campaign.
When looking at his tactics, it is clear to see that he is a subscriber to those aforementioned principles, but what is also important to note is that he is not someone who insists on that being the only way to play. Instead, he has always shown adaptability wherever he has coached, with him looking to combine his own ideas with what works for the players at his disposal.
At Houston, for example, he came in partway through the season and so didn’t have time to work on a style, with results needed as quickly as possible, and so he tended to focus on playing more directly for that reason and because it matched what Ebony Salmon preferred at the top of the field, meaning that she had a very productive end to the campaign.
For a detailed look at Juan Carlos Amorós’ tactics at Houston Dash, have a look at my article for Total Football Analysis here:
Houston Dash 2022: Their Tactics Under Juan Carlos Amorós – Scout Report, Tactical Analysis, Tactics
Since moving to Gotham though, he has had time to develop his squad both tactically and in the transfer market, and that is why a lot of their football has been more progressive than Houston’s was. However, Amorós has still retained that ability to adapt to different situations, with Gotham known to focus on counterattacking and on being direct when it has been appropriate for them to do so.
Recommended read from my Substack:
NJ/NY Gotham: Why their rebuild under Juan Carlos Amorós should excite NWSL fans
It has already been mentioned that Spain’s World Cup victory has opened the eyes of many to the fact that this way of playing works, and the fact that Amorós took Gotham to the Championship title by deploying the same progressive tactics is further proof that it does lead to success, with OL Reign unable to cope with the 4-1-4-1 formation that they lined up with due to the ball moving through natural avenues, the team pressing with numbers in key areas and the positional rotations that allowed players to move into the areas where they were at their best.
For a closer look at how NJ/NY Gotham won the 2023 NWSL Championship, have a look at my article for Total Football Analysis here:
NWSL Championship 2023: NJ/NY Gotham vs OL Reign – Tactical Analysis, Tactics
What Fran Alonso and others will bring
However, there is still the fact that Amoros doesn’t perhaps play the pure Spanish style that the league and their teams are so keen on implementing, and yet that is where others will come in and can help to take them to the next stage of their transition.
One of those who will no doubt help to do just that is Fran Alonso, who has been confirmed as the new head coach of Houston Dash from the 2024 season after leaving SWPL 1 title challengers Celtic. Whilst his appointment is now official, he could soon be joined by current Barcelona head coach Jonatan Giráldez, who has announced his departure from the Spanish giants at the end of their season and who has been linked with the vacant Washington Spirit job. However, his move is only a rumour at this stage, with nothing confirmed yet. Nevertheless, both coaches are much more engrossed in applying the aforementioned “tiki-taka” style, with Celtic and Barcelona both known for their positional versatility, ability to control games and their quick passing between the lines.
Recommended read from my Substack:
Caroline Graham Hansen: Breaking down her role at Barcelona this season
However, what is interesting is that both achieve that in different ways, with Alonso utilising wing-backs at Celtic to make the pitch as big as possible, whilst Giráldez favours an orthodox back four but then looks to connect his full-backs and wingers together through overlaps and underlaps.
What both do agree on is the need for ball-playing centre-backs, with Celtic’s Caitlin Hayes and Barcelona’s Mapi León key players who offer a lot when building from the back, whilst they also like goals to come from the midfield through rotations, with Amy Gallacher a key player for Alonso whilst Giráldez has been able to rely on Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí, as well as Patri Guijarro last season when the former was out of action.
In short, both are more heavily involved in bringing the Spanish style to a wider audience, and it is for that reason that having them in the USA could really help to speed up the changes that those in power are hoping to make. Given that it is still a novelty to so many in the NWSL, it could well be that Houston and Washington are two of the stronger sides for a while until others adjust and find ways to match them (although North Carolina Courage are already focusing more on possession than they have done before), and that in itself could really help the league as a whole to take steps in the right direction.
Therefore, the arrival of names like Alonso and potentially Giráldez, as well as star players from Europe like Gotham duo Maitane López and Esther González, is really exciting for fans and those at the top of clubs and leagues and has so far signalled the intent of the USA as a whole to move away from their current style and towards a more modern take on the game. Their evolution will not be a quick process, but they are committed to making it happen, and that in itself will give those who watch it a lot of positivity about it staying relevant. If the change can then affect the USWNT too (who are also getting a taste of Europe directly through the appointment of Chelsea manager Emma Hayes as their new head coach), then that too will give them a huge boost as they look towards the 2027 World Cup, and it will be interesting to keep an eye on them and the club sides over the coming years to see how they are shaping up as they look to regain their place at the summit of the women’s game.
Link to my full Substack page: https://davidastill.substack.com/ and my online portfolio: https://wakelet.com/@DavidAstill
Community ARTICLE Author
Written by David Astill
Freelance sports writer and tactical analyst, currently Head of Women’s Football at Total Football Analysis, Site Lead of Total Rugby Analysis and the author of my eponymous Substack page, which focuses on tactical analysis of the women’s game around the world.
