On Closer Examination: That Fabian Johnson Goal
Watching Fabian Johnson’s pitch perfect volley glide into the far side of the net (courtesy of Michael Bradley’s pitching wedge of a right foot) reminded me of that endearing adage about love and letting go:
If you love soccer, give the ball and go. If it comes back to you, one-time it into the back of the net because love is a battlefield. Take no prisoners.
I know that’s not exactly how the saying goes, but remember that love is also blindness.
Love is also a well executed give-and-go, requiring the utmost trust of your teammate, and it is perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing feature of the game. At its most basic, a simple give-and-go between two teammates is the crafty moot rendering of a defender by turning them into a glorified cone in a jersey. At its most complex, it’s a harrying combination of runs and passes that must appear almost fatalistic to the opposing team.
If we look back at the beginning of the one-two passing combination between Fabian Johnson and Michael Bradley, we can see what appears to be a pretty standard give-and-go unfolding around the defending Turkish midfielder. And 9 times out of 10, Johnson is getting that return pass from Bradley before he reaches the defensive back line. But there are a couple of slick maneuvers in the “go” phase that turn this thing into a real masterclass of a one-two. Let’s break it down and take a closer look.
It begins with Fabian Johnson receiving a simple back pass in the midfield from Brad Davis. The Turkish player slowly closes off any thoughts of a return pass to Davis by the touchline, forcing Johnson to look centrally, where coincidentally, Turkey has decided to begin beta testing their open door policy when it comes to defending the top of their own defensive end.
Johnson makes the smart decision of taking the space, forcing the central midfielder, currently zonal marking Michael Bradley, to make a decision, which will be to challenge the ball carrier (the right decision). Meanwhile, Bradley will square himself to Johnson by settling into the soft spot of the zone, initiating give-and-go protocol. The Turkish midfielder, upon lunging at the ball, immediately turns into a cone after an instinctive pass by Johnson to Bradley.
Here’s where this play gets interesting. Normal give-and-go convention would see Bradley acting as a wall in this situation, with an immediate one timing back to Johnson before he hits that back line of defense.
But a multitude of factors happen in a split second that will result in Johnson continuing his run, allowing Bradley to play him over the top into the great beyond, rather than to his feet. First off, the amount of space and time Bradley has to play the ball is insane. For someone of his skill level, 10 yds and 1.5 seconds in the attacking third roughly translates to 481 acres and 13 years. No one even comes close to closing down Bradley and he knows it. The second person to know it, is Johnson. In fact, he kicks it into another gear, splitting the defenders marking the well spaced Zusi and Altidore. The fullback shadowing Jozy actually identifies Johnson’s blistering run and makes the correct decision to peel off and pick up the run, but by then it’s already too late.
Michael Bradley, fresh of an A+ in Peyton Manning’s “Translating The Play Action Pass Into Business and other Ventures” online course for Harvard B School, proceeds to put a sumptuous chip right over the top of the back lines busted coverage for Johnson to run onto.
And if your jaw dropped at Bradley’s chip, it probably unhinged on Johnson’s volley…that he hit in stride…one time. Seriously, this is a world class chip and a galaxy class strike. I’ve watched the video probably a 100 times just tracking Johnson’s footwork leading up to the volley alone, it’s unreal that he hits it so flush. That’s the kind of creativity in build up play and finishing that you hope will one day be common place on the United States National Team. Until then, sit back and just keep hitting replay.
