Walk by a football coach’s office in the fall, and you’re likely to see a thick binder on the desk, emblazoned with the name of that week’s opponent. That binder contains that week’s game plan, and it’s the result of hours of video study, scouting reports, and breakdowns that result in an almost militaristic report of the best way to defeat the upcoming enemy. Basketball teams depend on similar preparations. Many baseball teams have video stations that allow players to study upcoming pitchers and hitters. The overarching idea in those sports is to leave nothing to chance.

For the Minnesota United FC coaching staff, though, weekly preparations are less about the opponent, and more about their own team. Said player/assistant coach Kevin Friedland, “In terms of an overall game plan, we typically like to do our thing, and hopefully then they have to adjust. I would say most teams kind of come out with a similar plan. ”

Head coach Manny Lagos thinks that the closest sport to soccer, in terms of preparation, might be hockey. In hockey, the team prepares by working on its own skills, and while they might study certain set plays for other teams, the game itself is, in Lagos’s words, “more instinctual.”

The week begins with a look back by the coaching staff at the previous week’s game. “We try as a coaching staff to absorb some of the things that the game before presented – challenges, places we want to get better, things that we did really well,” said Lagos.

In many ways, the United coaching staff focuses more on correcting problems, rather than preparing. While Lagos notes that they don’t want to dwell on the past, much of the coaching time is devoted to minimizing the team’s own errors, rather than concentrating on the opponent.

Said Friedland, “First, between Manny, [assistant coach] Carl [Craig], and myself, we all kind of look at the game that we previously played, we look at the errors that we made, and the good things that we did.  We talk about the mistakes that may have happened, and we try to fix those during the week. As we get into to the weekend, closer to playing the next opponent, I think we start to talk about the opponent, watching their last couple games, kind of identifying their shape, and how they like to play… I don’t think it’s as in depth as you see in some other sports – football, even basketball.”

Taking away video study from coaches in other sports would be akin to cutting off their air supply, but according to Friedland, Minnesota doesn’t spend a lot of time on it, at least as a squad. “As a team we don’t do a lot of video,” he said. “Video is something that some coaches are really into, some are not. As a staff we watch a lot of the video, and there are times where Manny will bring in a player at a time, maybe a couple of players together to talk about certain instances from the last game… But we don’t typically have whole-team video sessions. We have had some in the past, but we don’t do it often.”

The game plan itself comes down to a few basic conversations, especially about set pieces, as well as players to watch from other teams. Said Friedland, “We typically look at their what they do on set pieces, highlighting maybe some of what we consider their standout players or special players.”

Friedland, who has the added advantage of being a player as well as a coach, also said that he’ll use his past experiences against teams to inform what he’s doing, and will warn players to watch out for certain things – for example, if a team likes to take short corner kicks, rather than swinging the ball all the way into the penalty area.

Perhaps the best explanation of why the team has no overstuffed game plan, though, comes from Friedland the veteran defender, not Friedland the coach – who knows that sometimes, its best to focus inward. “You can plan so much for the other guy that you’re kind of not worrying about yourself,” he said. “You’re so worried about what they’re going to do that you’re not taking care of your own game.”

This Saturday, Minnesota United FC is in Fort Lauderdale to take on the Strikers, the team that’s currently at the bottom of the NASL Standings. Fort Lauderdale tied Edmonton on the season’s opening day, but hasn’t earned a point since, losing twice on the road and once at home.

For a few answers about the Strikers, I contacted Pieter Brown, who hosts the nationally known internet soccer radio show Ultras Alive (www.UltrasAlive.com). You can listen Monday nights at 8pm Central Time as they discuss every level of American pro soccer.

1. Four games in, and the Fort Lauderdale has only one point. What’s gone wrong for the Strikers?

One point in four games is an embarrassment, but the Strikers have been dealing with a lot of early injuries. Midfielder Walter Restrepo, midfielder Mark Anderson, and defender Ivan Guerrero have all dealt with the injury bug. All that said, the main problem is they have not been able to score goals. Stefan Dimitrov (on loan from NY Cosmos) has started every game at forward, with little to show for it. With the return of forward Aly Hassan, maybe things will change for the better.

2. Young goalkeeper Cody Laurendi replaced Matt Glaeser in the starting lineup last week against Tampa Bay, but he was injured and carted off the field. What is his status going forward, and while he’s out, will the team go back to Glaeser, or go with another option?

Laurendi is out for the season with a lacerated kidney, and will need 6-9 months for a full recovery. Glaeser will get his staring spot back for now. Glaeser has had a unusually poor start to the Spring Championship. Word is the Strikers will bring in another quality keeper to push Matt. [NOTE: Pieter later followed up to note that several people on Twitter have suggested that former Tampa Bay keeper Jeff Atinella, now with Real Salt Lake, will join the Strikers on loan.]

3. What is going on with forward Andy Herron?

The Andy Herron soap opera is in full effect. Andy spoke to the Strikers owner and complained about his lack of playing time. From what we have gathered Coach Daryl Shore did not appreciate Andy going behind his back and the player and coach had a falling out. I was notified by the Strikers that Herron is still under contract and part of the team. They are looking at their options regarding Andy, who clearly wants out. We were supposed to have Andy on our show Ultras Alive, but he was advised against it.

Here’s a quote from the Costa Rican striker’s Facebook account: “I’m not running away.. is not my style, I love this challenges, the real reason, is because a spoke to the owner.. for the team benefit but Daryl see it the other way.. 17 years playing pro..never see this.. thanks to all of you..and God bless..”

4. No one in the NASL took more shots last year than Strikers midfielder Mark Anderson, and it brought him 11 goals. Through four games, though, he’s without a goal. Is it time to worry?

Mark Anderson had a pre-season injury that he is still getting over. That said, he is in a slump for sure. He has missed clear shots that he would have put away last year… but we are not worried yet. The best thing for Mark will be Walter Restrepo getting back into the starting lineup, as Anderson plays much better when Restrepo is on the field. Last year Mark went into a similar slump when Walter got injured. Look for Restrepo to start this weekend.

5. Can Fort Lauderdale turn it around this spring, or is it time for them to start looking toward the fall season?

Technically the Strikers are still in the hunt for the spring championship, but they need to go on winning streak pronto. While I hope for the best, I fear the worst. I am not confident they can dig their way out of the basement for a Championship run. They are one of the lower payroll teams in the league, and it shows. Lucky for the Strikers, they can have a fresh start in the fall.

 

My thanks to Pieter for helping out with the Q&A this week.

Saturday evening, Minnesota United meets its fellow residents of the top of the NASL standings, the Carolina RailHawks. Both teams have two wins and a tie after three games; in fact, both teams have scored five goals and allowed two, and this weekend will be the first chance for either team to get some separation in the standings.

For more on Carolina, I went to J. Mike Blake, a sports reporter for the (Raleigh) News & Observer. He’s been covering the RailHawks, and he was nice enough to give me the lowdown on what’s going on soccer-wise in the Research Triangle.

1. There’s been a lot of upheaval in second-division American soccer over the past few years, between name changes, ownership troubles, and team moves. Yet Carolina has seemingly stayed steady, and now has an expanded soccer-specific stadium to boot. Why are things so stable in Cary?

Well, the RailHawks looked like they might fold about three years ago, before Traffic Sports USA purchased the team (they also own a majority share of two other NASL clubs). So things weren’t always stable in Carolina. The RailHawks also benefit from the town of Cary’s goal to attract NCAA College Cups, which meant expanding WakeMed Soccer Park.

2. Four of the regular RailHawks starting lineup are recent Wake Forest players – Akira Fitzgerald, Austin da Luz, Zach Schilawski, and Nick Millington. Is there a pipeline there, or is it merely coincidence?

No coincidence. All of these Wake players, plus other N.C. college graduates on the team, played for the RailHawks U23s under Dewan Bader. Bader is in his third year as a Carolina assistant coach.

3. Striker Nick Zimmerman led Carolina with 15 goals last year, but hasn’t played yet this year, after going on some MLS trials over the winter. When will he be back?

Zimmerman was hurt in one of those trials. So at first first, he was rehabbing with Sporting Kansas City. Now he’s rehabbing with the RailHawks, which means he will return to Carolina – the team just isn’t sure when that will be.

4. What does former Edmonton defender, and 2012 NASL Best XI member, Paul Hamilton bring to the team – and why did Carolina choose to bring him in, even though they signed him one day before the season opener?

The biggest offseason need was a center back, easily the biggest weakness of last season. With Hamilton, they finally have someone back there who they can trust game-to-game. And he’s experienced enough to help some of the younger players back there, like Austen King.

5. Who is the key player for the Railhawks – the bellwether, the one player to keep an eye on?

In these last few games you’d have to say Brian Shriver. Shriver’s a winger who has scored three times in the last two games – one was a PK, the other a wondrous 20-yard free kick. Another option: Austin da Luz in central midfield has been a catalyst and pinpoint passer.

 

My thanks to Mike for taking the time to educate us on the RailHawks.