It has been one up and down year for Washington Spirit midfielder Deborah Abiodun. In February, she signed a three -year contract with the Spirit after completing her collegial career At the University of Pittsburgh. The Nigerian international was immediately sent on loan on USL Super League side Dallas Trinity FC. In July she celebrated Nigeria’s triumph in the ladies Africa Cup of Nations and put on loan. But by the end of August the Washington had spirit Remembered her For the last push of their National Women’s Soccer League season. Her first start came against Seattle on September 7, and within 90 minutes she looked less like a newcomer and more on the missing piece of the midfield puzzle of the Spirit.
The last seven games of the season are crucial because the spirit secures second place in the competition, behind the running leaders, the stream of Kansas City. The two teams face each other this weekend. Abiodun’s immense display in midfield undoubtedly gives head coach Adrian Gonzalez a welcome selection headache in the last part.
In her first outing, Abiodun gave the midfield of the mind a new dimension. The energy and positioning of the 21-year-old enabled the other midfielders to be offensive-Leicy Santos was able to push higher as a playmaker and Hall Hershfelt could drive forward from box to box. Where Santos and Hershfelt brought creativity and movement, Abiodun provided balance: protecting the back line, repair loose balls and recycling. It was the non -glamorous but vital role that enabled the Spirit to control the pace and look lively than in recent weeks.
The former Pitt Panther acted as the management between the attacking and defensive line, able to receive, run under pressure, to play and play and break out. Abiodun constantly brought the Spirit in good attacking transitions and defended her space in defensive transitions.
Seattle Reign is set up in their 3-4-2-1, which shifts to a back of five without the ball. That form made it difficult for players to pull out of position. Gonzalez played Kate Weisner and Gabrielle Carle to seduce the wing backs from position and to use Trinity Rodman and Sofia Cantore to play the middle backs faster, but Gonzalez realized that Seattle Reign had a spare player. This led Leicy Santos to push and force the government defenders to go for a long time.
This is where the Spirit started winning second balls and changing possession into attacking transitions in midfield, where Abiodun helped to sweep possession and pick up.
Abiodun covered the spaces that you would expect: the central attacking and defensive areas, especially on the left. In the structure, she concentrated in the positioning of herself for the middle backs, but as the game progressed, she patrolled the central attacking areas to jump on all loose balls and to recover the last third transitions.
In the series above, Abiodun placed itself in the passing job to block the pass in the defensive third of the Spirit. This interception shifts the momentum forward and ultimately leads to Rodman going on the ball.
In this example, Abiodun won the game to keep the possession centrally to control the game again after the Reign De Lange Ball Aubrey Kingsbury won.
In possession, the Spirit has set up in a 3-2 build-up structure with one of the three is Kingsbury. This setup was used to get both Hershfelt and Abiodun closer to receive and reverse the Three Reign -Middengelders. Abiodun was just as effective as it was out; The Nigerian midfielder was confident on the ball and looked her marker to turn and force the midfield of the scheme to create centrally, so that the spaces opened wide open for Rodman and Cantore.
Although the reign did not want to be on its way to suppress the Spirit backline, there was enough to force the mind to play it a little faster. It was only as soon as the ball reached one of the defensive midfielders who exerted prevailing pressure on the ball carrier. Occasionally, when the Spirit defeated that pressure line, they had enough room to drive to Reign’s back line with the broad areas a target to attack.
The screenshot shows that there was a monstrous amount of space between the spirit of the Spirit and the attackers of Reign. The ball was turned between the center backs and the keeper until it was finally advanced to midfield with a longer pass. Both defensive midfielders were full by the three attackers and the central midfielder pushed up.
Abiodun’s positioning in this screenshot was her most common during the game, although she was just as comfortable to fall deep or pushed up behind the central midfielder with and without the ball. It is what the performance of Abiodun is striking – the movement between the attackers to find better positions meant that the mind was able to take a few risks to get the ball in the last third part. She was not afraid to show for possession and looked constantly and to go to play ahead.
In this example, the Spirit is in a slow set -up series with the reign using three to press the defenders shade, but eventually to be pulled apart as soon as the ball is played on the right. This is what Abiodun with extra space from Centrum-Back Esme Morgan, then Pirouette and avoids the press from Emeri Adames that arrive from behind.
The simply displayed tricks of Abiodun’s performance deserved a lot of praise from her head coach.
“Great achievements,” Gonzales praised Postgame. ‘[She is] The type of player who can play everywhere. We have a player that we can use in different [areas]She brings a lot of calmness and has patience [in play]. Defensively, she is very aggressive and has that physicality to cover a lot of space. [She’s also] Very dynamic; If she goes higher, she can provoke [transitions] In the last third. We have a different profile that we did not have before. “
For the Spirit this was one of their most consistent impressions of the season – and the presence of Abiodun was unable. As Gonzalez praised, her aggression, calmness and ability to cover the space Washington give a different midfield profile than they have had all year round. If the mind has to lock second place and set up a serious play-off run, Abiodun can prove to be the difference maker who makes potentially in much desired silverware.
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