In the 89th minute with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC trailing Nashville SC, 2-1, and still seeking a late equalizer, Ryan James hurried to take the corner kick just awarded in an attempt to find that much-needed scoring chance.
The corner went too long for any of the targeted players in the penalty box, but nonetheless it led to an offensive possession that three minutes later would result in James volleying a Kevin Kerr cross off Nashville defender Kosuke Kimura and into the back of the net for the leveling goal.
While the equalizer may not have come directly off that set piece, the sustained offensive pressure and controlled possession by the Riverhounds following that corner kick played a pivotal role in securing what would end as a 2-2 draw on April 27 at Highmark Stadium.
“You can’t always make a choice to sustain [offensive pressure],” head coach Bob Lilley said. “Sometimes the game allows you to have good moments where you’re dictating and you’re in charge, and sometimes the other team is in a good spell where they are having more of the ball and you got to be able to defend well in those areas.”
Corner kicks can be considered a reasonable measure of a team’s applied level of offensive pressure, as the set pieces often result in a decent scoring chance, an opportunity to maintain possession in the offensive third, or even simply another corner.
So how much of an impact do corner kicks have on obtaining three points in a single-game setting?
The Value of a Corner Kick
Regression analysis involving the number of corners taken and standings points earned in a single game by the Riverhounds in league play dating back to 2018 can help provide a clearer idea about the effect of corners on the game’s results.
Contrary to possible expectations, the correlation between corners taken and standings points won in a single game was negative, as each additional corner cost approximately 0.11 points, albeit with a large amount of unexplained variation in their relationship.
One potential explanation for this relationship is the understanding that corner kicks often result – especially in the late stages of a game – from a trailing team throwing all its players forward in the hopes of getting one more chance to equalize.
Building Offensive Pressure Going Forward
For Lilley and the rest of the Hounds, their approach at sustaining pressure isn’t centered necessarily on getting as many corners as possible, but rather being able to create effective chances from all parts of the pitch – whether that comes from a forced turnover in the midfield, or a buildup from the very back – something he sees as needing improvement.
“One of the things you’ve got to do when you’re winning balls in deep areas is find outlets, and then they got to hold the ball up and we need to close our lines,” Lilley said. “It’s normal to struggle with that in the early stages. We’re eight games in, but we had eight games and eight preseason games. We’ve been working hard on getting possession higher up the pitch and once we get there making sure the runs and moves are dynamic.”
Passing efficiency has varied for the Riverhounds between possession in their half compared with the opposition’s. The team averages 82.8 percent passing efficiency on its side of the halfway line, while the efficiency in the offensive end dips slightly to 60.7 percent with 43.4 percent of the team’s total passes going in the forward direction.
But without the finishing touch, offensive buildup is just that: Buildup. The Hounds offense has been a bit befuddling to onlookers so far this season, averaging just more than 10 shots per match with only 2.88 shots on goal per game. Despite the lower shot totals, Pittsburgh has still managed to score 1.5 goals per game so far in 2019.
This has led to a certain focus on the training ground with Lilley preaching patience to his players.
“You can’t work on finishing under pressure without the buildup, you have to be able to play balls through the lines and get numbers forward,” Lilley said. “That is something that we’re always emphasizing with our players, hit the target, pick your spots and just hit the target, get in dangerous areas, follow for rebounds, crosses need to be put in dangerous spots consistently.”
As one of the main forward options for the Riverhounds, Steevan Dos Santos is trying to practice the patience his coach has been preaching. With five shots on goal in 14 attempts translating to only one goal on the season, the 6-foot-4-inch Cape Verdean is still looking to improve his performance in front of the goal.
“When you’re shooting, at some point the ball will go into the back of the net,” Dos Santos said. “You just have to hit the target, and for sure one is going to go in if you can just keep hitting the target.”
Patience is a virtue, and for the Hounds it’s an important step to continuing to develop a consistent and dangerous offensive attack to lead them to success throughout the 2019 season.
