This season, the Hounds have been one of the more efficient offensive clubs in the USL Championship. They boast a 19-percent shot conversion rate, tied for second in the USL Championship, and have scored 32 goals, the fifth most in the league entering this weekend.
The weirdest part about their success? They seem to win more when they have less of the ball, and nowhere was that more evident than in the Hounds’ last match, a 4-1 win over Atlanta United 2.
Atlanta dominated possession in both halves and even outshot the Hounds — when including blocked shots — 13-12. However, the Hounds made more of their opportunities, tallying five shots on target, compared to Atlanta’s two.
Look further into the Hounds’ results and you’ll see another trend start to form. The Hounds are just 3-3-2 when they have more possession than their opponent. When their opponent has more possession, however, the Hounds are 8-3-2.
“I could see our record being correlated with possession,” Hounds assistant coach Dan Visser said. “If you have all of the ball, you may have more defenders in front of you. A team that maybe has less of the ball scores more on counters and restarts and gets more clear looks. If you get more of the ball, maybe you’re willing to take some shots from distance.”
The trend really started to pick up in June, when the Hounds posted a 4-1-1 record when having less possession than their opponent.
Despite having just 31 percent of possession against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on June 19, the Hounds earned a 2-1 victory, their first ever at Al Lang Stadium.
This result served as a stark contrast to the Hounds’ season-opening loss to Tampa Bay, in which they held just 34 percent of possession but managed only one shot on goal.
“It was inevitable that the more we played together, the more familiar we’d become,” forward Alex Dixon said. “I think that’s shown with the movement, both on and off the ball. Also, at the beginning of the year, we weren’t finishing some of the chances that we should have, so it’s nice to see the ball hit the back of the net more consistently now. It’s something we want to continue moving forward.”
Led by Dixon and Russell Cicerone, the Hounds have been more aggressive in the final third regardless of how much possession they hold.
Cicerone’s 11 goals is tied for the second-most in the USL Championship, while Dixon’s seven assists are tied for the third-most in the league.
“We’ve gotten some good attacking play from Cicerone and Dixon,” Visser said. “I think Russell was scoring goals early, and then he wasn’t scoring as much for a little bit, so it’s good to see him get back on the score sheet.
“I think one of the things he gives us pretty consistently is good, hard runs in the box. Sometimes those runs are rewarded with goals, and other times he drags defenders (toward him) and allows other guys to score.”
The Hounds’ offense has been tested during the month of August, both because of the quality of their opponents and the lack of rest. The Hounds played five games in 17 days, coming out of it with a 2-2-1 record. Ahead of their match against Hartford Athletic at 7 p.m. Saturday, the Hounds had five days of rest — their longest “break” of the month.
“It’s still not a full week, but the players got a little bit of necessary rest, physically and mentally,” Visser explained.
“I think the one real positive of playing so many games in a tight window is that you’re forced into giving players opportunities. I think of Ezra Armstrong and Tom Judge, who responded well when we needed to get some fresh legs on. They trained well, we gave them the opportunity, and they responded. I thought Ezra had a few good performances when he had to come on.”
Dixon relayed that the month has been tough offensively, especially with injuries, but thinks that the Hounds have come out the other side better for it.
“We got shut out twice in the last few weeks, which obviously isn’t great, but I still feel like we’re rounding into form,” he said. “We only have 11 games left, and if we want to achieve what we want to achieve, we’re going to have to keep putting the ball in the back of the net.”
While Hartford has slid in the standings since the teams’ last matchup, the Hounds aren’t downplaying the importance of this match. Obviously, three points could make a huge difference in the end, especially considering Hartford has played three fewer matches than the Hounds.
“I’d probably be lying if I said there doesn’t feel like there’s an added emphasis for this game against Hartford, not just because it’s a division game, but also because it’s a division game against a team that is close to us in the standings,” Visser said. “It’s not only an opportunity to get three points, but also a chance to knock them back in the standings.”
