Alonso Coello vs Philadelphia Union - Match Report
Toronto FC 3 - 1 Philadelphia Union | MLS 2023 | Written on February 22, 2024
Player Information
Name: Alonso Coello
Club: Toronto FC
Nationality: Spain
Age: 24 (Born 1999)
Position in match: Centre-midfielder (centre)
Preferred foot: Right
Height: 1.85m
Match Stats (via FotMob):
Minutes played: 90
Touches: 74
Passes: 49/57
Pass Accuracy: 86%
Passes Into Final Third: 5
Long Balls Completed: 7/11
Tackles Won: 5/9
Match Summary:
Even match, Toronto took their chances whereas Philadelphia were wasteful on the match
TFC looked to keep the ball and set a slow tempo to the play
Reliant on individualism from the Italians, which was there on the day
Game was characterized by sloppiness and silly mistakes
Player Analysis:
Technical:
Once again displaying excellent technical ability, especially in distribution
Top tier technical empathy, passes hardly ever forced teammates to readjust/check their runs
Weight + accuracy is top
Long ball technique is top quality
First touch hardly ever lose, must be noted that he is only receiving ground passes - first touch is hardly being tested
Great ability to thread passes through crowds - not afraid to take risks with passing ex. long balls, line breaking passes, through balls
needs to do this more often (could be a team thing as TFC look incredibly disjointed in attack so the proper options are not always in place when he receives the ball)
Physical defensively when opponent has back to goal - constantly trying to unsettle opponent and ‘snap’ at ball, effective at forcing opponent backwards, not giving the opportunity to turn
Good defender in wide 1v1 duels - uses touchline to advantage, tries to prevent cutting in option, times tackle well
Great tackler of the ball - especially in smaller spaces
is more vulnerable when being ran at in large spaces (when he is isolated in the middle of the pitch) due to his lack of mobility - transition risk
When tackling, excellent job of putting his body in between the ball and the defender - uses his frame to protect the ball extremely well, this also allows him to turn opponents
Composure under pressure, not much of a dribbler, when being closed down or pressured heavily by opponents he still has the eye to pick out a forward/progressive pass
Tactical:
Playing in a double pivot with Ibarra gave him more licence to roam forward and use his passing ability in advanced areas where he could be really dangerous
Showed a little bit of hesitancy when presented with the opportunity to offer a passing lane/option further up the pitch - could be ‘scared’ to roam further forward as it would mean more ground to cover in transition
When he did get forward occasionally, showed good composure and once again good precision passing through crowds
Movement following a pass could be better - often makes a pass wide and stands for a few seconds after as opposed to passing and moving right away
Occasionally leads to teammates panicking under pressure due to not having any options when they receive
Proactive defender - tries to read opponent’s pass and tries to get there before pass is played
could result in a) pass not being played due to him being there early or b) pass being played, player receiving forced backwards due to his pressure/presence
Showed good anticipation on multiple occasions + composure in ensuing actions
Physical:
Showed good leap again, gets off the ground well and contests headers
Long strides when sprinting, accelerates fast but maintains moderate pace throughout the sprint
Physical defender/ball-winner, uses frame really well to protect ball
Psychological:
Composure is levels above anyone else on the pitch, even the Italians
Defensive effort can be questioned occasionally, especially when the ball has gone past him (in between midfield line and defensive line)
Needs to start trusting himself in more advanced areas of the pitch / trusting in his teammates to cover when he pushes up