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Sigi's Game

SEATTLE - JUNE 11:  Head Coach Sigi Schmid of the Seattle Sounders FC looks on during the game against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Qwest Field on June 11, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. The Sounders and Whitecaps played to a 2-2 draw. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

This was originally posted on April 9, 2009. Since then a lot has changed in Sounders land, and we have gotten about 2 Million page views. It was one of my faves from my pre-SBN days. Lately, I have referred to it quite a bit, but I thought I would just bump it back up as a reprise of days past. I'm a better writer now, but I think the concept is still true as an ideal.

* * *

I've been trying to come up with a suitable metaphor for what Sounders FC under Sigi Schmid have been doing philosophically and with their formations. Something like "Forty Minutes of Hell" from the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Pitino Zone, the West Coast Offense, the Spread Offense or the classic WW, 70s Total Football, or the modern English 4-4-2.

Naming a philosophy is difficult, especially if you want it to catch on, but I guess my first step is to be humble and aim low. I don't want to convince the world. I just want to convince my readers, and future readers. At first I thought that my metaphor would be a little too far out there. But now, I'm not concerned. My eyes see what they see. My mind thinks what it thinks.

Star-divide

What I'm seeing is many of the philosophies that are put forward in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. These combat philosophies are both simply written (it was a book quite popular in the Young Adult category) and yet elegant enough that it has been a supplemental book in various military schools around the world.

I will not give you a synopsis of the book (click here instead). Instead I will describe the two key elements to Ender's success in the Battle Room and how Seattle Sounders FC mirrors those concepts and finish with a final parallel to Ender and the Dragon Army.

The Enemy's Gate is Down
While this concept only wins Ender two battles, it is a structural philosophy that pervades his entire set of behaviors throughout the book. Quite simply it sums up that any leader must understand the rules to the game being played, and then only concern themselves with those that determine victory. If the goal, as it is in soccer, is to score more than your opponent does, do not craft a strategy that consists of attempting to take more shots than the opponent. Do not craft a plan that involves patience and build-up. Do not play with in 7-2-1. Instead maximize the talent at hand with the sole purpose of outscoring the opponent.

Certainly, this seems simple, but if you read around the 'net you will find many people who criticize Sounders FC for the lack of build-up, the lack of technique, the lack of flair. NONE of those things appear on the scoreboard. Sounders FC plays to SCORE.

The phrase goes beyond this. It is essentially an offense first strategy. It is a way for a team/squad/unit that could be thoroughly outclassed to force the larger unit back on its heels and in retreat. It orients the leader's team towards the opposition's goal. This change in mentality means that in Sounders FC's case that they constantly and consistently attack the ball on defense and as soon as they obtain the ball they attack the goal. There is no build-up, rarely long aerial plays, instead the player that captures the ball moves forward in attack, or quickly advances the ball to a teammates feet.

The Enemy's Gate is Down in soccer is constant attack. While it takes a fast team that is able to react quickly to transition, and forces the opposition to run backwards, a thoroughly unnatural action, it also forces a coach to trust that his players will do what is best for the team with little instruction from their coach.

Know-Think-Choose-Do
The only way a leader can do this is by fully entrusting their players to become leaders at the necessary moment. Ender did this by forming 5 platoon leaders rather than four, and having sub-toons, as well as an elite ad hoc toon led by his most brilliant, but least charismatic soldier. This meant where most units only trusted the commander and four leaders, Ender put 11 of his 40 into positions of leadership, and expected those leaders to inform their toonmates of the goals in such a way that at any moment any soldier could become the leader.

This isn't just speculative fiction. This is actually the way that the US Special Forces and other Special Operations units act in combat missions. While there is an order of battle there is also the expectation that everyone knows enough about the specific mission at hand that no matter how many leaders are lost there is always another leader ready to step into the role.

How does this work in soccer? While many teams might work under the theory of a pivot, or in rarer cases a double-pivot, Sounders FC adopts a bit of the concept that at any moment any player is a pivot and any other player can be the next pivot, but also that any player in the forward position can be the scorer. There is individual sacrifice for team success.

This means that every player must Know the game plan
Every player must Think about their next action. Often in such a quick manner that thinking is instinctive.
After thinking the player must Choose what is next. This takes options. It takes depth, but it also takes trust.
Lastly the player, the leader, must act. They must Do. No matter the coaching, it is the player that does.

Green-Blue-Green
Dragon Army's colors were Grey-Orange-Grey, but outside of that there are actual similarities between Dragon and Sounders. Dragon was a re-opening of an Army with a poor history, a history of failure. But when tested earlier than most they succeeded.

Sounders FC is the re-awakening of 30+ years of tradition, yet it also carries the burden that all MLS expansion teams of the past. There is failure in expansion, and honestly there was only a little glory in top flight Sounders history.

Like Dragon Army, the Green-Blue-Green are changing the way that the league operates. While most of the league is focused on the atmosphere in the stands, or the commercial success, the general managers, the coaches and team captains are stuck trying to figure out what it is that Sounders FC is doing differently, and how to react. But as long as they are reacting, they will be stuck down trying to claw their way up in the standings.

Maybe I have stretched the metaphor, or shoe-horned it, but just maybe The Enemy's Gate is Down and Sigi, Hanauer and the Sounders are changing the way the league operates.

Comment 21 comments  |  5 recs  | 

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I was anxiously looking forward to this post after you hinted about it to me on Facebook, and it didn’t disappoint.

Beautifully executed.

Just for fun, you should assign the other EG army names to teams around the league…although it would narrowcasting at it’s utmost.

by Jason D on Apr 7, 2009 7:00 PM PDT reply actions  

Only one point of contention with all this: the NASL Sounders were mostly unfortunate to run afoul of Pele’s Cosmos, which was that teams bogey team. If not for that, they could have very well brought at least two titles home before the NASL imploded. That’s more than a little glory.

by CarlosT on Apr 7, 2009 7:05 PM PDT reply actions  

As a new soccer fan supporter and a sci-fi fan who has read Ender’s Game a few times, I find this analysis to be very helpful in terms of understanding what the Sounders are doing. Thanks, Dave, for putting it in “my” terms.

Also, thanks for your other “tactics” posts – I’m sure they are helping me become a more knowledgeable supporter.
Go Sounders!

by Adrienne on Apr 7, 2009 7:23 PM PDT reply actions  

Here’s a suitable metphor for you – Sigimetrics!

by Broadway Joe on Apr 7, 2009 8:19 PM PDT reply actions  

Joe, while I think they do use a bit of the money ball theory, they certainly aren’t doing it from any stats that are public domain.

by Dave Clark on Apr 7, 2009 8:31 PM PDT reply actions   1 recs

Totally agree.

If anybody here hasn’t read Moneyball or for that matter Soccernomics, I highly suggest you do so. I’m not sure what metrics the Sounders FO are using in judging players but I can give you one example of why they are better than most in MLS.

Osvaldo Alonso.

How no one in MLS saw his value as a player but us is astounding. Probably the same old arguments of not looking like the guy that plays the game he does.

by DaveValleDrinkNight on Jul 23, 2011 1:14 AM PDT up reply actions  

This is good clean fun. Keep it up, Dave.

Personally, I love the get the ball and go approach. It requires a significant amount of fitness, and I think other teams are wearing down by the later parts of the game due to this constant attacking mode.

by Cornchops on Apr 7, 2009 8:37 PM PDT reply actions  

Man, I wasn’t expecting this after the last “The Enemy’s Gate Is Down” reference. Awesome!

nice write-up, and I wholeheartedly agree. We are a team, and that communication and knowledge will only increase as the MLS opposition tries different ways to screw with us as the season goes on.

any chance they’d put two teams against us like in the book? :)

by Jon on Apr 7, 2009 8:46 PM PDT reply actions  

excellent artical. Nice to read some case specific thoughts about the team. Makes you think.

by TL on Apr 7, 2009 11:49 PM PDT reply actions  

Great stuff, Dave. Always nice to see some literary references make their way into the sports world, and you brought quite a lot of insight into the team’s tactics as well.

by Andrew Bucholtz on Apr 8, 2009 12:50 AM PDT reply actions  

Fantastic, Ender’s Game is one of my favorite books. Just another reason to love the sounders i guess. And great write up Dave, you’re analysis is, as always, top notch.

Thanks.

by Tim on Apr 8, 2009 10:49 AM PDT reply actions  

Wha? You were looking for a name or metaphor for Coach Schmid’s tactics, and I offered up my suggestion.

I think your sense of humor is weirder than mine, and that’s saying something.

by Broadway Joe on Apr 9, 2009 4:41 AM PDT reply actions  

Brilliant!

by 2 rows behind you in the 214 on Apr 10, 2009 8:12 PM PDT reply actions  

Embarrased to say this is the first time I read this

Awesome.

Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.

by Jeremiah Oshan on Jul 22, 2011 8:55 PM PDT reply actions   1 recs

Jeremiah just told me that many of the comments brought over

are from people who still read the site, and from my first co-author too

I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart

by Dave Clark on Jul 22, 2011 9:02 PM PDT reply actions  

This is true. Haha

I see mine! It really was a great analogy. Definitely was a big reason I got hooked on the original site.

"The fans are excited. And the stadium, well, it ignites with explosion."

by DarthGreedo on Jul 22, 2011 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions  

Yeah, mine's up there too -

this post is one of the reasons I started reading Dave’s writing on a regular basis and he’s kept up that blend of interesting and insightful writing about the Sounders very well. Thanks Dave!

by AMb1valenT on Jul 22, 2011 11:04 PM PDT up reply actions  

Still love this

Bought the shirt along with One Nation Under Sigi, this phrase really hooked me on this site, I love attacking football, I hate anti football, I think you nailed it, but not only is it the way football should be played in order to win, it’s the more exciting and enjoyable version to watch as well. I love seeing us make great defensive plays, but there’s a difference. Doesn’t hurt that I love Ender’s Game and have read it multiple times in the last five years.

by Thalas on Jul 22, 2011 9:15 PM PDT reply actions  

I recall reading this when it was written

and it was probably what got me hooked on the site. I didn’t start commenting till about 9 months later, but this has been one of my favorite ways of thinking about the game.

I think now, more than ever, this team plays like the Dragon Army. The attack runs through everyone on the field, and really through them. We have not been playing desperate long-balls for mad-dash counters. We play intelligently and to our strengths, and it seems like the Sounders, along with a few other teams in MLS, are really pushing the league in a different direction.

by agtk on Jul 22, 2011 9:51 PM PDT reply actions  

I'm proud to say that

I’ve been reading Dave’s work long enough to remember this post. This is one of the posts that got me hooked on Sounder at Heart, I’ve been frequenting multiple times a day ever since.

by jacobcda on Jul 23, 2011 12:04 AM PDT reply actions  

Reading it for the first time,

but this article goes a long way toward explaining why I hang out at here, especially in the depths of our interminable off-season.

by wmknickers on Jul 23, 2011 7:21 AM PDT reply actions  

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