The Kreis 4-3-3: A Re-Analysis of the Diamond

I promised this some time ago — that I would explain why I’ve been leaning toward describing Jason Kreis’s tactical setup as more of a 4-3-3 rather than a 4-4-2 — and so I suppose that time is now. With the All-Star game tomorrow, I’ll address that a bit at the end, but first, let's move on to the tactics discussion.

Talking Tactics

Right, so a few times I’ve mentioned that I almost would describe the Kreis Diamond as a 4-3-3 formation, and it’s time that I justify that a bit. Certainly there are four midfielders in the system (the middle four) but when we discuss aspects of their play more directly, we’ll find that the front 6 is broken more into two distinct groups.

You have the back three, consisting of a deep playmaker or defensive midfielder, a linking midfielder, and a supporting midfielder, and the forward three, consisting of an attacking playmaker in the No. 10 position and two strikers, one who sticks centrally and runs at the defense and one who moves into wider positions to distract markers and unsettle the system.

Thinking of the two sets as separate may not be entirely preferable when drawing out the formation, but you’ll find that on the pitch, the back three and the No. 10 in the front three are typically separated. With Javier Morales on the pitch, this was a bit more obvious, as he’d make occasional runs into the box, though he’d also track back whenever needed and push into a more triangular midfielder four (as a very compressed diamond, perhaps.) Nonetheless, thinking about two sets of three makes the play more clear. The back three will sit deeper and play killer passes (Will Johnson is particularly showing his stuff in this regard) and keep the play moving (see: Ned Grabavoy) as strikers move into dangerous positions. The deepest of the three, typically Kyle Beckerman, will launch long passes for the front three, who need to all be dynamic, clever players.

The strikers in the forward three are more flexible, and the options for that setup are vast, as there are so many varieties of strikers that you couldn’t count them all on two hands, no doubt. Jason Kreis clearly has tapped into this idea, as he’s started collecting strikers. The No. 10 slot is the playmaker who will release short and long passes to the strikers, but it’s also a position where the player will hold the ball and wait for a bombing run, or where the player will dribble into the box and take on the shot himself.

So, while ostensibly, we play a system with four midfielders, thinking of it as a diamond 4-4-2 relies on illustration, and I think describing it instead as a 4-3-3 may be more effective when we discuss the playing style and not just the positions players line up in.

Whatever the name for the system — perhaps I’ll call it the Kreis 4-3-3 — it’s clear that it works and works well. It’s a bit of an innovation to come from American soccer, and with folks like Jason Kreis leading the way, there’s a lot of room for that innovation to take hold.

MLS All-Star Game

The All-Star game. That bastion of teamwork and creativity and competitiveness and … Oh, wait. I was thinking of something else. No, this is something a bit different and, to my mind, a bit boring. Yes, it’s an honor to be called up, I’m sure, but really, it’s a meaningless game in every sense of the word. Good on Nick Rimando for being named an inactive All-Star (yes, like you, I still have no real idea what that means) and good on Jamison Olave and Kyle Beckerman for making it to the squad. Others from the team (Nat Borchers, for one) certainly deserved a call-up but I’m much happier with them at home preparing for Saturday. I’ll tune in, but it’ll be begrudgingly.

I wouldn’t much mind seeing Manchester United smashed open (regardless of the opponent) so I’ll be hoping for some of that. Perhaps some good old fashioned Wayne Rooney diving so that these anti-diving types (I despise diving, don’t you worry) get a taste of what the “big boys” sometimes do. Rooney’s one of the worst offenders and rather dishonest about it, and it would certainly put Saborio’s potential dive into question.

Come on you Claret and Cobalt!