Lately, Osvaldo Alonso has been the most-talked-about defensive midfielder in MLS, praised for his outstanding development on both the defensive and offensive side of the ball. This past weekend however, Alonso struggled to get anything going offensively.
When looking at his passes – successful and unsuccessful (image below) – you can see that nearly every attempt to contribute offensively was immediately shutdown by the RSL defense.
Alonso is great at starting the attack, but isn’t the ideal player you want on the ball in the final third. Out of 51 completed passes, he connected with Mauro Rosales the most – 12 times. This is something opposing teams should look to limit going forward.
Because Alonso plays so deep he rarely gets involved in the attack. This is the main reason why he hasn’t scored more than 6 points in Fantasy Soccer: Manager this season. He’s very consistent, but he probably won’t get you that 8-10 point game anytime soon.
One thing we have to credit Alonso for is his ability to keep the game moving. He doesn’t slow down play with meaningless “back passes” – something several other holding midfielders are known for. His defending skills and counter-attacking ability make him exceptionally unique when comparing players at this position. If he can add some offensive qualities to his game, he’ll add even more value to an already potent attacking core.
