"When one single goal can be the difference between glory and failure, taking risks isn't for everyone in soccer. Across the globe, some teams are specifically built to avoid any hints of hazard. Knowing that on-the-field pragmatism can pay off with conservative bets, it's tempting for many tactical architects to play with caution. In a sport that's demonstrated time and time again to be fickle, clubs often suppress uncertainty by putting their front office and coaching trust on tried-and-true names."
"San Diego FC, the latest expansion side in MLS, is not one of those teams. "We came in this league, and we did a ton of analysis, and there are so many different ways to win in football, and I think one of the things we wanted to try to ask ourselves was: 'Could we win in a different way,'" sporting director Tyler Heaps said to ESPN. "I know it was a tremendous amount of risk.""
San Diego FC adopted an adventurous, analytics-informed strategy under sporting director Tyler Heaps and first-time head coach Mikey Varas. The club deliberately accepted substantial risk, emphasizing tactical pressure and significant responsibility for a modest, inexperienced roster. Early reactions combined praise for the novel hires with doubts from MLS insiders and predictions of a last-place Western Conference finish. The organization prioritized finding a different way to win rather than relying on conventional, conservative choices. That risk-oriented model produced results: San Diego secured a tense 1-0 Western Conference semifinal victory and now sits one win from the MLS Cup.
Read at ESPN.com
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