Final: Kansas City Wizards 1, DC United 2
RFK Stadium, Washington D.C.
MLS - Major League Soccer
05/05/2010
Jimmy Nielsen
Kansas City Wizards, #1
Overall Grade: C-
Summary Statement
Nielsen was involved very little in this match (9-10 times) which was dominated on the field by Kansas City. The goal in the 12th minute was deflected off a KC defender. The goal in the 34th minute was primarily due to a poorly played ball by a KC defender.
Nielsen in no way should be faulted for the loss against a struggling DC squad who had yet to win a game in 2010. Although fault can't be placed on Nielsen, there were some flags raised regarding his performance.
The most notable area of improvement for Jimmy Nielsen surrounds his footwork. On both goals it is very clear that Nielsen is not properly setting his feet to prepare for the shot. It's such a small detail, but when your feet are still moving, you're body is still moving, which gives you a fraction less time to react to a shot.
There is also an opportunity for improvement regarding Nielsen's speed and quickness. His feet looked very heavy and he was not moving with the bounce a professional goalkeeper should have (imagine a boxer in the ring) on game day. This may be an injury issue, or an issue with fitness. It wasn't clear during the broadcast if an injury was present. At 32, there is still time to work hard in training and place a focus on maximizing speed and agility.
The most positive aspect of the match for Nielsen was how he played in breakaway/1-on-1 situations. He successfully turned away chances from D.C. on two occasions.
Strengths
Breakaways/1-on-1. Confidence. Angle play.
Weaknesses
Footwork. Speed. Reaction time. Understanding how to deal with weaknesses.
Complete Scorecard:
Technical Abilities: C
- Hands: Not enough information. Only caught the ball one time on a bouncing through ball.
- Body Position: Body position is proper. The major issue for Jimmy right now is speed.
- Diving: The diving form is proper. The speed of his dives are an area of concern.
- Angles: Did not see anything to indicate great or poor angle play. However, with his lack of speed he may need to adjust his angles to make up for this deficiency.
- Footwork: Footwork needs to be addressed. In this particular match, Nielsen's footwork was exposed on both goals. Although the goals were not completely due to bad footwork, the technique limited the GK's ability to make the dramatic save. Nielsen needs to set his feet in a ready position a fraction of a second sooner than he was in this match. When the ball is leaving the foot of the shooter, Nielsen's feet are still moving. If you're feet are still moving, you're body is still moving... giving you less of an opportunity to make a proper play on a shot.
- Diverting: Not enough information.
- Foot Skills: Collected the ball well using feet/body. Clearances on back passes were shaky.
- Breakaways/1-on-1: Presented with a 2 on 1 breakaway situation in the 41st minute. Did well to stay on feet, didn't commit too early, and made his best save of the night.
Physical Attributes: D
- Balance: No grade.
- Speed: An area of concern. Was clearly beaten (hit post) on a long range set piece that should not have been an issue. One of the announcers mentioned the possibility of an injury… this was not confirmed.
- Reaction: Reaction time can be tied to other characteristics. I this case, speed and footwork are limiting Nielsen's reaction time.
- Size: Tall, but not aphysically imposing.
- Strength: Could benefit from some strength and agility training.
Aerial Intelligence: NO GRADE
- Preparation: Not enough information. No grade given for category.
- Decision Making: Not enouth information.
- Communication: Not enough information.
- Timing: In the 34th min, a bouncing ball was played into the area from the other GK. Nielsen's technique on this ball was below average. The timing of the jump was off and the ball was not collected at it's peak. Although this was not a very dangerous situation, it could be a symptom of an aerial issue.
Distribution: C
- Punting/Drop Kicks: Not enough information in my notes.
- Goal Kicks: Not enough information in my notes.
- Throwing: Not enough information to grade.
- Bowling: Not enough information.
- From Feet: Clearances on back passes were shaky. Other simple balls played well.
- Decision Making: No poor distribution decisions.
Psychological: B
- Confidence: Carries himself in a confident manner. Does not appear to be easily rattled.
- Leadership: Appears to have respect of team. They respond well to his direction.
- Mental Toughness: Not tested very much in this match. No grade.
- Courage: Not enough information.
- Attitude: Positive attitude. No obvious issues here.
Tactical: C
- Knowledge: Part of goalkeeping is understanding your own strengths, weaknesses, and limitations… and doing what is necessary to shield yourself from having your weaknesses exposed. One way this can be done is with organizing the other resources on the field (teammates) to help in certain situations. The other is individually making decisions to hide your weakness (ex. cheating your angles more to make of for your size or quickness). As Nielsen continues to get older (he's 32 now), he will need to become more reliant on knowledge of the game rather than on an athletic skill set to maximize his longevity in the professional ranks.
- Decision Making: This grade is primarily based on one play in the 76th minute. DC is set up for a very long free kick from 35+ yards out and Nielsen does not want a wall. A decent shot is struck, bounces, beats Nielsen, and hits the post. With one of his weaknesses on the night being speed/reaction, he should have had a 1-man wall set on the near post to assist with the weakness. This should have not been a dangerous situation for KC and could have been easily avoided with better decision making.
- Organization/Communication: Communicates with his squad and organizes well. At least one of the tactical decisions was questionable (see above).
Final Result: D
- Victory/Draw/Loss: Loss by 1. Late goal by Keimara from KC.
- Shutout: 2 goals.
- Significance in Result (+/-): One more save could have secured a draw for KC, but Nielsen was not the reason his squad lost this game. Poor balls played out of the back by DC defenders led to the loss.
Uniform Kit: Minus (-)
- Style: Simple style. Acceptable.
- Coordination: The jersey and socks are two different, unacceptable shades of yellow. The same kit Dario Sala wore in a previous grade.
- Color: Neon yellow, mustard yellow, and white.
Key Moments
12 min.
GOAL. Shot from about 16 yards deflects off defender for a goal. Unfortunate for Nielsen and DC. Nielsen could have set his feet a half second sooner, this may have given him a better opportunity to respond to the deflection. It's tough to react to an altered shot when your body is still moving the set for the shot.
22 min.
FOOT SKILL. Shaky foot skill on the handling of a back pass.
34 min.
OFF OF LINE. Poor technique on a ball played from other goal box. Collect the ball above your head at its peak.
34 min.
GOAL. Goal off of intercepted pass. Nielsen played his angle well, but his footwok was once again poor. He was still moving his feet when he should have been set for the shot. If you are still moving, you lose that fraction of a second of reaction time that could mean a save rather than a goal. With that said, this goal was not Neilsen's fault.
41 min.
SAVE. Foot save on a one-on-one. Good save and good work to quickly get back to feet and safely secure the ball.
60 min.
FOOT SKILL. Example of Nielsen speed ball at feet.
61 min.
FOOT SKILL. Example of Nielsen speed ball at feet.
65 min.
SAVE. Good work to stay on his feet and follow the 2-on-1 passing. Clutch save from Nielsen.
76 min.
SHOT OFF POST. Communicated that he did not require a wall. Shot pinged to near side beat Nielsen who is only saved by the post. Slower to get to his right that what I would like to see. Questionable decision on the wall. A one man wall would have been sufficient.
Other Match Notes:
First win of the season for D.C. United.
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