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FC Edmonton Breakdown

Allan Zebie's protection of the back line key to the Eddies' success
Published Jul 12, 2017

FC Edmonton has struggled this year. As the Spring Season draws to a close on July 15th, they have accumulated 13 points in 15 games, less then one point a game. However, they won their last game 2-1 against North Carolina FC.

One of the players who has been key to Edmonton this year has been Allan Zebie. Performing his duties as a central midfielder with a primarily defensive focus, Zebie plays a crucial role, shielding the defense from pressure. It seems that as Zebie goes, Edmonton goes.

What Zebie does that is truly crucial to Edmonton’s defense is make interceptions and tackle successfully. The game against North Carolina is a perfect example. Zebie tallied a season high in interceptions with five, and had a 100% success rate with his tackles. In fact, Edmonton’s first win of the year was Zebie’s first start, when he again had a 100% tackle success rate.

When Zebie is unable to protect the defense, Edmonton struggles. On July 1st, Edmonton lost to Jacksonville Armada. During that game, Zebie was unable to exert the same influence. He was only able to make two interceptions, making Edmonton's defense busier than usual.

In their win against North Carolina, Zebie’s interceptions made it so that center back, Abdoulaye Diakité, did not have to make a tackle during the game. However, when Zebie was infective against Jacksonville, Diakité had to attempt three tackles.

Zebie struggled in the Eddies' loss against the San Francisco Deltas, as well. While his tackling was excellent, he struggled with interceptions, tallying only three. With this lack of interceptions, Diakité was put under more pressure, having to make three interceptions himself, while also having to make two tackles.

When Zebie plays well, Diakité is put under less pressure. Diakité is one of the keys to the Edmonton defense. When he is put under pressure, Edmonton loses. In their first win of the season, the replacement for Diakité, Adam Straith, was fairly untroubled. He only had to make one interception, in part to due to Zebie’s energy in front of the defense.

One of Edmonton’s real struggles this year has been scoring. With a goal difference of -9 and only 11 goals scored (the worst in the league by six), their defense needs to be stiff. When Zebie plays well, that defense holds up. If Edmonton is to contain the red-hot, Emmanuel Ledesma, nobody would be surprised if Allan Zebie is man-marking the Argentinian all night long.

The Cosmos close out the 2017 NASL Spring Season with a road game against FC Edmonton. The action kicks off on Saturday, July 15 at 9:00 pm, EST. Tune in on ESPN3.