Coach's Corner

Stone utilizes two defensive midfielders in Beat's stingy system

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Tom Stone coaches the best defensive team as the Beat have allowed only eight goals. Todd Warshaw/Allsport

By Tim Nash

Part of the Atlanta Beat’s success this season is owed to a stingy, organized defense. As the WUSA’s best defensive team, the Beat’s back line and goalkeeper have understandably been given much of the credit.

But an equal amount of praise should be heaped on the team’s defensive midfielders, perhaps the most unsung position on a soccer team. The Beat, in fact, utilize a system with two defensive midfielders.

Atlanta head coach Tom Stone knows the importance of defensive midfielders, and he also knows what to look for when searching for players to fill those roles.

“When I think of a defensive midfielder, I think of a ball-winner, someone who can win tackles, someone who can dominate in the air,” he said. “They absolutely have to be good in the air to play that position. And they have to be able to be played through. The defenders have to be able to play the ball to them, so they can switch the fields or find the forwards.”

The two players Stone likes to have in those roles for the Beat are Nikki Serlenga and Amy Walsh, both of whom possess all the traits he feels are necessary, plus a few others.

“In Nikki, you have a little bit extra because she can also beat people on the dribble,” said Stone. “So if you have a defensive mid who is great in those areas I mentioned but can also penetrate and dribble and change the game with a little bit if individuality, now you have a special defensive mid.

“Amy Walsh has the extra dimension because she can jump out of the building,” he added. “She can really head with the best players in the world. Both Nikki and Amy add something special to the position.”

Defensive midfielders are often viewed as players who only do the dirty work. The name itself leads people to believe they are not overly skilled, just someone who goes in hard for a tackle and gives the ball to someone else to start the offense.

“It’s actually the exact opposite,” said Stone. “Those are the players that have to decide when to step in, when to tackle and when to delay. They are constantly having to evaluate what is going on around them – ‘Are we numbers down, or even; can I push up or do I need to hold back?’

“The defensive mids today need to be very tactical. The days of the old English stopper are long gone. These players have to think. In our system, Nikki and Amy have to read off of each other – one goes and the other slides in. There’s a lot of work in that position.”

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