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Writer's pictureDenny Birdkamp

Leo Chu is Taking-On EVERYONE and creating chaos

Before I dive in. Take-ons are the daring dribbling attempts to beat defenders one on one. In 2023 the Sounders rank 27th in take-ons and in 2022, 20th.


When Leo Chu first started playing he brought something that the Sounders were missing on the wings within its current make-up. Take-ons! Statistically we have it with Ruidiaz and Montero, but not on the wings. Previous recent versions of the Sounders had some of it in Joevin Jones and Victor Rodriguez.

In 308 touches this year, Leo Chu has attempted 26 and been successful.

8% of the time you get Leo the ball, he is taking people on.


Let's be honest, possession can be a bit... well, predictable. You know what isn't predictable though? Leo Chu on a rampage. Seriously, this year, he's the guy every defender dreads. Watch his every move, see the fear in the defenders' eyes, and you'll see the results. And in a world where one goal can mean the difference between joy and despair, we're all seriously undervaluing the sheer impact of a great take-on.


Frankly, this just isn't a skill that we see Jordan Morris flexing. Maybe it doesn't come naturally to him, or perhaps the coaches have been giving it the thumbs down.


The team leaders in take-ons this year are

Rusnak with 27 in 918 touches in 1,125 minutes.

Lodeiro with 26 in 1040 touches in 1,224 minutes.

Chu has 26 in 621 minutes.


Let's rewind to last year. Leo clocked in 354 touches and 32 take-ons over 910 minutes. The only player coming close to these raw take-on stats is Ruidiaz – not a bad guy to be sharing a stat line with, huh?


But this year, we're seeing a bit of a game-changer. Leo's not just warming the bench till the closing minutes anymore, he's getting his boots dirty right from the start. And let's not forget, he's got a full year's worth of MLS and Sounders tactical understanding under his belt now.


How do the Sounders more effectively take advantage of this weapon?


For our next chat, remind me to delve into how Leo Chu is:

Receiving passes in dangerous spots at an all-star level

Getting involved in defensive efforts at an all-star level

A league leader in offensive creation at an all-star level


But something's been bugging me. If we're on the losing end, why are we ever taking this guy off the field? Is there a health concern we're not privy to? Is he breaking some kind of team rules? Or is there a second-half slump we're just not seeing in the stats?


There is a real argument that if Chu is playing as much as Morris, Rusnak, Lodeiro, Joao that he is the league leader in assists and many other offensive statistics and forcing teams to adjust to him opening up the Sounders options elsewhere.


Stats are useful tools for painting a picture, but they're just a fraction of the full story. Things like xAssists, box passes, take-ons - they're just digits. One well-executed box pass can easily outweigh ten sloppy ones. And let's not forget, a pass from Alex isn't the same as one from Nouhou. xAssists tries to do justice, but it doesn't always succeed in telling the whole truth - we'll delve deeper into that later.


Visually watching Chu run at a defender or make a cross is a level above others at the moment. Next time Chu is on screen, watch him.


Next time you watch him receive the ball, watch the defender, pretend you are that defender. Chu is a problem and an all-star if he keeps performing at this level and keeps getting minutes!


And if you let him waltz towards goal, he'll do this:



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