Film Study: Matt Traynor inverts

New York Atlas rookie Matt Traynor possesses one of the best tools that any midfielder can have in their arsenal: the ability to invert.

An invert allows an offensive midfielder to dodge behind goal line extended against a short-stick defensive midfielder which creates a higher probability of a slide coming and creating a goal opportunity for an offense.

Traynor, who played heavy minutes at attack during his collegiate days at Penn State, is very comfortable dodging behind the cage. With Atlas head coach Mike Pressler slotting him at midfield in the PLL, Traynor brings his skillset from attack directly into the New York offense and consistently creates mismatches when he is guarded by a short stick.

“He’s a midfielder for us,” said Pressler. “We can always play him at attack in a pinch and that was one of the reasons we drafted him…the more we play Matt, the better we will be offensively. His minutes have got to go up and that is certainly a plan of emphasis for us.”

New York’s win against the Utah Archers was a full display of Traynor’s versatility on offense as the rookie notched four points (2G, 2A) in the team’s win.

To start us off we see of Traynor he tries to exchange with Connor Shellenberger on a big-little motion. Utah’s defense does not switch on the pick and Shellenberger gives the ball back to Traynor who has a short stick guarding him behind the goal. Traynor sees that there is no help coming and directly attacks the defender leading to an Atlas goal.

Traynor is flawless in his execution of his dodge and does not hesitate to attack his matchup. This comfortability to dodge behind the net as a midfielder is what allows Traynor to make his move and notch a goal for New York.

Now, we see Traynor again behind the cage isolated by a short stick guarding him. Knowing what happened in the previous play, Utah’s defense slid quickly once Traynor initiated his dodge. Traynor is then able to find a cutting Xander Dickson for an easy dunk on the net.

In an inverted situation for Traynor it simply becomes a win-win scenario. If he doesn’t see the defense slide he heads for the cage; if they do slide he is able to find a man open right on the crease.

In Traynor’s PLL debut against the Carolina Chaos, we see a great display of footwork and ability to head towards the cage and not fade away once he takes the shot.

Many midfielders shy away from contact knowing a slide will come and often miss these kinds of shots. Traynor takes the extra step to ensure he will have a better angle when he releases his shot.

One of the better plays we have seen from any offensive player made from behind the cage. This was from Penn State’s win over Notre Dame in the NCAA quarterfinals in which Traynor went full “Superman” to finish from goal line extended.

There were glimpses that Traynor would be a lethal midfielder from anywhere on the field, but his ability to translate his game to the professional level is what landed the rookie a starting spot in the Lexus PLL All-Star Game.

New York will play the Boston Cannons on Friday night in Chicago. It will be the second meeting between both teams that saw Boston take the first win in New York’s homecoming weekend.