Film study: How Matt Traynor’s inverts helped earn him All-Star nod

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,” Pressler said. “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 over the Utah Archers was a full display of Traynor’s versatility on offense as the rookie notched four points (2G, 2A).

One example of that was this 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.

Later, Traynor was isolated behind the cage with a short stick guarding him. Knowing what happened in the previous play, Utah’s defense slid quickly once Traynor initiated his dodge. Traynor was 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, he had a great display of footwork and ability to head toward the cage and not fade away once he took 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.

In this play from Penn State’s win over Notre Dame in the NCAA quarterfinals, Traynor went full “Superman” to finish from goal line extended:

There were glimpses that Traynor could 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.