What is 'Maplepressing'? A deep dive into the Jesse Marsch's high-press tactics for CanMNT
Ever since Jesse Marsch was hired as the head coach of the Canadian men's national team earlier this year, he’s made it clear: He wants his team to press the heck out of their opponents.
Whenever possible, Marsch wants his team to put their adversaries under pressure and make it tough to play through them, helping ease the load on their defenders while creating more scoring chances for their attackers. While employing such a strategy comes with risk – it can allow teams to carve right through you when not executed properly and invite them to get dangerous looks at your goal – the reward of this approach can be fruitful... which is why many top managers worldwide choose to employ aggressive pressing systems.
There’s no better example of that than the "Red Bull system. Teams in New York, Salzburg and Leipzig have found great success thanks to a system based on high pressing and vertical play with and without the ball... but, with this system requiring team cohesion above all else, no one's really tried to implement it at the international level before, as time spent together is shorter and more sporadic, making that understanding harder to develop.
No one, that is, until now.
These days, Marsch is trying to bring that system to Canada, and he’s already found varying levels of success with his new team and that system. There’s no better example of that than in their latest window, which included a 2-1 win over the US where both of Canada’s goals originated from chances they created high up the field after dispossessing the US with their press.
Thanks to that, it’s gotten people talking about this ‘RB Canada’ style system, one that’s been built around this concept of high pressing (or as some are starting to call it, Maplepressing).
Here’s a look at what we’ve learned about Marsch’s pressing system 10 games into his tenure as CanMNT head coach.
The concept:
First, it’s important to dive into the concept behind Canada’s press, and what they aim to do with it.
Canada has primarily used the famed Red Bull 4-2-2-2 defensively, which can also be described as a 4-4-2 based on how it’s used.
That has and will remain a fixture of Marsch’s defensive system - most teams around the world like to defend in a variation of a 4-4-2, no matter if they press or sit back defensively.
A big reason for that? By using that formation, teams can sit in two compact blocks of four, with those blocks both wide enough to mark the flanks but sturdy enough not to get overwhelmed in the middle, provided that they don’t stretch too far wide.
Plus, by employing two up front, they can serve as both guides to initiate the press as well as extra protection for the midfield, which is why the work they do is crucial.
There’s a lot of pressure on the middle four and back four to stay close to each other and not open up too much space between those lines, but that’s why teams who press tend to employ higher defensive lines, whereas more defensive teams will keep their blocks of four quite low.
(An example of how Canada might press in the 4-2-2-2 courtesy of sharemytactics.com)
Overall, though, to execute a high-pressing system, a team will need a sweeper goalkeeper, a fast back line, mobile midfielders, quick wingers and two defensively responsible forwards (with at least one of them able to lead the press).
The good news for Canada? They’ve now got all of those pieces at their disposal, as they showed at the Copa América.
In goal, Maxime Crépeau is known for his work as a sweeper and had some excellent sweeping numbers at that tournament, while the back line of Alistair Johnston, Moïse Bombito, Derek Cornelius and Alphonso Davies is filled with speedsters, led by Davies and Bombito.
Then, in midfield, Stephen Eustáquio and Mathieu Choinière are box-to-box midfielders known for their excellent stamina, while Ismaël Koné is no slouch in that department either, while wingers Tajon Buchanan, Jacob Shaffelburg, Ali Ahmed and Liam Millar are all defensively responsible speedsters.
Lastly, Jonathan David is regarded as one of the best defensive forwards in Europe and is known for his impressive output in terms of running, while someone like Cyle Larin is comfortable playing without the ball and pressing, having played on several club teams who have depended on his work without the ball.
Yet, that’s why Marsch has been able to implement this system so quickly. He was helped by how some new faces stepped up, with Bombito arguably the most important of them, but credit has to be given to Marsch for trusting him even if he was quite inexperienced at the international level compared to his teammates.
“I would say that as much as it's about pressing and counter-pressing,” Marsch said this week. And I know that people will often maybe discuss that about me, because there is truth to that - that’s what I try to employ with our teams. But for me, it's also about elevating the speed of play and the speed at which they think, react, and how they do that collectively, and there’s a physical methodology, a soccer methodology, and a mental methodology behind it.”
“Then, we implement it into the tactical mode,l where we ask them to understand collectively how to go after the game and and to have an understanding of roles and tactical strategies in all phases of the game at all moments of the game, and then build that out more and more over time. It requires me to be clear with my communication and with what my expectations are for them, and then also provide them with the opportunity to put it to practice, and to make mistakes, yes, but the right kinds of mistakes, and then to learn from them and add it to who they are.”
“It’s not just about when they're with the national team, either, it’s like what I'm trying to give Stephen (Eustáquio), I'm trying to equip him with more and more abilities that will make him better in his life and in his career, that he can apply to wherever he goes, and they feel that, and they feel how much stronger, cleaner and faster they can be in the match, no matter how their club team asks them to play, they know that if they can add these things in the right way, they will be successful in their club careers as well. That also helps with the guys who have made the moves and they're elevating their careers, as I believe that we're going to put together a package of what this is and help all of them to grow and benefit themselves in their lives, which then also helps what we do with the National Team.”
(Canada's press in action in a friendly against the Netherlands)
Execution:
Of course, a concept is one thing - execution can be a whole other beast.
Especially for a Canadian side that was immediately thrust into the spotlight under their new manager, it wasn’t easy for them to have to learn these concepts while playing friendly matches against the Netherlands and France before diving right into the Copa América.
What’s nice, though, is that Marsch didn’t have to immediately employ the final version of his high press, as there were variations he could employ as he eased into things.
For example, despite using a pretty aggressive press in his first game in charge against the Netherlands, where Canada spent most of the first half pressing the Netherlands with five or six players (as seen below), he toned things back for the France game, playing a bit more of a cautious game defensively. 
Then, throughout the Copa América, they continued to adjust his press based on their opponents, although they were mostly pretty consistent with how they used a more conservative approach across that tournament.
From there, they’ve appeared to want to press more enthusiastically in this past window, coming out with a far more aggressive press in their matches against the US and Mexico.
The numbers reflect that, as seen by the number of recoveries Canada made in their opponents' final third in games under Marsch, which is shown in this chart (stats via WyScout).
As seen in that chart, Canada was actually more successful with their press against France than the Netherlands despite it being more conservative, but other than that, they were relatively low-key with their press throughout their first eight games, finding more success with each passing game.
In this most recent window, however, they’ve taken a huge jump forward, as they recovered the ball 18 times in the US’s final third before doing so 17 times against Mexico, showing how uncomfortable they were able to make their opponents in those two games with this latest iteration of their press.
Yet, that’s a fair reflection of the progress they’ve now made in this department, as they’ve got a better understanding of where they need to be on the pitch and the areas of the pitch where they can be dangerous.
Just look at the two goals they scored against the US, as an example.
To begin, there’s their first goal, which was a textbook example of what “Maplepressing” can look like.
There, the US had the ball at the feet of goalkeeper Patrick Schulte and looked set to initiate a routine sequence of possession. Sensing that, Canada pushed up, although they hadn’t started pressing, as they were waiting for a trigger. 
Usually, that’s seemed to be a pass out wide or into midfield, from which Canada will click into gear and go about trying to win the ball back.
In this case, it was a ball out wide to left centre back, Tim Ream, which caused Ali Ahmed to immediately spring forward, supported by Jonathan David centrally.
There, they forced Ream to make a quick decision, and Ream chose the risky one - breaking the lines to midfielder to Johhny Cardoso. 
To be fair to Ream, he made a good decision in isolation, but for Canada, that’s where their plan fully kicked into motion, as Cardoso, who Canada had done a good job of pressuring up until that point of the match, took a heavy touch and allowed Canada to recover the ball. A few passes later, the ball was in the US net courtesy of Jacob Shaffelburg.
Of course, one can look at Cardoso’s mistake and suggest that this goal came as much from that as it did Canada’s press, but that’s the point of the press - to force mistakes that can come when trying to play quickly with few touches, as teams need to do when playing through a press.
GOAL 🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 7, 2024
The #CanMNT's high press forces a turnover and it's JACOB SHAFFELBURG to go up 1-0 💥
(#WPIOOTBGW, #USMNT? 😅)
🔴 TUNE IN on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/IdUrsWFEe2
In this case, one can wonder if Cardoso would’ve avoided such a mistake had he not been hounded a few times by Canadian midfielders earlier in the match, for example.
Then, on the second goal, the press was a bit different but yielded the same result.
Once again, it started with Ream, who interestingly had actually just won the ball back after a loose Canadian pass in the final third.
To his credit, he had done well to wait a second before trying to push the ball forward which is the right thing to do when winning the ball back, as that’s usually when your opponent is most disorganized defensively.
To his surprise, however, Canada didn’t try to retreat and get back into position, as they pushed forward to try and regain the ball before they got caught out, and that caught Ream by surprise, as David picked out his pass and pushed the ball forward, creating a sequence that finished with him scoring.
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 7, 2024
It's JONATHAN DAVID 🥶
The #CanMNT go up 2-0 over the #USMNT as Jonathan David rounds out another turnover pounce 🇨🇦
🔴 TUNE IN on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/Inw4Ltk0H9
In this case, it was less about the tactical elements of Canada’s press, but the philosophies of it, as Canada’s pressure made the US uncomfortable in a situation where they usually would’ve been able to play through quite easily.
Yet, that’s the beauty of the press, as it creates a certain element of controlled chaos, which can lead to the creation of dangerous chances when handled correctly.
Just look at this example from the Mexico game, where they created another dangerous opportunity through their press.
They didn’t do anything extraordinary but stuck to the key philosophy of their press, which is to wait until the ball is played to a side, which then triggered Cyle Larin and Liam Millar into action.
Then, they helped force the ball into an area where Mathieu Choinière was able to recover the ball and create the chance they ultimately generated. 
And that’s what’s important to remember about the “Maplepress” - that order if events, as that’s the key formula to what makes it tick.
It’s outlined as follows
1) Set up in the 4-2-2-2, with a high line of engagement and limited space between the lines
2) Wait for opponent to push the ball out wide or into midfield
3) Initiate the press through the striker, who will pounce and either be supported by his strong-side winger (if the ball is played out wide) or a midfielder (if it’s played centrally)
4) Try and win the ball back.
This plan isn’t foolproof, as teams will play through it on occasion, but when it works, the pay-off can be sweet, as Canada has learned.
“I think it depends on the opponent and the game plan that the coach wants us to use, but it gives us an edge,” Eustáquio said of the press. “We have players who are in shape and can sprint hard, as we're a fast team and we're an aggressive team. We’ve been playing more forward and stepping a little bit out of our comfort zone, while at the same time understanding that this is a good way to recover the ball in higher lines and play the ball forward.”
“It’s very hard for midfielders, the coach is always honest about that, but we know it creates more opportunities to have more shots and more corners, and that makes us believe that we can play on top of these teams. We’ve been having a tough time in the past couple of years of doing that against these top teams, and now we’re feeling that we're creating periods during the game where we’re better, that we're on top of them, we're playing in their on their half, and that makes us feel good and believe that all of this work that we've been doing in camp and training to make more sprints, play more vertically is all paying off.”
The next steps:
Now, however, Canada will look to continue to evolve tactically, as this is far from the final product in terms of how they’ll want to press long-term.
For example, they’ll want to continue to automate those pressing triggers, which will naturally take time.
Then, they’ll also want to continue to build up their fitness, as they can press in spurts, but they’ve sometimes run out of gas early in games, which can allow opponents to finish strongly. For example, against the US and Mexico, they only allowed just 18 shots across both games - but 14 of those shots came in the second half of both matches, showing how tired they got.
Otherwise, they’ll want to continue to adapt how they might use their press against certain opponents, too. For example, as they learned against Argentina at the Copa América, pressing them can almost be a futile exercise, given that all of their players are excellent on the ball.
Because of that, Canada’s success in the press might not come from the front in a game like that but instead from the middle, where they have to set creative traps and ensure they don’t let their opponents just play through them.
Yet, that’s the balancing act they’ll continue to navigate. Against some teams, you can press high and be rewarded for it, as they were against the US and Mexico, but that might not work as well against other sides.
The nice thing with their press is that it can be adjusted, however, so it’ll be up to them to figure out how to best employ it.
For example, look at what they did against France, where they made up for a lack of aggression in how they pressed from the front with an aggressive midfield set-up and an extremely high line, which allowed them to keep a clean sheet against one of the best attacks in international soccer.
Through that, they either forced France to go long to try and beat them with the direct ball, or to have to play out wide and create overloads there, which can be harder to find, as France learned throughout the match.
Here’s an example of the former, as Canada's compact defensive lines forced France to go long from the back. 
And here’s how the latter looks, as France spent most of the game passing around on the periphery as they looked for space that just wasn't there centrally.
When looking at all of this, however, one thing’s for sure - Canada will continue to defend very aggressively, from the front all of the way back, as that’s become a key identity under Marsch, and won’t go anywhere anytime soon.
Seeing that Canada has only conceded 12 goals in 10 games under their head coach, with four of them being in that opening Netherlands match and six of them coming against a trio of matches against Argentina (x2) and Uruguay, they’ve done pretty well to find a good defensive identity, and the press is a big reason for that.
Now, they’ll continue to take the next steps in their evolution and do what they can to make “Maplepressing” the new tactical buzzword used to describe this team.
Because of that, get used to watching Canada thrive off the ball as much as on it, as they look to excite in all phases of the game, especially when it comes to the work they do high up the field with this press.
