Tidy footwork, the dark arts and the sweatpants: Breaking down Milan Borjan’s memorable homecoming performance for the CanMNT in 2-0 over USMNT
In his long-awaited CanMNT homecoming to Hamilton, Milan Borjan had a game to remember in goal in a 2-0 win. Here's a look back at what he did so well in that one.
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It was an iconic performance for so many reasons.
From the sweatpants, to his pro-wrestling style celebrations after each big moment, to some of his massive saves, Milan Borjan had a game to remember for the CanMNT against the USMNT on Sunday.
In his first National Team game ever in his hometown of Hamilton, he made sure to mark it with a bang, helping Canada pick up a massive 2-0 win over their neighbours, one that now has them on the precipice of the 2022 World Cup.
And for neutral observers, Borjan was an easy standout, one that caught the eye of many across social media, and you can hardly blame them given how many memorable moments he was able to provide in just 90 minutes of football.
But for those who have been following this Canadian team throughout this World Cup qualification cycle, they’ll know that it was just another day at the office for Borjan, who has played a big part in helping this team get to where they are today.
As his team is inching closer to the promised land for the first time since 1986, Borjan has arguably been playing some of his best soccer in a Canadian shirt as of late, and it has helped Canada find themselves where they are, atop the ‘Octagonal’, the final round of World Cup qualifiers, with just 4 games to go.
And what’s most impressive is how he always seems to come up key in the big moments on this run, especially as of late.
Up 2-1 against Mexico at home in November, deep into extra time? He made a massive goal-line save, one that saved a crucial 3 points for Canada.
Or how about when his team was up 1-0 against Honduras away last week? He made some huge saves in the second half of that game, paving the way for Canada to grab a late insurance marker.
That was no exception against the US, either, as he made some huge stops after his team went up 1-0 early, including one on Weston McKennie off of a corner right before half time that could’ve completely changed the complexion of the game.
In those potentially crucial moments, Borjan has continued to step up, as he has for Canada throughout these qualifiers, helping them along on this special run.
Yet, as a key leader on this team, he just seems to always have a knack of knowing when his side needs a lift or a push, but also when they need to pull in the reins a bit, showing the importance of his veteran presence on a younger side.
So while he might be reaching the back-half of his career, and is really starting to be pushed by the strong crop of Canadian goalkeepers emerging, it’s going to be hard to keep Borjan out of the net going forward, which based on how he’s been playing, is not too much of a worry.
Because of that, it’s going to be hard to imagine Borjan being anywhere but Qatar later this year, sweatpants (hopefully) in tow, showing the rest of the world what CONCACAF has been treated to these past few months, where Borjan has played a key role on what has become the best story in international men’s soccer right now.
And speaking of that key role, here’s a more in-depth look back at his performance from that US game, as I’ll dive into what he did so well on Sunday, helping explain why he’s been indispensable for Canada on this run.
His knack for the big save:
And to start, it’s worth noting how good Borjan has really been on this run.
As part of a Canadian defence that has been the best in CONCACAF this Octo (imagine telling someone that 2 years ago?), Borjan has been near flawless whenever called upon in this round, playing 7 games, winning 5 and drawing 2, keeping 4 clean sheets while allowing just 3 goals (and 1 was from the penalty spot).
Not only that, while he’s playing behind a strong defence, he’s played his role in their dominance, too, as he’s made 19 saves across those 7 games, many of them big ones.
That’s reflected in the advanced stats, as despite facing 6.8 Expected Goals (xG) this Octo, Borjan’s allowed just the 3 goals, giving him a very impressive -3.8 gA-xG, which is a stat that is used to see how many goals a goalkeeper is saving above what is expected (the lower the better).
So while he might not be a particularly busy goalkeeper, as he typically faces just over 3 shots on target a game, he’s saving most of those shots, which is reflected in his (fitting) 86% save percentage, which is very strong.
And this US game is a perfect example of how he’s been able to make that happen.
He might’ve only made 3 saves, but they were all key saves, helping his team keep the clean sheet.
But speaking of those saves, it then leads to an important question - how does Borjan make so many of those kinds of big stops, the kind that sticks at the back of your memory?
Just take that aforementioned McKennie header as an example.
A very strong header of the ball, having scored a fair few goals for Juventus that way, McKennie is a menace off of set pieces, and on that sequence, got a powerful header off in such a great area in the box, as seen below.
Yet, seemingly out of nowhere, Borjan was already up at the ball before you could even react, palming it away to complete what he somehow almost made look like an average save.
But that’s no accident. Some might suggest that him making a read like that is ‘lucky’, but that’s part of goalkeeping at the highest level, where you have to combine a mix of positioning, awareness, reactions, anticipation and footwork to pull off stops like that.
And when looking back at the alternate angles of that save, I want to highlight the two latter attributes in Borjan on that play - his anticipation and his footwork.
Obviously, his reactions are elite, and is why he’s been able to play at such a high level for Red Star Belgrade for over a half-decade, where they’ve dominated the Serbian League and competed with the likes of PSG, Liverpool and Napoli in the Champions League, but the other two skills are key to his ability to routinely make stops like this McKennie one for club and country.
To get an idea of how so, watch two things on this next clip - firstly, how he stays on his toes while keeping his feet active, and then secondly, how he is able to anticipate the approximate location of McKennie’s header based on the cross and his contact, allowing him to stay tall to the shot.
Had he been flat-footed, for example, or had sagged to a side to start a dive, he would’ve probably been caught out on the attempt, but he did well to read the flight of the ball, allowing him to get in front of it.
And the thing is, that’s no fluke, either. Just watch back any of the saves that he made in the Honduras game, for example, and you’ll see him do the exact same thing.
Take a look at this clip from earlier in the US game as another example of that, too.
Here, the header from Chris Richards might have just gone wide, but just watch back the replay on the clip below to see how Borjan had already anticipated the header going towards the low corner, as he was already ready to go down to that side as the shot came off.
So when you look at how he’s constantly able to make those saves, the answer is in his footwork and anticipation, which is at a high level, thanks to years of playing with some top players.
Positioning is key:
But while his anticipation and footwork allows him to make the big saves, Borjan is also a fan of the routine stop, too, which is where his positioning comes into play.
He does have a tendency to wander sometimes, and isn’t a natural sweeper goalkeeper, which does leave him out of position in some moments when Canada is facing a team that is doing damage against them in transition, but behind a set defence like the one that Canada had on Sunday, he can really shine.
As long as his defence can keep players out of the relatively dangerous areas that no goalkeeper wants opponents to be in, such as breakaways, or after multiple touches in the box, Borjan typically does a sound job of putting himself in a position to make plays.
And while he wasn’t as busy in this US encounter as he might’ve been in past games, there were several examples of that positioning playing into his favour, as he was able to snuff out a few dangerous moments with some good reads.
For example, there was this run down the wing from Cristian Pulisic, who had teammates on for a cutback, but sensing that Pulisic was going for that pass on his left foot, removing the threat of a near-post shot, Borjan did well to position himself in a spot where he’d know that he’d get to the ball first.
Then, later in the game, he had another almost identical sequence, one where he also did well to react similarly.
The threat was different, because as a left-footed player on the left-side, Robinson was more of a threat to shoot near post, which Borjan had to be careful of, but by reading his hips and body language, Borjan was able to take a step right when the ball was about to be crossed (watch carefully for that in the clip), allowing him to corral what could’ve been a dangerous ball to the back post.
Again, it might not seem like much, but if Borjan, say, stays on his line, or doesn’t take that step, he might not get to that ball, or just get his fingertips on it if he did, potentially gifting the US a great chance in a dangerous area.
But instead, as he does so well, he seems to know when to take a step or two in a certain direction in anticipation of a shot or pass, and that allows him to be a step or two ahead of the attackers in a lot of cases.
You combine that with Canada’s iron-clad defence, which does a great job of keeping players out of threatening positions, and it’s a great match, helping explain the results they’ve put up together.
Lastly, however, it’s worth noting that in the few moments where Canada lets a bit of daylight open up, Borjan’s positioning doesn’t just help him in reading crosses or on one-time shots, but also on the dangerous shooting opportunities that arise in those moments.
Take this next clip here as an example.
There, it ended up being a routine save for Borjan, who denied Aaronson with ease, but it’s worth picking up on a few details that allowed him to do that.
First, look at how Borjan was able to read Aaronson’s hips and take a step to his left (Aaronson’s right) right as he shot, allowing him to already be there when the ball arrived. With his active feet, he was able to get in front of the shot, instead of having to chase it, making it a routine save.
Secondly, take a look at where he finds himself in the six-yard box. Often, goalkeepers can retreat deep into their net on shots like that, or come flying out, but by finding a sweet spot between just sitting on the goal line and coming rushing out, Borjan was able to cut down the angle nicely, which is why he only had to take that one step to make the save.
So while in the end, it didn’t end up looking like a special stop, that’s in large part due to those small details that Borjan took care of in the lead-up to the shot in anticipation of it.
Yes, Aaronson helped by not slamming the ball into the corner, but it was still a powerful shot towards the side of the goal, and had Borjan been flat-footed, a bit deeper in his net and leaning to the right, it could’ve caused him trouble.
And that’s the sort of thing that Borjan has been so good at on this run for Canada. As long as he gets time to set himself, he just always seems to position himself in the right spots, and then that’s where his footwork, anticipation and reaction speed then come into play.
But that’s also how he’s been able to not skip a beat as he enters his mid-30s. Some goalkeepers can tend to over-rely on their athleticism and reactions, and while Borjan is certainly not short on either of those two things (without mentioning his height on top of that), he prefers to use his positioning and footwork first, and use those skills in case of an emergency, which has served him well as he ages.
That’s what allows him to be such a good shot-stopper well into his mid-30s, and while he takes that term too literally at times, struggling to control the ball with his hands on certain shots and crosses, his skill set will allow him to almost always make that first save, and in instances where his rebound control (something he makes up for the occasional struggle in ball control for in spades) lets him down, that’s what the defence is there for, anyway.
Distribution an interesting one:
But there’s no doubt that Borjan is a good shotstopper. Anyone who has watched Canada for the last decade knows that, and this cycle has been no exception.
Where people have had cause for worry (other than the occasional sweeper adventure gone wrong) is in his distribution, especially in open play.
That’s not to say that he’s particularly awful, as he has a great long boot on him, and can whip out the occasional short pass, but it’s no secret that he looks uncomfortable whenever the ball is at his feet in the game.
And part of the reason that calls started to come for Borjan to potentially make way for some new faces in goal actually partly came down to that, as he made some pretty tough mistakes in recent years with the ball at his feet, including some that ended up in the back of the net.
With Canada wanting to play a more modern up-tempo possession style of play, it then opened up an interesting discussion, because while there’s no doubt that while Borjan is the team’s best shotstopper, someone like Max Crepeau isn’t that far behind him, and has a massive advantage in the ball-playing department, potentially giving him a leg-up to start over Borjan on a possession-based Canada.
But instead, Canada chose to adjust how they play out of the back for Borjan, and it made a big difference, as he’s now looked a lot more comfortable with the ball at his feet as of late.
It’s been a far cry from 2019, where it felt like there was a play every game where Borjan looked absolutely terrified on the ball (anyone who watched the famed Haiti game in the Gold Cup won’t have forgotten that), as those moments are few and far between these days.
The reason for that? He’s no longer tasked with doing anything too far out of his skillset, and his teammates clearly know that.
Just take a look back at some clips from this US game.
Here’s one to start off with.
At first, it’s not a special clip, as Borjan completes a simple short pass, one of just 3 (yes, 3) that he attempted according to FotMob, but watch back and look at Borjan and the receiver of that pass, Steven Vitoria.
Usually, after a pass like that, the goalkeeper would immediately drop into a position to play a pass too if needed, but Borjan just casually walks back to his goal. And Vitoria doesn’t seem to mind that, pointing his hips away towards Borjan, looking for another option.
Borjan was of course still open for the long ball, but you could tell that he had no intention in any further participation in the build-up play, and his teammates had no intention in letting him do that, anyway, showing that they’ve both recognized that it’s for the best if they avoid that route.
And to show that the clip wasn’t just a one-time thing, here’s another example of that happening after a short pass to Kamal Miller, who instead of retreating and possibly returning the pass to Borjan in order to keep possession, just immediately pushed the play forward.
Again, it might not seem like much, but that shows the adjustment that the team has made to fit Borjan’s game, and that’s key, as it’s allowed him to avoid those heart-stopping moments that he’d seem to have each game back in 2019, where Canada were still insisting that he plays out of the back.
At the same time, though, it’s not as if Borjan is some sort of dud in the distribution department. He might not be entirely comfortable with dribbling or playing the short passes that have become popular for modern goalkeepers, but he’s good at throwing the ball (he completed 5 of them against the US), and has one heck of a boot on him.
He might not always connect those kicks, completing just 14/32 (43%) of the long balls that he tried against the US, but the good news is that most of his kicks go far up the pitch and into good areas, meaning that if Canada loses the 50/50, the ball is still usually too far from their goal to cause trouble.
Plus, with how long his kicks go, sometimes Canada losing a 50/50 just means the ball bouncing into a good area for them to win the second ball.
So here are some clips to show how those throws and kicks helped Canada in possession.
For example, there’s this nice throw to Mark Anthony Kaye in the middle, allowing Canada to get up the pitch with ease.
And otherwise, here are some examples of his long kicks working out.
Here’s one of him finding Sam Adekugbe in a nice area first time after a back pass, jumpstarting a decent little attack.
Or how about this one to Cyle Larin that allowed Canada’s striker to absorb some contact and win a good free kick high up the pitch, giving his team a bit of time to regroup and move up the pitch.
Otherwise, this next one is a good example of why even if they don’t always connect, having Borjan’s big boot can also lead to good second ball opportunities in midfield, helping them win back possession on one of those moments (even if Kaye then gave it away nearly immediately).
And elsewhere, there was this nice drop kick to Larin, who was a popular target of Borjan’s in the game, and with a touch like this, you can’t blame him, as it allowed Canada to get control of possession in a good spot.
And speaking of Larin, we really see the fruits of that Borjan-Larin line on the next two plays, as two perfect long balls off goal kicks find Larin just a few minutes from each other, and both times, he plucks them down with ease.
And hey, it’s not as if Borjan is completely uncomfortable with his feet, either, as he showed on this play with this tidy backpass.
So ultimately, while Borjan might not be the second-coming of Ederson Moraes, making it harder for Canada to fully embrace the modern style of possession they look to play at times, he’s still very capable in his distribution, especially on those big long balls.
And given how good he’s been in the areas that matter most to a goalkeeper, such as shot-stopping, commanding his area and his leadership, you take that.
Because of that, it’s a trade-off you can take, because while it might mean a few more long balls to Larin (and the other striker’s) heads than you’d like, you know that Borjan will more than make up for it in other ways.
Veteran expertise a key component:
And that’s where we get to what can arguably be seen as Borjan’s best skill, at least when playing for Canada, and that’s leaning into the CONCACAF antics.
That’s not to say that he’s going out there and doing any sort of blatant anti-soccer transgressions, but he’s very good at using his veteran presence to rally his team in certain moments.
Be it the classic late first and second half injury break that he’s made a customary habit in big games, the dramatic fall onto his face that he does after a save, or the classic drag the ball to the edge of the box and wait until the last second to pick it up tactic, he isn’t afraid to lean into the dark arts a bit.
And there are several examples of that from the US game. He wasn’t able to pull out the late injury, as the US players didn’t get close enough to him on any of their late chances to tie up the game, but he still had some nice tricks up his sleeve.
For example, how about this one in the 76th minute, where he did so well to run out and fake getting a ball that was clearly going out, then buying his team a few seconds as he then did a slow walk back to the box?
Or how about this clip from the 91st minute, where Borjan turned a routine save on Pulisic into a 20-second show of him going down, getting up, and then booting the ball, killing some valuable time?
And lastly, how about this clip from a minute later, where he did well to drag the ball out to the corner, wait until the last minute to pick it up, and then take all the time in the world to kick it, killing some more valuable time.
But when you watch Borjan, it’s those little things that he does to help his team win that can help make such a big difference.
For example, one that I noticed from the press box was that he told all the ball boys to stop giving him the ball so fast after Canada scored their first goal, encouraging them to take their time and then throw him the ball softly, eating time off the clock. It might not have changed much, but each second in a big game counts, so it certainly helped.
And it’s those sorts of details that help you win games in CONCACAF.
It might not be pretty at times, but as Canada have learned this cycle, sometimes you have to lean into the dark arts, and in Borjan they’ve had someone who has not shied away from doing that.
Looking Forward:
But that’s just a reason among many why Borjan has been so crucial to this Canadian push towards the World Cup. From his stops, to his leadership, he’s played a big role on this run, both on and off the field.
And that’s key. As the 3rd-oldest and 3rd-most capped player on a pretty young team, Borjan has given a veteran voice for the younger players to lean on, giving them an idea of what to expect in these kinds of big games.
Having played in many of those games, often on the wrong side of it for Canada, he knows what it takes to win in this region, and that manifests itself when he plays.
So that’s allowed him to play such a big part of this journey, be it from his play on the pitch, to the leadership off of it, and now with his sweatpants and full embracing of the dark arts, he’s now properly become a key cult hero for fans to celebrate in games.
But that’s just part of the magic that he’s brought to this team, and will look to hopefully now bring all the way to Qatar, adding to what has already been a memorable career for Canada up to this point.
Borjan celebrates Canada’s victory over Mexico at the ‘Iceteca’ back in November (Keveren Guillou) (IG: @kevereng)
Excellent again, Alex.