Pressing Stories #11 - Lysianne Proulx
S2EP11
Lysianne Proulx's debut in the NWSL has created quite a stir in women's soccer with her distinctive and audacious playstyle. The Canadian goalkeeper has made an immediate impact with Bay FC, a team competing in their inaugural NWSL season. Proulx has rapidly become a fan favourite and already established herself as a crucial player for the club.
Although Bay FC finds itself in the lower half of the standings, Proulx's injury and slight dip in form may have played a part in their current position. Despite these challenges, she has left a significant impression and fourteen games into the 2024 season, we take a closer look at Proulx’s unique approach to goalkeeping. Her aggressive and electrifying style is no secret, but breaking down her game and technique reveals fascinating insights.
When I pitched the idea of talking to Lysianne Proulx, it was thought it might not be of interest to her, but it turned out to be the opposite. The chat took place amidst the men’s EURO 2024 France vs Netherlands group stage game at 12:30 am when we discussed her play style, experiences with Bay FC, and her vision of football.
Abdullah: “I like to always start with this question — what is your understanding of your role as a keeper for both club and country?”
Proulx: “As for my play style, I'm a lot more of a possession type of goalkeeper. I like to play [out] from the back and figure out how we can get out [of a press], with one-two touch passes. I enjoy that kind of play a lot, which is what I did a lot previously at Melbourne City. It was one of the reasons why I came here [Bay FC] as well because it seems like that's what they wanted to do here”.
“As for the national team, we play a lot more of a direct game rather than trying to build from the back so adapting when I go to the national team is different. At Bay, I look a bit more for short passes as opposed to when I go to the national team, then I think about how can we break the line?”
“I'm an aggressive goalkeeper and I'll come out and hit whatever's in my way to try and get where I want to go. I believe I can offer that presence at the back as well. So I'd say that's pretty much me in a nutshell”.
The description Proulx gives is very much in line with the modern goalkeeping style where they act as auxiliary outfield players and provide an extra body at the back to allow other defenders to step forward and play more complex tactical styles which was the case with Bay FC where they used her distribution and composure to their advantage. The Canadian can be described as a modern, ball-playing sweeper keeper. Her front-foot approach to defending by attacking shots and acrobatic saves mixed with her desire to play out from the back makes her the type of keeper most clubs strive to have.
The playstyle at Bay FC relies on the presence of a good ball-playing goalkeeper and using Proulx at the start of the season was a reason they were able to play quick-paced football and move the ball from back to front quickly. The lightning-fast forward line and creativity of Deyna Castellanos make Bay one of the most dangerous teams in the league. The backline is tasked with getting the ball into the midfield to utilise space for the forwards to run in behind.
Proulx’s distribution styles come in handy here — given her bravery on the ball, Proulx will sometimes delay her passes to ensure options present themselves because of Bay FC’s laissez-faire style of building out from the back. There isn’t an idealistic methodology in their passing sequences, but rather a more opportunistic style.
Abdullah: “Let's talk about your distribution. You talked about your enjoyment of short passes, when you have goal kicks and you encounter different situations, what is your thought and decision-making process in these short passing scenarios?”
“If you want to play out from the back, who do you need to pass to? Are there set passing patterns that you're taught in training? Or do you have the freedom to choose based on the situation and pick where you want to go?”
Proulx: “So when I was with Melbourne City, we had a lot more of a game plan. So I pass it to my centre-back, [she] gives it back to me. I knew that when the pressure came to me, I knew at the right moment, my midfielder would pop out and give me a passing lane. It was a lot more planned. If I was calm enough and had the confidence to wait just a little bit more for the pressure to come towards me, I knew I would have that [passing] option. I knew when and where my midfielder would arrive”.
“I think with Bay, it's slightly [less] structured. We've been trying to go down the flanks which has been working for us so far but obviously, it’s different coming from a very structured system. The support from the No. 6 is not as prevalent [because of the wing focus]. I think sometimes that makes it a bit more difficult because I am used to waiting for the player to arrive when I’m under pressure knowing I had the passing option. [In those situations] I need to make a quick decision of where I'm going to play”.
“I'm still enjoying it. it's still fun because I have to figure it out, which is the fun part of it. It’s only that I don't think we have as much of a plan as I have had in the past. [The idea is] trying to track the pressure, play the same side of that pressure to [switch] to the other side where it's open. I think that's pretty much the basis of it”.
As you can see in this example, Proulx plays the ball out quickly but KC Current’s intense press forces the centre-back to play back to her goalkeeper. The two forwards pressing means that the Current have left space out wide which Proulx sees and makes a first-time pass out to the right-back. This allows Bay to propel the opposition to press high and hit them on the counter-attack by using their pace.
Even here, Proulx receives the ball back under pressure with KC Current pressing her where she holds the ball for a second longer before releasing the ball out to Alex Loera. This gives her the space to turn, drive, and find the players further forward. Racheal Kundananji drops deep, has the pace to receive, and then turns to exploit the space in behind. This originates from the goalkeeper and backline finding opportune moments to receive and turn after manufacturing space.
Proulx’s aggressive movement and quick feet mean she can step up into midfield. Goalkeepers with her physique and on-ball quality can play further forward — if you look at Hannah Hampton of Chelsea or Daphne Van Domselaar of Aston Villa, you see two keepers comfortable on the ball and are very astute with their distribution, but also may not be the most comfortable stepping up into the backline. This is in contrast with someone like Proulx who is quick and plays like an outfield player ass he clearly has the confidence and ability to do so.
Abdullah: “Would you like to become more involved in the build-up and become like a
pseudo-centre-back? We've seen a lot of goalkeepers now fill in the backline. Would you like to play that sort of role?”
Proulx: “That's what I did in Melbourne City. We'd have our centre-back go into the midfield and I would take the space of that centre-back. I would become one of the back four and it would create that overload in midfield. I really enjoyed it because then it made it so easy to get out. If I would get more involved, I would be more of a central centre-back in a back three. The issue is that I feel teams press a bit more [in the NWSL] if I would step up more making finding those options a bit more difficult because of time and space”.
Positioning and mindset traits are important for the goalkeeping position. How they set up in different situations and scenarios, whether it be in attacking or defending, changes the way they approach the sequence. Though she’s only played six matches so far, Proulx ranks second in Saves per 90 minutes but that also comes with the added context of being first in shots against per 90. The two statistics together make for better reading. But is it a goalkeeping deficiency or a defensive problem? That is debatable but how Proulx approaches goalkeeper positioning is different because of her physical attributes that help put her in advantageous positions.
Abdullah: “How would you determine your positioning during different phases of the play? Attacking, defending and set pieces, there are different positionings and ways you would approach it. So how do you differ and determine what to do in each scenario?”
Proulx: “When the ball is higher up the field, I try to stay connected as much as possible because one of my [good] physical qualities is I'm fast. So for those balls that come in behind, it gives me a better chance if I'm higher up the pitch to go and be able to get to that ball. Otherwise, even in corners or crosses, I like to keep a higher line because once again, I'm quick. If it goes behind me, I can adjust pretty quickly. It helps that I am aggressive, that way, the more aggressive I am, the closer to the ball I can get”.
“In terms of positioning, I've started playing a little bit higher because another one of my good qualities is my reflexes. I’ve got a lot more reflex power and can move my feet quickly as opposed to some keepers who are a bit taller, and they can make that one step and get to the ball as opposed to me, where I need to move a little bit more. Pretty much for any instance of the game, I'll try and keep a higher line”.
Proulx’s reflexes come from her quick movement and reading of the game. As a goalkeeper, the Canadian’s reflexes are a core part of her game and help her to push higher and make saves. Being able to predict a striker’s shot and blocking the angle comes from being in position early, but at times it requires a reflex save if any unforeseen circumstances come up. This sequence is an example of the striker delaying their shot to make space to shoot past the defender which gives enough time for Proulx to step forward and block the shot.
Abdullah: “So for positioning on set-pieces, are you always trying to come out to punch or grab the ball, or are you prone to letting your defenders handle that?”
Proulx: “I love coming out just because I love the thrill of it. However, if I think there's anything that I can affect, even if it's just a small touch or possibly just getting in the way of the opponent player [to put them off], then I'll try and affect that. There are limits to where I can go and which balls are mine and my defenders but as I said once I go, I go”.
You can see some of what Proulx talks about here in this example against Washington Spirit. Despite the heavy traffic concentrated in the six-yard box, Proulx makes no hesitation to go out and punch the ball. She makes clean contact and manages to clear the danger from the set-piece from the first phase.
Abdullah: “Do you see a difference between the tactics in the national teams versus club teams? The way they're set up, the things that they do, is there a difference when you're playing at domestic and international level? From your vantage point, you can see the entire pitch, so is there a change?”
Proulx: “I think for me, it's very different because I'm not as involved in the play as the players are, so it gets a lot more complicated when we go into the national team, especially with like how our midfield is going to play depending on what opponent we're going to play. I feel like the tactics get a bit more complicated when we go into the national team but as a goalkeeper, I try to keep things simple”.
“This would be just being able to recognise where those pockets of space are and see if we can take advantage of those regardless of what shape they're playing. Just being able to identify that. So [can we go] to the opposite side [or] use the midfield pocket that's open etc.”.
“Sometimes what happens in front of me is just fluff, I don't always understand midfielder movements and all of that. I tend to focus on trying to identify the spaces and then just see how we can exploit that [for when the ball gets to me]”.
Lastly, we talked about other goalkeepers and strikers who she’s currently watching that she’s been impressed with. Usually, this answer becomes telling in the type of game they like to play. Proulx is undoubtedly an eccentric goalkeeper and at 25, is still developing and learning before reaching her peak. Learning from other keepers and understanding how different strikers operate enables her to become a better-rounded keeper.
Abdullah: “Which goalkeeper are you looking at right now that you’re either trying to emulate or impressed with?”
Proulx: “In terms of goalkeeper, since it's the Euros, probably the French goalkeeper [Mike Maignan] who also plays for AC Milan. I think he has a bit of the same kind of aggressive aura as [I do] a little bit. I do enjoy watching his actions and how aggressive he is even in 1 v 1s and command of the area”.
Abdullah: “Yeah! Maignan is playing as we speak keeping France in the game! But lastly, what about the toughest striker you’ve faced?”
Proulx: “The striker from Kansas City Current - Tabitha Chawinga. Just because she is so fast and a little unpredictable as well, honestly, she’s just made it a nightmare for me, we also had trouble against her, but for me personally, she was a difficult one to defend against”.
Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images