In a game for the CONCACAF Nations League, Cuba beat Antigua and Barbuda by 3-1 and climbed to the first place of group A. Starting in a 4-3-3, the Cubans played with attacking full-backs who were given the license to join the attack and had the freedom to connect with the attackers in the final third. In this way, they dominated possession during the 90 minutes and did not allow the opponent to create any danger, who tried to hit Cuba on the counter-attack. That wasn’t that effective, because Cuba’s mid-high block defended very strongly. In fact, the only opportunity to score came through the confusion caused by the exchange of positions in a corner. Arichell Hernandez scored all three goals for Pablo Sánchez’s team.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be a strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Dairon Reyes
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Cuban
- Age: 18
- Date of Birth: 18/09/2003
- Club: Inter Miami II
- Career: Inter Miami II
- Position: Left Wing
- Secondary Position: Attacking Midfielder, Right Winger
- Preferred Foot: Left
Against Antigua and Barbuda, Dairon Reyes played as a right winger for 65 minutes before being substituted. The young Cuban showed a good ability to dribble in small spaces whenever he started from the right half-space to the centre. With good positional awareness, he ended up looking to produce through passes showing unselfishness since he could have risked the shot at certain moments. In 1vs1, Dairon Reyes is strong. This is noticeable due to the fact that the ball is always controlled close to his feet and he has a commendable ability to change direction and speed. When he sees that he cannot make a difference through individual attacks, the Inter Miami II player seeks to associate himself through direct combinations with those around him. He tries to create triangles, especially in the centre, and progress that way to an area that allows you to successfully define, usually zone 14. Something Dairon Reyes can improve on is that he sometimes is too rushed on the ball.
Defensively, Dairon Reyes can still develop. Despite demonstrating a good mastery of the second defensive principle, defensive coverage, the young Cuban can be more aggressive at the moment of contention and get closer to the ball carrier, trying to steal the ball. There were times when he just showed that he wanted the opponent to be uncomfortable and look for the late pass, instead of getting close and stealing the ball. Still, he did well to cut off passing lanes, which prevented Antigua and Barbuda from progressing on the field. At the moment of defensive transition, Dairon can recover much quicker, which is always something very appreciated by coaches of another level – although the game did not ask for a lot of quick transitions, it is always something that can be worked on.
Cuba dominated the game through possession and that made Dairon Reyes stand out more in the offence. In addition, the opponents were fragile defensively, which created some ease for the Cubans. Still, it was good to see that Dairon Reyes didn’t make it easy for himself and faced every moment of the game in the same way. This earned him points to raise the level of his performance.
Rating – A2
Dairon Reyes has plenty of creativity on his left foot. In addition, the good positional sense that he denotes to occupy the free spaces within the opponent’s block and appear several times as a free man are advantages that elevate him to another level. He is a youngster who can continue to grow, and the good details he demonstrates are indicative that a very pleasant player may be here to follow in the coming years on the American continent.