Film Room: Tally Hall’s Leadership and Key Saves

The goalkeeper’s job to the casual observer is simple: keep the ball out of the eight yard by eight foot goal. While this is true, there are many other responsibilities that they need to master.

As a former collegiate goalkeeper and someone that trains youth goalkeepers, I have a deep love for the position and how the position is played. The position is not for everyone and the difference from being on the field or sitting the bench can be very small. The mistakes you make can be directly seen on the score sheet and no other position has the scrutiny and the pressure game in and game out.

Orlando City fans are lucky to have a great goalkeeper in Tally Hall. There has been a difference with Hall between the pipes rather than with Donovan Ricketts. Ricketts played well for Orlando in the first few matches but Hall has had an excellent spell of games and should be in the conversation for Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year. He plays the position the way it is supposed to be played.

Hall reads the game well, is a leader, and makes timely saves to keep Orlando in the games. Hall has had some memorable saves in the first part of the year but a few have stood out tactically.

Save 1: July 11, FC Dallas, David Texiera

This save starts with a corner kick, which Hall does well to box out of danger. The key to a good boxed ball is getting distance and width. Hall achieves this on the corner kick and resets to his position. The ball comes to the back post, where the outside midfielder has a clear run in. Hall comes out, reads the play well, and times his dive correctly to make a good save. This reading of the game is important to have in a keeper. A less experienced keeper may stand their line and make a save. Hall eliminates it by coming out and getting to the ball first.

Save 2: July 4, Real Salt Lake, Olmes Garcia

First, you should note that this save comes within the first five minutes of the match. No team wants to fall behind early on in a match on the road. This is save is all hard work and never giving up on the play. Hall’s footwork is decent throughout the whole buildup to the save.

The most important thing that a young goalkeeper can learn from this is that every time there is a shot, Hall has his feet set for the save. He is not guessing which way the ball is going, which you see some keepers do at short range. He comes across and he robs Garcia of an easy goal. There’s nothing that a keeper loves seeing more than a striker at a loss of words after being stonewalled. Goalkeepers have to steal games to win championships and Tally Hall stole a point in Salt Lake on the fourth of July.

Finally, let’s talk about the leadership that Hall brings. We have all seen this clip and analyzed whether or not Kaká deserved the red card. Hall is calm and pulls his teammates back from the referee after he shows Kaká the red. He refocuses his team for being down a player for the rest of the match and is a calming force. Teams sometime look to their goalkeeper in times of trouble and he is exactly what City needed that night.

Hall has been one of the best goalkeepers in the league since returning from injury. He is a great example for youth goalkeepers to watch and emulate. The best quote from Tally Hall came in a post match press conference after a 2-0 loss to FC Dallas. “I think this has been more the anomaly than the standard.” He is right and there is no reason to panic Orlando City fans, it’s one game. As long as Tally Hall is in goal for the Purple and White good things will continue to happen for this team.