Three Good Questions: U.S. international/FC Kansas City midfielder Lauren Cheney

Earlier this week, FC Kansas City playmaker Lauren Cheney talked to ProSoccerTalk about the Blues’ impending trip to Rochester, their Saturday match featured as ProSoccerTalk’s NWSL Game of the Week. While much of that conversation was featured in today’s profile, there were enough telling leftovers to dust off an old PST favorite: Three Good Questions.

Through one month of the NWSL season, FC Kansas City’s undefeated, with Cheney serving as the focal point of a team that’s deployed her in a somewhat new role. At UCLA and in Women’s Professional Soccer, the U.S. international was predominantly a striker, while a wealth of forward talent at the national team level has seen the versatile Cheney slowly pushed into a midfield role.

Kansas City, however, has taken advantage of Cheney’s versatility by making her into the playmaker in a 4-2-3-1 formation - playing behind Renae Cueller, in line with midfielders Sinead Farrelly and Kristie Mewis. Given the freedom to move as she sees fit in the attacking phase, Cheney’s been one of the league’s best conductors.

Here are three good questions for the U.S. international. We start by talking about the team’s performance in Tukwila, where Kansas City improved to 2-0-1 thanks to a 1-0 win over Reign FC:

1.) As a team, you had so much possession over the first 30 minutes against Seattle (last Saturday). You in particular, watching your movement, sometimes you’ll come back and show for the ball, if a marker trails you, you’ll peel off and go back upfield. How do you see your role within that attack?

I always want the ball, no matter what position I’m playing. If that’s forward or midfield, I’m always going to check back for the ball sometimes just because I like to get touches. Having a Sinead or a Kristie around me makes it so much easier because I can read off their movement. I’m able to get open more often and keep possession - just have those small touches. I think my movement has been pretty good, and I love it. I’m able to run at the back line if I want to or sometimes just pay a one-touch ball off.

2a.) When did it become apparent to you that you were going to play this role? When you got allocated, some people naturally assumed you would go back to being a number nine.

[FCKC head coach Vlatko Andonovski] did a great job of picking his team. I think the whole time his idea of me was playing a little bit behind the forward and running at players. The whole time I’ve been here in Kansas City, I’ve known this was going to be my role. He’s given us a little bit of freedom. Our ideas and our creativity – he’s given us the freedom to do that. He’s made that apparent from the beginning.

(follow-up on Andonovski, the 36-year-old Macedonian who was brought in from the Missouri Comets indoor team to serve as FCKC’s head coach)

2b.) I just met Vlatko for the first time on Saturday. He was so happy after that performance - his smile was so big. How would you describe him as a coach? What is his style like?

I like what you said there: Vladko had a big smile. You can tell Vladko’s passion for the game. His style is definitely the way that we play. He wants us to play out of the back. He doesn’t want to play long ball. He wants us to have heart and be creative.

Vlatko’s a nice, genuine person off the field, but he demands a lot of us. He wants us to be the hardest workers. He expects us to work hard. He expects us to string together passes and create things, and create opportunities. He’s not scared to let us know when it’s not good enough, but he also is very excited when it is good. He’s sure to let us know that, too.

It’s been awesome playing for Vlatko. He’s really helped our team develop to having a style. I hope that continues the rest of the season.

3.) There is this perception, and it started at the beginning of the year, that there was going to be a big two in this league – your team and Portland. Through one month of the season, there’s been little to prove otherwise. What is your perception of the overall power structure in the league?

I had heard always Portland: top of the line. We had garnered some good press, I would say, but you look at a Boston with Sydney Leroux scoring three goals, Heather O’Reilly scoring two. There are obviously teams that are going to threaten that.

It’s not until every team plays each other will we really know the drop off or who’s were. Right now, Portland’s done well, we’ve done well, but I think Boston’s done well, too. I think those gaps will continue to close the longer teams get to play together.