As the Union prepare to head south for the opening leg of preseason training, they are adding to their ranks between the pipes for the second time this offseason. Following the homegrown signing of Matt Freese, the club has acquired Carlos Miguel Coronel from Red Bull Salzburg. The 22-year old Brazilian goalie has been with Salzburg since 2015, spending most of his time in net for affiliate FC Liefering. Now Coronel is likely to slot in as the backup to Andre Blake, and he may see significant time during 2019 when Blake is away at the Gold Cup with Jamaica.
Ernst Tanner saw plenty of Coronel when both were part of the Salzburg setup, and he was impressed with the young netminder's development on multiple fronts. "[He]'s a typical goalkeeper who was very good in goal defending and had really good reactions, and he has always been a person with a certain charisma," Tanner explained. "But what he needed to learn was the zonal defense and getting out of goal in situations when we have the ball and backing up his back four as alibero. He improved himself and I also like his positioning very much."
When the term libero first came into use, it often described a sweeper-type player who covered space behind the rest of the back line. As tactics have evolved and defensive lines have pushed higher and higher, many goalies have taken on libero-like duties, and Tanner cites Manuel Neuer as the prototype for that modern backstop role. "I would even say that in goalkeeping and in the evaluation of goalkeepers, there is a slight change now to those that are able to do both zonal and goal defense," he continued. "Normally, these type of goalkeepers, they don't need to make spectacular saves because they position themselves so well."
A key aspect of Coronel's appeal, then, is that he is able to read the game and the space behind the defense, giving an extra bit of security to defenders who have to play a proactive and fearless style despite leaving huge swaths of grass behind them. It will be intriguing to see how the play of the Union's goalies evolve with Oka Nikolov contributing to their development and zonal positioning receiving additional emphasis in training.
Tanner still sees additional room for growth in Coronel's game. He notes that the 6'2" goalie can be better with his feet and that his communication will improve has he beds in with the group and works on his English. However, the Union Sporting Director is not worried about any language barrier between Coronel and the Union defense: "He has started to learn," he said. "He will be capable to use the important words."
Last, I asked Tanner if, with Andre Blake on international duty for, potentially, most of June, he feels that Coronel will be ready to step in by then. "He needs to adapt," Tanner agreed. "But Andre is here for the early period, and I don't have any fears to put anyone in. Matt Freese is very talented, so I think we have a very good goalkeeping situation."
