Wake Forest vs. Clemson men’s soccer, previewed by digging deep into the game film

Clemson and Wake Forest meet in a massive ACC clash between the defending College Cup champions and the current No. 1 team in DI men’s soccer this Saturday at Historic Riggs Field in Clemson, South Carolina. The game is at 7 p.m ET and streams on ESPN/ACCNX. To follow along with live updates, click or tap here.

A clash like this deserves special attention because two high-level soccer teams sharing the pitch is as much a game of strategy and nuance as it is physical. Before taking a look at each team’s style of play this season, let’s see how this matchup has played out historically and in recent seasons.

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Series history, recent results, returning players

This will be the 53rd matchup between the programs, a series in which the Deacons lead with a 24-20-8 all-time record. These teams are pretty even in the last five meetings, with two wins each and one scoreless tie the last time Clemson played host. Interestingly, at least one team has been ranked in each of the last 11 meetings — and Saturday will be the seventh time as many years that both teams rank in the top 10. The most recent battle happened last October, a 2-1 Clemson win that the Tigers dominated in terms of shots (19-5) and corner kicks (12-1), but shots on goal were nearly even (5-4). 

There are several players on both sides who played in that game and should feature on Saturday like Clemson’s dynamic attacking trio of Ousmane Sylla, Mohamed Seye and Isaiah Reid, as well as captain Alvaro Gomez. 

Unlike Clemson, the Deacons return many players from their backline including the spine of goalkeeper Trace Alphin and the center-back partnership of Prince Amponsah and Garrison Tubbs. Other notable upperclassmen with plenty of experience against Clemson are midfielders Takuma Suzuki, Omar Hernandez and Jake Swallen, who have played the Tigers at least four times since 2019.  

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Clemson and Wake Forest film breakdown

I sat down to watch each team’s two previous ACC matches and their most recent non-conference clash to get an idea of how they set up and how they play. What I gathered is that both teams set up in a 4-3-3 base formation and generally like to control possession, which is to be expected. The differences show in the roles of certain players within each system. Here’s what I noticed:

Wake Forest in possession

The…