Film Study and Poch’s Tactics: How Zack Steffen Will Improve in 2025 With Colorado Rapids

COMMERCE CITY – It’s past Zack Steffen’s bedtime, even for the offseason. He’s on baby duty with his infant daughter on his chest. He’s got a free hand and his laptop is next to him. He opens it up. Might as well watch some film, right? A few minutes later, he sees something interesting. He messages Rapids goalkeeper coach Chris Sharpe. It doesn’t take “Sharpie” long to respond. 

“I try to go to bed early, man. Sometimes I do video when she’s (his daughter) napping. Sometimes when she’s on my chest. You get the best of both worlds. I love how dialed in Sharpie is. He has been a great rock for me. Great support system. Pushes me in training. There for me and my family off the field,” Steffen told Burgundy Wave. 

It’s been a busy 14 months for Steffen. He made the move from Manchester City back to MLS. The Colorado Rapids let in a bunch of goals in 2024, though it wasn’t always his fault. The media and USMNT Twitter made a big deal of his Post Shot Goals Conceded vs Expected Goals, a stat that crudely measuring shot stopping. He went on a tear in Leagues Cup on the way to a third place finish. He’s crushing it with VOYCENOW as well.

“We let in a *expletive* load of goals early in the season. I’m pretty hard on myself. I know what I did wrong, usually right after it happens. When it’s time to do video, it’s usually looking at what happened leading up to that moment.”

National team wise, he got called up to the USMNT in October. Then he got hurt in camp. His 2025 preseason included USMNT January Camp. January 23 he started in a 3-0 win over Costa Rica. It was his first national team minutes since March 31, 2022, almost three years. He got a clean sheet and felt good. Sharpie was smiling ear to ear, watching Zack make those two big saves. U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino was impressed.

This past Saturday, Steffen started in the MLS opener, a 0-0 draw at St. Louis. He had a really poor pass out of the back right to an attacker that almost led to a goal. Minutes later, he made a huge save on Simon Becher.

He got another clean sheet. MLS Season Pass named him Player of the Match. FotMob had his rating at 8.6, better than any other player in the game by over a point. What was that about knowing what you do wrong, making up for it, and helping your team prevent those situations in the first place?

Steffen’s feeling good about his second year at the Rapids. He’s more comfortable with his surrounds. Chris Armas will be making some minor but impactful tactical changes in 2025. It will match what Pochettino wants with the national team. This was something Steffen and Sharpie discussed in the offseason. It came up during some late night film and text message sessions at least once.

“Poch wants us keepers to play deeper on our line. He wants us to first and foremost keep the ball out of the net. When we can play, we can play, but not to force anything. That’s a great balance for me,” Steffen said.

“It was a tough transition because recent coaches have asked me to play high and aggressive. Last year, I was trying to do too much. We’re bringing this (tactical change) back to the Rapids. Let the defenders defend. Don’t get in their way. That’s something we’re really trying to focus on.”

The other thing they’ve gone all in on is film. Not just game film to watch home on the couch. 

“We video every training. We watch it back. More homework. After a year (2024) of doing it, it’s brought up a lot. I’m a visual learner.” 

The Rapids goalkeepers now watch most training sessions, usually later that day. Sharpie will look at little technical things. There’s an emphasis on preventing more of those big scoring chances this year. The 3-4-3 should make them more compact when they need to be, especially against top teams. 

Steffen has been able to drown out the noise and find tranquility with some help from his tribe. He, Sharpie, and other players with kids talk about fatherhood. The Steffens found a church in the offseason that they really like. Zack’s a man of faith and that has been grounding for him amid the ups, downs, pressure, and expectations. 

With some cleaned up tactics, things around Steffen should be better in 2025. With a little help from his friends, Steffen should be better too. That’s just what the Rapids need.

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken and John Babiak

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