For Federico Agreda, this was something completely new.

Nervous and alone in the attacking half of the field, he had more than 4,500 square yards to himself.

‘It’s hard to adapt to it because you’re not used to playing by yourself,’ Agreda said. ‘You have a lot more space to control, but I’m learning. I’m getting it.’

In addition to transferring to Syracuse and adjusting to soccer at the Division I level, Agreda also had to learn an unfamiliar formation. Despite playing soccer since he was six years old, the 22-year-old forward had never lined up as the lone striker. But in first-year head coach Ian McIntyre’s 4-5-1 formation, that is exactly what he is trying to learn. And his comfort level is increasing with each game he plays.

At Garden City Community College, Agreda was an NSCAA All-America First Team selection in 2009. But that was part of a drastically different coaching philosophy. That system focused heavily on possession and keeping the ball on the ground to work it up the field. McIntyre’s is basically the opposite.

‘We had a lot of Hispanic players (at Garden City CC),’ Agreda said. ‘A lot of players from Argentina and Columbia, where they like the style of playing more with the ball and possession. It’s completely different how we play with (McIntyre).’

Now Agreda is learning how to become a target player for the rest of his teammates. Defenders and midfielders look to play the ball long to him, in hopes that he can control it and keep possession for his team.

The longer he can hold onto the ball after receiving it, the more time he allows his teammates to come up in support.

‘When the ball comes up to you, it has to stick,’ junior midfielder Nick Roydhouse said. ‘Pretty much the majority of attacks go through that one player, and in terms of doing well attacking-wise, you really need that one player to have a good touch, hold up and be strong.’

To an extent, that seemed to work this weekend during Syracuse’s second-place finish at the Mayor’s Cup in Oneonta, N.Y. In Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Columbia, Roydhouse and fellow midfielder Mark Brode combined for seven of the Orange’s 10 total shots. Although the team failed to score, Agreda was doing his job.

Roydhouse explained the lone striker can function in two ways to help the Syracuse attack. The first dictates that he receives the ball and immediately lays it off to the midfielders for shots on goal. Through the first four games for the Orange, this has been the most prevalent use of the striker. Twenty-three of SU’s 26 shots this season have come from non-strikers.

‘Most of it is just kind of holding on top so we can get midfield players (up there), and they can have shots and chances at goal,’ Agreda said.

But eventually, production will have to come from the forwards. To win games, the Orange can’t just rely on its midfield to put the ball in the back of the net. That has been the story through the first four games, and SU has just two goals and one win to show for it.

McIntyre has shuffled three others players in and out of that striker position. Brett Jankouskas, Fredrik Forsman and L.J. Papaleo are all seeing time up front.

Agreda has gotten the start in all four games this season, but his production is still not where it needs to be. One shot on goal isn’t enough.

‘We’re looking to develop a fluid attack,’ McIntyre said. ‘The real question is who is going to score us those goals. Ultimately, forward players are evaluated on the kind of effect they have in games.’

So far, just Jankouskas has gotten his name in the scoring column from the striker position, doing so in the second half against Siena in the first game of the season.

With two games left before Big East play opens on Sept. 25, the Orange will have to find a scoring threat. It needs to have a player opponents must game plan around.

Agreda wants that to be him.

‘I’ve been trying so hard, and not scoring goals is something that I can get frustrated (over),’ he said. ‘It gets in my head. But when I score my first goal, I’m just going to go crazy.’

mjcohe02@syr.edu

Published on September 13, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13