In the 77th minute of the New England Revolution’s game against CF Montreal on Apr. 4, Mamadou Fofana made an undetected run to finish Luca Langoni’s free kick.
Fofana pointed to the sidelines, readying for an emotional hug with Set-Piece Coach Marc Orti Esteban.
“I try to help them the best way I can to make them improve and to help the team get more goals,” Orti Esteban told The Blazing Musket. “And if they feel like I've helped them and they are thankful for it, then that's really nice to see.”
It’s been a job well done so far, as the Revs have six goals from set pieces, tied for the third most in the league.
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Orti Esteban studied sports science in college, which led to an internship at FC Barcelona. Here, he helped run reports on set pieces to ensure a clear understanding among everyone on the first team.
An interest was sparked.
He spent 2022-23 as the Set-Piece Analyst with Danish side FC Midtjylland, then held the same position with Brentford FC in the English Premier League.
He learned a lot during his two seasons in the English top flight, working alongside the likes of Bernardo Cueva, Keith Andrews, Claus Nørgaard, and Thomas Frank. Dead balls were an important part of Brentford’s identity, as they ranked third in the league in set-piece goals (16) during the 2023-24 season.
“Usually, set pieces have been a part of the game that's been a bit overlooked,” Orti Esteban said. “Brentford had this big culture on set pieces, and everyone talked about them and knew how important they were for us.”
Orti Esteban, who considers himself “very open to new opportunities,” jumped at the chance to join the Revolution in 2025. Though he might one day return to Europe – he’s only 26 –the prospect of learning a new team, league, and country was exciting.
“I looked at it as a really good way to know the country, to know the league,” Orti Esteban said. “It’s a league that has been growing for the last few years.”
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Orti Esteban says there’s “no secret sauce” to understanding set pieces. It’s all about recognizing patterns and finding ways to accentuate the players' strengths.
He’s spent countless hours watching tape to learn how to score more and concede less on set pieces. While he has his own preconceived notions, he’s open-minded about zonal defending, short corners, and more.
“My way of seeing soccer is that there is no perfect answer to anything,” Esteban remarked. “It’s about finding the best way that suits your team.”
Trick plays can be fun to watch, but ten in a game is likely too much. While a short-corner routine can be effective, teams should also be prepared to go direct.
“Depending on the personnel you have on the field, depending on how good your players are at executing different types of routines, you need to find a good balance,” Orti Esteban said.
Even something like stutter steps on penalty kicks is open for discussion.
“I wouldn't want to force players to do something that they don't like to do, so it's very personal,” Orti Esteban said.
Set pieces are a growing part of the game, as highlighted by Arsenal, who top the EPL standings. They scored their 17th corner kick of the campaign in a 1-0 win over Newcastle United on Apr. 25, breaking a record that has stood since the league’s first season.
Approximately 27% of the non-penalty goals scored in the EPL came from set pieces, according to Opta Analyst. There have been 102 non-penalty set-piece tallies in Major League Soccer this year, accounting for 20.7% of goals.
Set-piece coaches are a rarity in MLS, but that could change in the future.
“Like anything, if there are people that only look at set pieces and that spend a lot of time looking at set pieces, eventually they'll see patterns, and they'll see things that other people maybe don't see,” Orti Esteban explained. “I believe that is helpful for clubs. We've seen it with many different examples. I think the trend will continue to grow.”
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Carles Gil has long been the man who stands over dead balls for the Revolution. This year, Luca Langoni has stepped up on occasion, producing four tallies via corners and free kicks.
Langoni, who previously played for Boca Juniors, revealed that he had never taken free kicks until this year, but Orti Esteban saw something in him.
“If you see Luca in training every day striking balls, he looks like a player who could be good at that,” Orti Esteban explained. “So, throughout last season, I had these ideas that Luca could probably make a good set-piece taker. We started working on it. We did some reps, and this year he's been starting regularly.”
Orti Esteban compared set pieces to the work of a kicker in football because it’s a very controllable element of the game. The goal in both situations is to find consistency.
“The ball is always on the same spot,” Orti Esteban said. “No one is pressing them, no one is doing anything. So for me, if they can find that consistency and that rhythm that gives them the effectiveness, then that's really helpful.”
Of course, service typically has to find a teammate before the ball ends up in the back of the net. In the past, the Revs had an obvious target in Adam Buksa, a 6’3 striker with a knack for winning aerial duels.
The Revs don’t have that profile at the moment; Fofana (6’2) and Dor Turgeman (6’1) are the tallest field players starting regularly. This presents Orti Esteban with an opportunity to be creative.
“Whether you want to look at it like an advantage or a disadvantage, it's something that we think about, and we try to use,” Orti Esteban explained.
Bryan Ceballos (6’0) and Will Sands (6’1) recently scored their first MLS goals.
The Sands goal came against Atlanta United, sparking a 2-1 come-from-behind victory. Carles Gil, a former league MVP, earned the assist on the corner.
Having two viable options on set pieces is a positive for the Revs.
“It's always good to have one of the leaders taking set pieces,” Orti Esteban said of Gil. “He organizes the team, and he's really helpful.”
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Orti Esteban noted that the Revs were “very good” at defending set pieces last year, something he believes is overlooked. This year’s improvement has come on the attacking end.
He attributes the success to consistency, as much of the roster returned. As such, there’s a good understanding of the system.
The work begins by analyzing the opponent’s tendencies in both boxes. At least once a week, the team spends 15-20 minutes on set pieces. Orti Esteban will also collaborate individually with certain players to give them additional insight or reps.
He’s on the bench on game days to provide guidance. He can be seen offering instructions to players on the field, outlining responsibilities to substitutes before they enter, and reviewing plays on his iPad.
“If I see there's anything we worked on that is not working, then I need to address that and help the players on the field know what they're doing,” Orti Esteban said.
If all goes well, the night ends with three points.
Dead-ball situations have been a factor in five of their six wins: 1-0 over Charlotte (penalty), 2-1 over Atlanta (corner kick), 2-1 over Columbus (free kick, penalty), 3-0 over Montreal (free kick), and 6-1 over FC Cincinnati (free kick, corner kick).
Of course, the goals and the wins take a team-wide effort, but when you see the players celebrate with Orti Esteban or mention him during post-game interviews, it's clear that he's making a difference.
