11 Questions with Joseph Lowery

The pursuit of wisdom in any walk of life quickly reveals that what you think you know is not nearly enough to get you to where you want to go. As I'm starting out in my football scouting journey I challenged myself to reach out to those already working in various roles in football to answer a short list of questions. My goal wasn't to get answers but relevant perspectives on the game within the game.

Here is Joseph Lowery:

How did your first opportunity in football come about?

One day, with very little writing experience and relatively little experience watching soccer, I decided to email Drew Olsen, the editor of American Soccer Analysis, with a pitch about doing a piece on Jesse Marsh's New York Red Bulls team. Drew gave me the go ahead and I was able to sort of get my foot in the soccer world with ASA. 

Then, I started making a few analysis videos right around the start of the 2018 World Cup just to post on Twitter to see what feedback I would get and what I could learn about the video making process. I remember making one about Carlos Vela man-marking Toni Kroos. Later that day, I was listening to the Total Soccer Show and all of a sudden I hear Daryl and Taylor talking about that video, using it in their analysis of the game, and giving me credit for making it and for the insight in that video. 

A few days later, The Athletic Soccer's managing editor George Quraishi reached out to me to see if I would be interested in writing some tactical pieces for The Athletic during the rest of the World Cup. I said, "of course!" and I've just sort of stuck around as a freelancer there ever since - COVID-19 notwithstanding.

What attracted you to media/data/scouting? What’s more intriguing now names or numbers?

Let's start with the data/scouting/(and I'm going to throw tactics in there as well) side of things first. I've always appreciated the "why" behind things, especially in sports or other games. Why does one team or one player approach something in one way versus another way? Why does one coach choose to play with this system versus another system? I like asking myself those questions and then actually figuring out answers - or figuring out possible answers - to those questions. That's why I appreciate numbers and visual analysis. The media side of things came in as a way for me to actual have opportunities to answer those questions. It was my way to sneak into the soccer world and I would have been silly not to take it! Plus, over the last few years I have learned that I really enjoy making things and thinking creatively and producing a piece of work that I'm really proud of. I'm grateful that I can make things, especially things about soccer.

To hit at the second question, I would say neither of those, actually. I'd take blank magnets on a soccer field whiteboard to illustrate tactical setups and patterns of play over names or numbers. They all have value and they're all interesting to me in different ways, but for now at least, my mind wanders to tactics before the other two. 

What type of player fascinates you? What caught your eye?

I feel like it's almost a meme at this point because I talk about this literally whenever somebody gives me the chance, but dribbling center backs are absolutely fascinating to me. The value that an offensively-inclined center back can have has been clearly documented with center backs developing into better and better passers as teams around the world continue to emphasize possession and buildup over playing long. So, if we already know that center backs can contribute with the ball, why not take it one step further and have them move forward a bit with the ball. Forward runs from a center back could create consistent numerical advantages in midfield and provide something different in the attack, something that opposing defenses aren't prepared to defend. Drop a midfielder in to cover that open center back space or pinch the other members of your backline in to close any major gaps left behind by the center back and you're good to go. (I know it's more complicated than I'm making it sound, but I'm not actually sure that it's that much more complicated.) As far as why caught my eye, there's just something beautiful about center backs striding forward and through defensive lines with the ball at their feet.

What is the biggest misconception you’ve found in this space?

I've heard this a few times, and I'm grateful that it's becoming less and less of an issue, but at the very first soccer game I ever covered in person (the U.S. men's national team in Gregg Berhalter's first game in charge of the national team), someone told me straight to my face that since I never played soccer as a professional, I shouldn't be writing about tactics. For most people that isn't an issue, thankfully. Still, that moment sticks out to me and definitely motivates me to learn more about the game, especially since I'm already well aware that people who don't have an extensive playing background are largely at a disadvantage in the soccer space and are definitely at one in the soccer tactics/analysis space.

If you could start over what skill would you build on first?

It's a three-way tie between learning Spanish (I should have stuck with it after high school), learning to code, and learning more about video and audio production. Maybe outside of Spanish, I definitely don't blame myself for not learning the other two when I started in media. Honestly, I didn't know what I was doing and I certainly didn't know that those skills would become at least tangentially-related to my work. 

What is more important domain knowledge or curiosity?

I think the right answer here is curiosity, because  if you're not curious about something in the first place you really have no motivation to learn and acquire knowledge. Especially in soccer, where the sport is constantly evolving - if you're not curious about new developments, or even interested in learning about old ones, you're eventually going to know less than the people who are.  

What is your favorite sports moment? Why?

My favorite personal sports moment is definitely when I slotted the game-winning penalty kick into the back of the net in one of our state playoff games in high school. I was sixth in the order (decidedly outside of the top five in terms of skill) and sat through the first five penalty kicks praying that the game would be decided (ideally in our favor) before it got to me. Well, it wasn't. Pretty much shaking because of the nerves, I strolled on up there and rolled it very - and unintentionally - slowly into the bottom left corner and somehow it snuck its way past the goalkeeper. That was a fun one. As far as more relevant sports moments go, my favorite would probably be sitting in an apartment in Spain and watching Robin van Persie score that diving header versus Spain in the 2014 World Cup.

What coach or player would you give a lifetime contract to? Why?

Jurgen Klopp. He seems to have a really exceptional blend of man-management and tactical knowledge. He also seems fully willing to allow smart people to come into the club and do smart things (see: Thomas Grønnemark and his throw-ins and their club data analytics department). I don't think his style of management will ever go out of style.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into this space?

Make things and write things and talk about things that you like making and writing and talking about, but also find a gap somewhere. What aren't people doing? Are you able to do that thing? And better yet, are you able to fill that gap with one of those things that you like? That's my advice. 

Who is your favorite athlete? Why?

T.J. McConnell. He went to the University of Arizona down in Tucson and now plays as a point guard for the Indiana Pacers in the NBA. I remember watching McConnell play for UofA and I just fell in love with how he played basketball for them. He ran a ton and was a defensive pest and passed the ball like nobody's business. That's the kind of basketball player that I tried to be, because, uh, I wasn't very good at the important things like shooting or dribbling. Yet somehow, T.J. McConnell turned his skillset into an NBA career. That alone should be enough for him to be anybody's favorite player!

What is your favorite quote or saying?

"Think before you speak."