Portuguese Set-Pieces 'Speak' English with a Scottish Accent

PALM BEACH — The 17th minute: Cristiano Ronaldo lines up a free-kick just outside the box. TV cameras zoom in on the Portuguese captain, capturing his focused breathing, his meticulous preparation. He'd already scored once and was hungry for more. The referee blows his whistle, but it's Nuno Mendes who fires home, making it 2-0.

The 59th minute: Cristiano Ronaldo eyes the goal from a free-kick a little further out. He'd already bagged two goals. The referee signals, the captain steps over the ball, and sprints into the box. Bruno Fernandes chips it over the wall, and it's agonizingly close to a third.

The 60th minute, from the ensuing corner: Bruno Fernandes delivers a low ball to the near post from the right. It's not in the playbook, but the Uzbek defenders get tangled, and Portugal extends their lead to 4-0 with an own goal.

In a single match, these three instances highlight the impact of Scottish set-piece specialist Austin MacPhee, who joined the national team's coaching staff under Roberto Martínez in February 2025.

When Anthony Barry, Martínez's assistant coach since his arrival, left the Portuguese Football Federation to rejoin Thomas Tuchel with the English national team, the National Coach, in agreement with the federation officials at the time, decided to fill the principal assistant role internally. He believed Ricardo Carvalho was ready for a more active role in training, though Martínez himself is also hands-on, and he wanted a fresh face in the technical setup.

On one hand, Martínez felt that the technical prowess of Portuguese players wasn't being fully exploited in set-pieces, especially offensive ones. On the other, the Spaniard was convinced that having someone on the team who also worked at a club — Austin MacPhee is an assistant at Aston Villa — would ensure constant updates and guarantee that no new trend would go unnoticed.

MacPhee had a modest playing career, but upon transitioning to coaching, he quickly made his mark at the clubs and national teams he worked with: Cowdenbeath, St. Mirren, Northern Ireland (their first qualification for a European Championship), Heart of Midlothian, Scotland, Midtjylland, Aston Villa, and now Portugal.

Since taking on the role of set-piece coach for Northern Ireland, he has consistently worked simultaneously for clubs and national teams. At 46, the Scot is well-established with both the National Team and Aston Villa, who recently won the Europa League... with several goals coming from free-kicks and corners.