Lindley excels in playmaking role for No. 4 North Carolina

Too often in soccer, it seems the strikers that rack up goals get all the credit for their team’s success. 

But while a clinical striker is undoubtedly crucial to any team, sometimes not enough attention is given to the midfield playmaker that really makes things tick by creating chances and dictating the tempo of the game. For every Cristiano Ronaldo, there’s a Toni Kroos. For every Harry Kane, there’s a Christian Eriksen. And for No. 4 North Carolina's star forward Alan Winn, there’s Cam Lindley. 

Lindley has racked up eight assists this season, tied for the team lead, adding his eighth on Tuesday night against James Madison on a beautifully delivered corner kick.

He’s set up Winn three times already this season, meaning just under half of the forward’s team-leading eight goals have come on assists from Lindley.

As far as playmakers go, there aren’t many better in the country right now than the midfielder from Carmel, Indiana.

Lindley said he credits hard work on the practice field for his high tally of assists this season. 

“A lot of my assists come off of set pieces, so corners, free kicks, stuff like that,” he said after Tuesday night’s game. “Every day in practice we work on those, whether it be five times, 10 times, 15 times… So it’s kind of just been bringing it from the practice pitch onto the game pitch and that’s why we’ve been having success.”

That’s not to say that Lindley isn’t a goal-scorer. In fact, he’s third on the team in goals with five this season, including two in Tuesday’s 6-0 demolition of James Madison. 

He also scored on a majestic strike from long-range against Pittsburgh back in September, showing off a cannon of a right leg that has terrified opposing defenders and goalkeepers alike this season. 

Head coach Carlos Somoano believes the former No. 1 recruit deserves praise for his performances, but he insisted he was just one of many important players on the roster.

“He’s important, he’s a very good player,” he said. “How important? I don’t know. Everyone is important. You can say it’s coach talk, but that’s just how we think. We don’t think about that guy and this guy, we think about putting a unit together. And he’s a player that plays and leads for us, so, by nature, he’s important.”

To say that Lindley comes from a soccer family would be an understatement.

His parents, Ronald and Tara Lindley, played collegiate soccer at Methodist and UNC-Greensboro, respectively. His uncle played at Indiana. His two aunts played at Clemson and Ohio State. Finally, his younger sister, Cassidy, has committed to play for the University of Florida next year. Soccer really is in his blood.

“We always had a ball at our foot,” Lindley said. ”Whether it was at the game… or at home, we always had a ball, and that’s kind of how our culture was growing up.” 

After scoring twice, notching one assist and rattling the post on a volley that would’ve given him a hat trick, Lindley was subbed off in the 63rd minute of Tuesday’s game which he said was due to a finger injury.

He said that it won’t affect him going forward, and his focus is already on this Friday’s clash with No. 2 Wake Forest, arguably UNC’s biggest game of the season so far. 

“It is a big game. Obviously it’s our next game, and every game, like Carlos says, is the most important game…" he said. "It’s going to be a great game, but in preparation we’ll just do what we do. We’ll get our rest, we’ll work on some set pieces offensively and defensively, and we’ll come out here and hopefully get a win on Friday night.”

@sam_jarden

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