In one of the biggest transfer moves you could draw up, Indy Eleven announced the signing of Solomon Asante this afternoon. Plying his trade in Phoenix for four seasons, Asante operated as a right winger in a 4-3-3 shape to the tune of fifty-four total goals. He was a two-time MVP and three-time all-league player; any individual award available for a USL player is present in Asante's trophy cabinet.
The numbers back up just how impactful the Rising's former #20 has been. Consider his record over the last three campaigns:
2021: 99th percentile in Goals Above Replacement, 89th percentile in expected goals, 93rd percentile in expected assists
2020: 98th percentile GAR, 93rd percentile xG, 99th percentile xA
2019: 100th percentile GAR, 92nd percentile xG, 97th percentile xA
If it isn't clear, Asante provides an unmatched attacking threat in the USL context.
Meanwhile, the Indy Eleven side that the Ghanaian is joining has struggled in a few ways in 2022. Under new gaffer Mark Lowry, the Eleven currently rank last in the league for expected goals, albeit alongside a roughly decent defense. This is a team that, on average, only puts two shots on frame per match. Granted, there are some extenuating circumstances. Leading striker Manuel Arteaga (94th percentile GAR) and usual left back Ayoze (89th percentile xA) have hardly seen the pitch, and the side as a whole is adjusting to an entirely new regime.
Still, the issues on the pitch have been clear to see.
There are a few trends to note in the clips above. In the first, Indy keeps a strong diamond shape in the middle and funnels the ball to a forward making a run to the touchline. Nothing is innately flawed with this approach, but everything after Stefano Pinho finds possession is poor. Jonas Fjeldberg, the #10, doesn't make a run to fill the vacated position in the forward line. Neither the right back nor the right midfielder show to the ball in a dangerous, defense-shifting manner. Pinho himself offers no dribbling threat. It's stasis.
The second and third clips illustrate further problems. To start, another drifting forward move goes wanting in that second instance. Pinho doesn't even think about turning upfield, and Rebellon immediately looks long on the end of the striker's knockdown. Of course, there's not a soul in sight to pursue that pass from #25. This season, Indy has played 20% of its passes long, among the highest rates in the USL. You can see it in the Rebellon example and the third clip here, featuring a ball into the channel from Mechack Jerome. Indy scored their opener against Rio Grande Valley off of a Jerome punt, but this instance is indicative of mostly-poor results from route-one soccer. Again, the forward isn't in a position to make an effective play, and no teammates are making runs off of a potential win. The Eleven, overarchingly, have been disconnected.
These dynamics change when you insert Solomon Asante into the starting eleven. Take that third example, and imagine that the greatest goal threat in the USL is streaking down the center of the pitch in a supporting run. Suddenly, the centerback intervention that stifles Pinho doesn't happen because that defender is staying home, a deer in headlights. Conversely, imagine Asante as the forward targeted by that channel pass. Maybe he finds possession and beats the defender on the dribble; maybe the overreaction of the defense to Asante's presence opens up a different lane entirely and avoids that risky, turnover-resultant ball.
Those hypothetical improvements were proven fact in Phoenix. Take the clips above. In each sequence, Asante is driving transition, drawing opponents, and generally providing a monstrous threat. That's what he can bring for an Indy side that's been timid to date.
In terms of role, I currently have Asante slated as the #10 at the tip of the midfield diamond. The Ghanaian obviously thrives as a forward, so a deeper role could seem surprising. However, the attacking midfielder in Mark Lowry's diamond takes on a high position by definition. In the press, that player often joins up with the forwards to create a roving front three. This trio denies passing lanes and puts in tackles; for instance, Dylan Mares rated in the 57th percentile for defensive actions last year in that spot for El Paso. We've seen hints of that system in the nascent 2022 campaign.
You can see the diamond working like a charm in the first clip; you have to love the effort from Justin Ingram, #23, to shift centrally and cut off the Loudoun man in the middle. Ingram, however, has been at his best as a deeper-lying creator and two-way shuttler to the tune of top-third or so defensive actions and expected assists. There's a gap here that can fit both studs into the lineup, with Nicky Law at left to boot.
Asante can ably pick up those defensive responsibilities in front of Ingram and Law. In the back half of that video, you can see just how solid the former Rising man can be in a defensive context. He's absolutely dogged in the clip, and you'd often see him streaking the length of the pitch towards his end to cover in a Rising side that dogmatically pushed its fullbacks high. Though his role was definitely attacking-centric, Asante still ranked in the 49th percentile for tackles won in his 2019 MVP campaign, a year that saw him tally thirty-nine goals and assists.
One last factor to consider is the fit of soon-to-return forward Manuel Arteaga alongside the Ghanaian and Stefano Pinho, himself fresh off a brace at the weekend. Arteaga's highlights can be seen below, and they complement everything that makes his new teammates effective.
Across those clips, #9's skills are obvious. He's adept at dropping deep for hold-up, which is enticing in the context of Asante's movement, and he's clearly skilled at feeding a strike partner in the mold of poacher-extraordinaire Pinho. What's more, Arteaga generated 87th percentile defensive actions amidst a 94th percentile GAR campaign last year. He can support the Lowry pressing system and create the transition opportunities that Asante feasts in.
To underscore why this move matters, I'll appeal to my playoff odds. Coming into today, Indy Eleven were given a 31% chance to make the playoffs. If you project that Asante plays in three-quarters of his new team's remaining minutes, those odds more than double to 64%. That leap seems crazy, but the numbers, eye test, tactics, and trophy cabinet of all involved combine to tell you that this is a game-changing transaction.
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