Coming out of the gate into the offseason, Indy Eleven quickly moved to retool for 2022 . The year prior saw them struggle under the stagnant Martin Rennie regime before sputtering to a half-hearted playoff push. Lacking the spark of a Tyler Pasher and mistake-prone in defense, the Eleven clearly needed a sea change. Enter Mark Lowry.
Highly successful as the coach of El Paso, Lowry promises to replace a disconnected long-ball style with possession and organized counterpressure. In that context, I wanted to talk about the Indy midfield. I've guessed at the current lineup in the graphic above, which features Nicky Law, Ayoze, and Jared Timmer as returning starters. Indy rotated their squad with frightening regularity last year, but this trio played together in the classic Lowry diamond in a mid-season draw against Louisville. You can see the role each man took up in the highlight clip below.
A few trends stick out in scouting the future Eleven system. The first thing that emerged was the connection between Law at the tip of the diamond and Ayoze out left. Interchange and inside-out positional swapping marked the dynamic between the two veterans, and it helped to drag Louisville out of shape as Indy scored a season-high three goals. This fluidity in possession is typical of a Lowry midfield, and I'd expect it to continue. At the same time, I was left wondering about Law's fit as a #10 in the El Paso-style system. There, the central attacking player almost served as a shadow striker, connecting the midfield with the forward line while spearheading the press by moving up to create a front three. Law did a bit of the former as a narrow winger in the Rennie 3-4-3, but he lacks the work rate and defensive skill to pick up those pressing responsibilities.
The other thing to note here is Jared Timmer's role. Last year, #5 saw a quarter of his starts come in the midfield with the rest coming as a central defender. As seen in the clips, Timmer is up to the task in terms of the defensive burden of the holding spot. He's smart positionally and confident in his interventions. At the same time, the former Reno man is an exceedingly cautious passer out of that role. Against Louisville, less than 20% of his passes went forward; his season-long rate there is belied by that centerback positioning where backwards options are limited.
In this context, I think that new signee Sam Brown may well be a better fit. His highlights can be seen below, and there's a lot to like. The former Monarchs man is an efficient defensive presence, combining above-average defensive actions with a top-of-the-line tackling percentage and foul rate. He's also a crisp passer who gives you a smidge more drive and progressive creativity than Timmer. If Richie Ryan, a tempo-controlling positional genius, is the platonic ideal of a Mark Lowry defensive midfielder, then Brown could be the man.
On the right, I'm penciling in Bryam Rebellon, who starred under the new gaffer in both Jacksonvile and El Paso. I've included some highlights of the ex-Locomotive #25 below; he's playing on the left here, but about 54% of his starts in the last two years came on the right side. Rebellon, more than anyone else in the Indy midfield, gives you a strong work rate and a true sense of energy. He's tight on the dribble (99th percentile for fouls drawn amongst comparable midfielders) and above average in terms of his defensive action volume and passing progressivity. When Ayoze and Law overcommit, Rebellon has the awareness to sit back as a counterweight. He's just a smart, well-rounded player.
Before I wrap up, I should shout out Alann Torres and Alexander McQueen as possible contributors. The latter, a Grenadian international with English lower-tier experience, projects as a right back, but he has experience as a right winger and holding midfielder. He could be a jack-of-all-trades, much as Rebellon was in El Paso. Meanwhile, after a cup of coffee in 2021 and a star turn in the USL Academy Cup, Torres could make the step up to regular minutes this year. He played as a winger in his limited pro minutes, but the skillset he showed centrally in youth competition tells me that he could fill the classic Lowry #10 spot. The Locomotive turned eighteen-year-old Diego Luna into a star in a similar scenario last season, so Torres is a player to watch. Either way, I think that this Indy side has the talent to transform its midfield into a game-controlling force. Mark Lowry has to find the balance, but the core of something strong is in place.
Elsewhere, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds announced the re-signing of central midfielder Danny Griffin. The twenty-three-year-old has appeared in all but two matches for the 'Hounds in the last two years, and I don't think you can say enough about his consistency for this club. In 2021, he primarily operated as a holding midfielder across Bob Lilley's plethora of formational setups, sitting in front of the back three or back four to provide stability and safety. He rarely worked next to a partner, allowing Lilley to push a wild number of teammates up the pitch to press and attack.
Griffin is obviously a talented player in his own right, but the short reel above illustrates why #12 is so vital to the Pittsburgh tactical setup. In the match shown, his side sat in a 3-6-1 formation marked by highly-placed full backs and aggressive pressure up the pitch. This all-out approach was made possible by Griffin. He supported the press from behind, putting out fires whenever Charlotte broke through. When the moment arose, Griffin also stepped up to man mark Enzo Martinez, the creative engine of the Independence and a top-ten all-time USL assister. In this match, Martinez created zero chances and completed only two passes into the box.
Oh, and sometimes Griffin will just swing a pass like this:
Going into 2022, Pittsburgh already seems to have sorted out their midfield. Griffin, with his top-third passing volume, passing progressivity, and defensive actions, will help to make things tick, but the retentions of Kenardo Forbes and company are no less of a big deal. This team still has real questions at striker and in goal, but the core of their tactical identity in the middle of the park is back and raring to go after a tumultuous end to last season.
Comments