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John Morrissey

The Twenty-Seven: Floridian flourishing and the lethal Loyal

There are twenty-seven teams in the USL, they're all ranked here, and I have no creativity: thus, a column name was born. These are my weekly power rankings featuring write-ups and snide remarks on whichever clubs capture my sprit. If you want more, make sure to check out:

  • The USL Show, as always. We're live on Tuesdays at 9:00 Eastern and in your podcast queues shortly thereafter. The USL Tactics Show is there as well.

  • Backheeled, a site covering American soccer where I contribute on all things USL. Subscribe to the Weekly Recap for early access to my column. It's a big one on the Orange County situation this week.

  • The Fan Experience, a Phoenix Rising podcast where I contribute a weekly USL news recap.

But without further ado...

 

Title Contenders

1.) TAMPA BAY: Sebastian Guenzatti in the lineup, we hardly knew ye. Facing off against Detroit City, the defending Eastern Conference champs turned to their proven LaCava-Dos Santos-Fernandes trio. Laurence Wyke was allowed to maraud from his baseline right-side deployment at centerback, but Detroit was more than willing to let him possess and cut in on his much weaker left foot. As always, the Rowdies adjusted nicely. In the second half, Neill Collins moved to more of a pure 3-5-2 with Dayonn Harris moving to the right flank and Sebastian Dalgaard inverting to the left. Dalgaard was able to cut inside on his wicked right foot, pairing nicely with the high offensive positioning of Aaron Guillen. Tampa Bay was offensively dominant all night, but the change really let the team tick. Dalgaard, eh? He's vital to Tampa Bay's tactical flexibility, and he's in the 90th percentile for expected goals and overall value via Goals Above Replacement. Just incredible.


2.) SAN DIEGO: It strikes me as odd that Kyle Vassell hasn't started a match since late June, and it's equally sensible that the Loyal finally broke through with the striker on the pitch. San Diego dominated possession and came on especially strong at the start of the second half but couldn't quite get through. Vassell gives you an extra sense of power and physicality that demands the attention of the defense, and Evan Conway benefited on the opener in the wake of a short set piece. The side, with Vassell, then added two more goals just for fun. It was a cathartic release for San Diego after such a territorially dominant stretch. I wrote on it a few weeks ago, but this team is absolutely in the title mix. The offense is a joy, and the defense is top-ten in terms of expected goals allowed. Will that balance hold in a bus-parking playoff environment? Time will tell, but an anchor of a #9 can sway the balance against any deep-seated foe.


3.) LOUISVILLE: Jorge Gonzalez is one of just seven players in the USL Championship underperforming his expected goals by three tallies or more, but he gives you absolutely everything as a fluid, rotating central midfielder. In many ways, he reminds you of a nascent Brian Ownby with those mazy, outside-in movements; I loved the sequences when he would burst diagonally to the left touchline as Enoch Mushagalusa hugged deep. Cumulatively, Louisville's tempestuous pressing and interchange really challenged Charleston. The Battery deepened their defensive line noticeably with the challenge of the side in mind, but that bought the hosts even more time to be surgical in build. When the South Carolinians pressed up, Amadou Dia and Mushagalusa shredded through their high line and got behind for the side's second tally. It was clinical, situationally-aware stuff, and it's classic Louisville.

Am I cruel for never moving Louisville above third place? Maybe, but they haven’t beaten an elite side in a game without a red card since…uh…last year’s playoffs? In any event, Danny Cruz and company get a chance to do just that with a looming Rowdies matchup at Lynn Family Stadium next weekend. I couldn’t be more excited; winner goes to #1 for me, barring more red shenanigans.


4.) SAN ANTONIO: The top-two matchup between San Antonio and San Diego felt weirdly undercovered and underhyped, but Alen Marcina's side did their typical low-possession, chance denying thing in more of a 3-5-2 as compared to the recent 3-4-3. Fabien Garcia was especially impressive against the Loyal's leftward forays, pairing well with Carter Manley. Garcia is in the 97th percentile for Goals Above Replacement, and he's in the top ten percent of defenders for clearances, aerial wins, defensive actions, and passing progressivity. He's absurdly good, and he'd be in the defender of the year discussion if Mitchell Taintor wasn't the MVP frontrunner.

What, then, went wrong? When San Antonio finally conceded, it was thanks to the gravity of two true strikers and a bit of poor set piece luck. There’s something about set pieces that are just different from the run of play. You’ve got different defensive patterns and spacing dynamics to attend to, and San Antonio conceded in the wake of such a moment. After that, they were forced to become more positive on the ball, hedging away from their defense-first identity, and Kyle Vassell was able to do the job against a slightly compromised side. Don’t get me wrong because this team is still the cream of the crop, but there are hotter, more dangerous clubs looming close behind.


5.) PITTSBURGH: The fun thing about Pittsburgh is that they're so comfortable and confident rotating their squad. Fresh off a nice win against Tulsa, Bob Lilley inserted Toby Sims, Dani Rovira, and Marc Ybarra - three perfectly good players with less than 20 combined matches between them this season - into the eleven, and no one batted an eye. That's real depth. Still, the 'Hounds lacked some of that Kenardo Forbes spark in build, and an aggressive 4-3-3 press from the opposing side never gave Pittsburgh a second to breath. How, then, did the side break through? Transition moves sparked by Robbie Mertz's recovery and back-pressure as well as clipped balls into the channel paid dividends. On the opener, Indy let up in their pressure, got sucked into Danny Griffin in the middle, and let Rovira waltz into the box for a simple assist. There were some overreactions in defense and susceptibilities to the press, but Pittsburgh deserved the win on the road.

 

Playoff Likelies

6.) BIRMINGHAM: Marlon absolutely stole the show for my taste as the Legion utterly demolished their Peach State guests at Protective Stadium. This was a team effort for sure, and Enzo Martinez's movement plus Prosper Kasim's heady passing were key, but Marlon blew Atlanta away with his pace and tricky dribbling. He has a real "indoor soccer" or "five-a-side" verve to his game, and it can eat lesser defenders alive. For footy obsessives, it’s borderline lascivious stuff. Take Birmingham's third goal. Marlon swaps with Juan Agudelo, streaks down the heart of the pitch with a head of steam, and bags a goal without a second thought. Between the offensive fluidity and press intensity, this is the Legion I'm dying to see every week against unaffiliated teams. This team is a “prove it” win and a smidge of consistency away from being a full-blow, no-holds-barred title threat for my taste.


7.) SACRAMENTO: An away match to New Mexico is always a tough ask, but the Republic handled the assignment well and did their classic shot-denying thing as the returned to the 5-4-1. The opposition dropped a defender from their typical back five to bolster the midfield, so wide centerbacks Dan Casey and Lee Desmond were given free reign to step up and destroy if Sacramento got overwhelmed. That duo rates in the 93rd and 92nd percentile for tackle win rates, respectively, and the efficiency lent them that extra presence to stifle New Mexico's gambit.

As ever, though, attack was strained for Mark Brigg's side. Rodrigo Lopez has the passing vision of an all-leaguer, and Keko is bright with the ball at his feet, but something's lacking in the final third. Douglas Martinez sits in the bottom six percent of forwards for touches, and he's indecisive when the ball does find him. Granted, Martinez got a goal for the Republic off a bright passage of counterpressure, and he continues to be a treat streaking from flank to flank in transition. The second-half goals were a nice salve, but I'm not entirely sold.

Both Casey and Desmond missed out with injury on Saturday, and we got a return to a rotated eleven with an RGV matchup on the cards. Teenager Santiago Suarez impressed me again at centerback, but the Luther Archimede- and Maalique Foster-led forward line didn't impress against the Texas side's 4-3-3. The Toros are uniquely able to pack seven into their own third to limit Sacramento 's ostensible 3-2-5, and it took an overly narrow lapse in added time for the Republic to get a Rodrigo Lopez header(!) for a draw. In case you're wondering, Lopez averages 0.1 aerial wins per 90, but that's how soccer is sometimes.


8.) MEMPHIS: After a long break since a late-July draw in Indianapolis, 901 FC came out strong against New York and quickly leapt to a lead. Jeremy Kelly's pace on the left punished undisciplined defending on the opening goal, and Leston Paul put in an absolute shift as a defender and ball-mover. The Trinidad and Tobago international is somehow only in the 41st percentile for defensive actions, but he feels like he's everywhere, in spite of what you might anticipate out of a 32-year-old. Paul's deep tracking and pinches to the touchline render Memphis totally solid against all but the best attacks in the USL, and they let Aaron Molloy and Chris Allan get that much more aggressive in the high press to boot.

On Saturday, David Egbo got a rare start up top, but Molloy stole the show. Hartford gave #6 a shocking amount of time on the fringes of the box, and Molloy hit paydirt as the first half came to a close. He banged in a goal, got a wonderful free-kick assist after drawing the foul in the first place, and generally kicked ass against one of the USL's more underrated defensive midfielders in Hartford's McGlynn. Molloy is in the 98th percentile for value added this season, and he's a stalwart in my inane Team of the Year updates. He makes Memphis tick.


9.) COLORADO SPRINGS: Jimmy Ockford is in in the 86th percentile for value added by my Goals Above Replacement and in the top third of defenders for forward passing, and that complete game was on full display on the road at Orange County. The opposing side came out in a hard-pressing 4-2-3-1 of sorts, and Colorado Springs initially struggled to build past it with coherence - something of a trend these days. Enter Ockford. Anchoring one of the more mainline back threes we've got from the Switchbacks, he laced a stunning diagonal to Michee Ngalina to completely avert the press and put his side up 1-0. The finish and speed from Ngalina were insane, but Ockford needs a well-earned moment in the sun.

Things improved markedly when Colorado Springs moved to a centerback duo and introduced Elvis Amoh into the game. The side's interchanging in attack improved, but the defensive duo still proved capable enough in a distributive sense to break an ever-deepening OCSC down. The Switchbacks kept earning set pieces, and the defending champs eventually folded. As a coda here, watch the second goal back and watch whose presence in the box opens Elvis Amoh. You guessed it: Ockford.


10.) DETROIT: Tampa Bay is a mare of a matchup for anyone, and Detroit thus took on the most 5-4-1-looking shape we've seen from them all year. Antoine Hoppenot took on the extra defensive burden to shore things up. Elsewhere, Le Rouge showed smart positional innovation against the Rowdies' 3-4-3. For instance, you'd see Maxi Rodriguez shift to the touchline to pick up the ball - dragging a central midfielder with him - as Rhys Williams bombed up the flank to distract two more defenders. Suddenly, you've got a free Connor Rutz for your efforts. Fluidity and tempo in this exact manner are what can turn Detroit into a legitimate threat come playoff time. Still, Tampa Bay controlled the run of play, and the overarchingly defensive posture limited the team's options when breaking out of their block. The second-half goal to put the opposition up was maybe the first mistake I can remember from Nate Steinwascher; he fumbled a shot right into the striker's awaiting feet. Detroit really couldn't find their offensive anchor, but who does against this Rowdies side?


11.) MIAMI: Anthony Pulis cleverly deployed Joaquin Rivas as a wingback, creating a wide duopoly between Rivas and Mark Segbers that's absolutely unmatched in terms of offensive firepower. More on that in the Tactics Show. Still, Miami learning that you can do that sort of thing when Bolu Akinyode and Speedy Williams - both around the 70th percentile for defensive actions - are there to cover for lapses is a big step. I genuinely think Pulis may have solved the offensive issues that this team consistently suffers from.

Kyle Murphy also looked pesky up top, roving all around New Mexico's shifty two-or-three centerback look. The Tulsa matchup on Wednesday looms large, and it's a Rivas derby in addition to a playoff decider. New Mexico serves as a souped-up approximation of the Oklahoma side in a lot of ways, and Miami met the challenge with creativity. They're my big riser of the week, and they've got palpable momentum.

 

Muddy Middle

12.) NEW MEXICO: Facing a tough turnaround from a Sunday game in New York into a midweek meeting with Sacramento, Zach Prince brought Chris Wehan back into the starting fold and moved to a back four. Ostensibly disadvantageous against front-three Republic pressure, the move actually gave New Mexico extra bite in the midfield. Will Seymore often dropped into the back line to form a defensive threesome, lending extra solidity in block. Still, that may have been a false confidence as Sacramento's second goal came when Seymore was overwhelmed by two attackers without any support from Harry Swartz at wingback. #33 is only in the 27th percentile for defensive actions, and it showed there.

New Mexico was home to Miami on the weekend, and Sam Hamilton adopted that flexible defender-midfielder role. There were times where the South Beach visitors hit paydirt by leveraging his up-and-down role, but #4's forays also greased the wheels of United's build past the opposing front three. It's a delicate balance whenever you try to pull off this sort of thing, and Miami got enough momentum down the stretch to take a late lead in the first half. There, a truer New Mexico back four couldn't handle the heat of aggressive wingback play and the creation of a virtual front five. Bad week for United.


13.) TULSA: I've bloviated enough about Tulsa's playoff positioning, but the Miami match this Wednesday is Super Bowl-levels of important to the race for seventh. Coming into it, Donovan Rickett's side has two wins in their last four, and their defense is the big difference-maker in my estimation. Bradley Bourgeois' switch to centerback has been a big deal, and he's somewhere around the 80th percentile for Goals Above Replacement depending on how you label him positionally. Still, his ability to shepherd play and step into the midfield as a centerback to create overloads is invaluable, and that's in addition to the defensive intelligence. He'll have to stay disciplined against Kyle Murphy and co. to get Tulsa that all-important win.


14.) EL PASO: If you had an Edison Azcona-Liam Rose pair in the midfield on your bingo card at the start of the season, go buy a lottery ticket. The shape turned out to be much more of a 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 than the trademark Hutchinson 4-3-3, and Christiano Francois sat deeper than normal to hedge against Simon Dawkins' threat on the wing. I thought Andrew Fox was strong at left back as well. Monterey is a side that heavily depends on Morey Doner to build and transition, but Fox - a natural centerback with fullback chops - showed poise and discernment in stepping up against the speedster.

It's hard to denote how dominant El Paso was in a territorial sense with the ball. You had sequences where Yuma and Matt Bahner were well beyond the halfway line in possession, and it put Monterey to the coals. Still, El Paso never broke through, and they're now winless in their last four games with just three goals since the start of July. I don't know what's wrong, and the stars are still ticking. Dylan Mares is still top-quarter in both expected goals and expected assists, for instance, but I think the week-to-week lineup uncertainty is taking its toll.


15.) LAS VEGAS: With Danny Trejo's drifting tendencies in attack and the depth of Las Vegas' midfield otherwise, the side ended up in something almost diamond-adjacent at times against Phoenix Rising. The base of the shape was composed of Frank Daroma, Jorge Almaguer, and the all-important Daniel Crisostomo; combined, they put in 12 defensive actions and gave the opposition nothing in the heart of the pitch. All three are capable outlet passers, and they connected with Trejo and Jennings as always to create danger. The Lights are holding on by a thread for the last playoff spot, and they've got the spine to get over the line in my estimation.


16.) MONTEREY: In a rare occurrence, the Western Conference's expansion darling came with an unchanged lineup against El Paso this weekend. That said, Monterey struggled mightily to break past the hard pressure of the visiting Locomotive. The Mobi Fehr-Hunter Gorskie pivot pair, for all its nous and experience, combines two players that are below average in terms of their passing volume and forward pass share, and that hurts when you need quick, progressive patterns to stand your ground.

Don't look now, but Monterey has four wins in their last five and own two games in hand on everyone in the Western playoff race. Just seven points back of the last playoff spot, is it time to dream? I say no, but it's within the realm of possibility. Frank Yallop's side is eminently organized in their 4-4-1-1, and Adrian Rebollar is the shithousing, industrious second striker of your dreams if you like defensive effort and miraculous late winners. Still, three of the four wins came against Loudoun, New York, and Orange County, and this team got smacked by El Paso in actuality. If Chase Boone gets healthy and someone really grabs the central midfield by the scruff of the neck, then maybe. Still, there are 2021 Oakland Roots vibes here.


17.) PHOENIX: The week kicked off with Phoenix announcing that they'd signed Arturo Rodriguez's brother, which is as cute as it gets. Oh, and he's evidently pretty good as well, armed with Liga MX pedigree. I was happier still when Rick Schantz rolled with the same Darnell King-Joey Calistri-Luis Seijas trio that earned Tactics Show adulation last week with a Las Vegas matchup on the horizon. Still, the solid Phoenix underbelly was unable to generate looks against the Lights' exceedingly narrow core. Indeed, everything was hunky-dory until Rising got to the final third. There, starting wing pair Santi Moar and Baboucarr Njie generated just two key passes and one shot on target. Against this Las Vegas team, you have to dominate the wide areas and draw the side out of shape. Phoenix couldn't, and that led to a draw. The positive? This team absolutely ships a bad goal in transition and loses 1-0 if we're talking about the Rising of mid-July. It's baby steps.


18.) LOS ANGELES: Preston Judd was out of the lineup against for the USL's villain of the week, but early-season dynamo Duhaney Williams (71st percentile expected assists, 82nd percentile conversion) brought a more involved, pacey aspect as Galaxy II took on Loudoun in Virginia. Somehow, that wasn't an MLS NEXT Pro game. Joking aside, it's time I give some shine to Jalen Neal. Liam Doyle is the anchor of this back line, but Neal (95th percentile pass volume, tackling efficiency) is a consistent standout on the left. He showed out as a passer and as a quick operator against Loudoun's direct transitions. The club's 4-4-2 was flexible rampant in the press, liberating Remi Cabral to get things done in transition. For all their youth, the Galaxy are a playoff-caliber side when they're ticking. Still, the breakthroughs never quite came without Judd's gravity and impetus, and Loudoun stayed patient until they could build down the gut of the 4-4-2 through ever-heightening fullbacks. I suppose that's cosmic justice?


19.) OAKLAND: It's a bit of a tough sell to get Oakland into the playoffs for me. They've got eight games yet to play, less than almost any other club on the bubble. Meanwhile, the Roots have just two wins in their last nine outings and face four consecutive matchups against playoff sides after this bye. week. Still, I come off impressed every time I watch this squad, and that's a credit to what Juan Guerra has done in the midfield. Ottar Karlsson rightly steals headlines with his 15 goals, but I think Mikael Johnsen, a fellow Venezia loanee, is a better player. He can play in the attacking midfield line or the pivot and is endlessly progressive on the dribble, and he's in the 63rd percentile or better for passing, forward passing, defensive actions, and shots. Plus, who doesn't love a weird kit number like #77? Johnsen is going to be crucial if Oakland does the thing down the stretch.

 

Down Bad

20.) ORANGE COUNTY: The biggest news of the USL week snuck out on Friday evening, as the LA Galaxy essentially tried to connive their way into Orange County's stadium. Subscribe to the Weekend Recap at Backheeled for my full take on the injustice there and what it means for soccer in Southern California and for the MLS-USL dynamic.

On the pitch, we were this close to an Iloski pair as Brian got a start after a long absence, but Golden Boot-leading Milan missed out this time around. Still, Orange County's 4-4-2 shape was as tight and compact as we've seen it since 2021. The elder Iloski was the key man indeed, shifting from an upfield forward role into a deeper wide midfield slot in an occasional 4-2-3-1 off the ball. It was refreshing stuff from a team badly in need of discipline and defensive spine. The Switchbacks broke the press and opened the game with a diagonal over that setup, but the improvement was still heartening. What wasn't heartening was the late collapse. Orange County handed over the impetus to the guests and sat back, abandoning the upfield pressure that stifled the Switchbacks in the first place and dooming themselves to a draw.


21.) RIO GRANDE VALLEY: Boy, was that Jonathan Ricketts goal a banger or what? It won't shock you that the Toros only earned one additional shot on target beyond #20's strike. Still, Rio Grande Valley only allowed three such chances for Sacramento, and the 4-3-3 was as solid as ever. However, the Toros bunkered in and lightened their normally-strong pressure late in the game, inviting the opposition to get a stunning header from an old friend, Rodrigo Lopez. Indeed, the two biggest chances on the day for Sacramento - that Lopez goal and an early Luther Archimede look - saw RGV's centerbacks track a dropping forward into the midfield, leaving themselves vulnerable to a cross. With the draw, Wilmer Cabrera's side remains in 11th, and they're firmly in the race, but a tough San Antonio match looms, and this team hasn't won since June.


22.) CHARLESTON: Facing one of the USL's most clinical, hard-pressing offensive units, Charleston decided to deepen their defensive line after weeks of being beaten over the top with long balls. The centerbacks still suffered at the hands of Louisville's fluidity, and they absolutely failed to get a foothold in build in their own right. Enter Augustine Williams. He got his 12th goal of the season to kick off the scoring, first-timing a driven cross into the back of the net with aplomb. His diagonal run completely cut against the physical momentum of Louisville's defense. Credit to Williams, and credit to Robbie Crawford for a slick through ball that ignited the move past the press in the first place. Charleston would concede shortly after, but that goal is exactly what you want to see from the Battery.


23.) LOUDOUN: Cheers to Loudoun being back for 2023! I know they can take a bit of a lump from the anti-affiliate crowd, but they're always bordering on competitive, and some of the young talents are so bright in the broader DC United setup. Against LA Galaxy II, Loudoun struggled in build out against an aggressive opposing press. Abdoul Zanne was dogged up the pitch chasing long balls and counterpressing his heart out, and Jalen Robinson was an effective bandage when the side turned over at back. When Loudoun finally broke through, Gaoussou Samake was vital. His increased attacking aggression put LA's midfield line between a rock and a hard place. To start the goal sequence, the opposing central midfielders pinched narrow, Loudoun burst wide through Samake, and the break was on. It's the fluidity and tempo you dream of when this club is ticking.


24.) INDY: Robby Dambrot joined the Eleven after a fairly bizarre spell in Pittsburgh, and I love the move. Dambrot is comfortable as a wingback or centerback dating back to his time with Loudoun. He was a 96th percentile progressive passer in Virginia and placed in the 81st percentile for aerial win percentage, illustrating his two-way chops. I've been critical of Indy's back line all year, especially on Dambrot's preferred left side, and I think that this move and the Jesus Vazquez acquisition go a long way in solving the problem.

The ex-Loudoun man began on the bench for the Eleven, and Bryan Rebellon got into the starting mix. Indy moved into a fairly true 4-3-3 shape with Neveal Hackshaw at the base of the midfield, fronted by a wildly aggressive press with Juan Tejada at its heart. The theory was that such aggressive pressure would limit Pittsburgh's ability to build into the feet of their creators. That tactic worked wonderfully, but you can never let up against the 'Hounds, and Indy did just that. Solomon Asante was especially guilty of laxity on defense, and his half-hearted closing required Rebellon to step narrow. That let Pittsburgh get down the channel unchallenged, shifted the Eleven back line in response, and led to an all-too-easy header for the go-ahead strike. It's never easy in Indianapolis.

Hey, uh, Tyler Pasher is a free agent now? If you're a sad, reminiscent Indy fan, watch this clip back and wish that the Canadian starlet was on the pitch to repeat this Pittsburgh-slaying insanity.


25.) HARTFORD: On the road in Tennessee, Ray Reid's side didn't necessarily look strong, but they jumped out to a 1-0 lead in very Hartford fashion. Despite the midfield talent, long balls into a speedy and strong strike pair is this team's most consistent route to attacking joy. Prince Saydee benefited at the far post off of a well-timed Rashawn Dally burst, but the hockey assist was even better. Why, then, did Hartford fold? I'd point to their closing in the middle. The Danny Barrera-Saydee axis on the left side is no one's idea of a defensive juggernaut, and it let Memphis overload and break through. Hartford had to shell up as a result, and Aaron Molloy - one of the USL's best deep creators - consistently found the ball near the box. He scored and assisted late in the first to take full advantage of the Connecticut club's disconnection, and Hartford could never quite claw back.


26.) NEW YORK: The best teams in the USL can find a way to beat you no matter the game state, opposing style, or anything else. New York seems to do the opposite, showcasing disparate and counteracting weaknesses within five-minute spans every single match. One minute, the Baby Bulls are pressing hard, pushing the whole of their five-man midfield up and parking O'Vonte Mullings deep at right back to sweep up when the opposition is forced long. Moments later, as against Memphis on Wednesday, Mullings is completely out of position when a pacey wide opponent bursts past him right behind the New York defense. Often, the Baby Bulls spread too thin defensively, but then they'll squeeze narrow without any composure and allow a switch that ruins everything. That mercurial, self-defeating nature is why this team is so far down the table. The positive? Michael Knapp is so, so composed in the midfield. #66 raises New York's game by a mile and slows things down in the most constructive manner.


27.) ATLANTA: Machop Chol, my favorite fighting-type Pokémon that moonlights as a striker, spelled Jackson Conway in attack for Two-nited this week. Meanwhile, the back line paired a 17-year-old, 18-year-old, and 23-year-old while also relying on active goalkeeper handling, and the side conceded within 75 seconds against a rampant Birmingham press. The margin was four goals to the negative by halftime, and you felt like Atlanta was just screaming out for Robbie Mertz's steady hand in the middle. Ultimately, Jack Collison and company shipped six, and even that felt somewhat generous. Yikes.

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