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.
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The Fan Experience, a Phoenix Rising podcast where I contribute a weekly USL news recap.
But without further ado...
Title Contenders
1.) LOUISVILLE: I have no idea what to read into the USL Players' Association team representative lists, but I think it's exceedingly neat that Carlos Moguel is there for Louisville. The 19-year-old Kentuckian hardly has more than a cup of coffee this season, but he's shown a Tyler Gibsonian eye for space and comfort passing with either foot. To see him adopt a leadership position, however symbolic, speaks to the youth pipeline Louisville is developing as well as Moguel's character.
To return to last week's Tampa Bay game for a moment, Tyler Gibson deserves credit for his defensive contributions in shepherding Leo Fernandes. Whenever the Rowdies' dozen-goal winger found the ball in the final third, Louisville sent the closest defender (often Sean Totsch or Manny Perez) and a deep-dropping midfielder (Bone, Serrano, or Mushagalusa) to cramp his creativity. Their efforts were laudable, but Gibson's ability to step into the space vacated by his teammates made the system work without errors. A lesser midfielder wouldn't have covered and therefore would've left his side unshielded and gap-ridden; #12 is too smart to make those mistakes, and he was and is crucial to a staggeringly great defense.
Gibson started as Louisville took on Detroit in an Open Cup rematch on Saturday, but Brian Ownby got a well-earned respite. Still, Gibson and the tight core of the 4-1-4-1 were the star. A Bone-DelPiccolo tandem is as timeless as it gets in the USL, and those two played fairly deep off the ball to paint Detroit into a touchline-centric corner. Still, Le Rouge's measured, disciplined performance didn't give Louisville an inch, and they missed the everywhere-at-once creation of Ownby. I did think that Enoch Mushagalusa and Wilson Harris had some good moments of interchange, and the way in which Danny Cruz had his central midfielders rush the box once ensconced in possession earned the game-winning chance, but this wasn't the strongest performance. Still, the best teams in the league can underperform, go down a few men, and still get three points, and that's why Louisville is #1 in these rankings.
2.) SAN ANTONIO: Cristian Parano was an unabashed star when he made the leap from the USL Championship to Europe after 2019, and his loan return at this point is a big deal. He rated in the upper echelons of midfield players for foul drawing and forward passing as he hit stardom in that season, and three years of hard knocks in Europe will only have improved Parano's game. Stylistically, Parano mostly sat on the right wing in an inverted role, cutting in on a stunning left foot to snipe from range or deftly slide teammates into the box for chances. He's an active and spirited presser, and his knowledge of Alen Marcina's system and expectations will be invaluable to a quick settling period. This is a scary good pickup for a scary good team.
Still, defense is going to be the factor that carries San Antonio down the stretch and into the playoffs, and this team excels in that regard. It's easy to generically laud the press, but SAFC doesn't blindly throw bodies forward or instantly win the ball back when they push up. Theirs is a press of denial. The wingbacks - Saad Abdul-Salaam and Connor Maloney this weekend - sit deep near the centerbacks so as to deny opposing wingers as a baseline, only bursting forth when they can pin a foe at the touchline. The result is a low-possession but impossibly stout approach that hardly allows a shot, and Jordan Farr swallows up most everything that squeaks through. Still, those lapses become more common if San Antonio concedes first, and a mistake in that vein came when Abdul-Salaam and Shannon Gomez pressed up to concede a goal in allowing an overlap beyond the elevated right . It was a sloppy passage born of an impetus to equalize through pressure, and it's the sole aspect of San Antonio's system that gives me pause.
3.) SAN DIEGO: Jack Blake lined up on San Diego's right side as the Loyal took on the Locomotive, an increasingly common occurrence and one that's a hallmark of this team's best possible eleven. In 2022, Blake is in the 90th percentile for expected goals and the 78th for expected assists, but it's the instinct of a #8 central midfielder that he supplies that's so vital for Landon Donovan. When San Diego employs a truer 3-5-2, the right-sider becomes all-important in his ability to track back. Blake did that and then some, intercepting a switch and then blasting one of his own into the channel to break open the game on San Diego's first goal. This side has the luxury of a deep, skillful roster, but Blake is so important. Ditto for both Martins, who each rate in the top 10% or so for total value this year. We might be underrating how stacked San Diego is all over this squad.
4.) BIRMINGHAM: The 4-4-2 variant that proved so effective against San Diego can take on a diamond aspect in build, and that proved true at times against Detroit at midweek. In response, the guests tended to pinch their wingbacks inward and compress their midfield against the Legion's highly technical personnel. When Bruno Lapa dropped deeper next to Anderson Asiedu, Detroit was sucked up to the pair, opening space for Enzo Martinez to link play in the hole. Still, attacking in the rotated lineup was a struggle, and Phanuel Kavita (78th percentile for tackle win rate; kinda just baller) was crucial cutting out transition moves to keep the match level. This wasn't the most offensive matchup in the world, but the Prosper Kasim goal - his seventh of the year - was masterful. Birmingham goaded DCFC deep thanks to Agudelo's dueling effort, Enzo Martinez's overlapping run addled the opposition, and Kasim did the rest with a wild curler. Not the strongest Legion game, and the late loss hurts, but you could feel the side looking ahead to Saturday.
That weekend distraction, of course, was a Southern Harm matchup at Memphis. I was fascinated by a lineup with Anderson Asiedu ostensibly on the wing, but the defensive tilt of the midfield ended up overcommitting to the flank and missing a forward-winger swap on Memphis' opener. Still, the center eventually came good, and Enzo Martinez is the reason why. He got beyond the Memphis pivot on the third Legion goal and did the same against an attacking-tilted foe on the fourth to do it on his own. What a player, and what a statement win. That performance is a salve to any Detroit-rooted soreness.
5.) TAMPA BAY: The Rowdies garnered just four shots on target against Colorado Springs, marking a second straight week of offensive stasis. An away match to a Switchbacks defense with a lot to prove was never going to be easy, but the semi-rotated Tampa Bay squad didn't help matters. Leo Fernandes lacked the companionship of Jake LaCava and Sebastian Guenzatti in the lineup, and the Laurence Wyke-Dayonn Harris tandem at right just didn't have the spark. As ever, the defense was remarkably; Conner Antley (89th percentile tackle win rate, 86th percentile aerial win rate) deserves a shout. Still, the concession saw a high-tempo, side-to-side move completely fool the normally impenetrable Rowdies. All teams - Tampa Bay included - have stretches like this, but I'll be curious to see if Neill Collins budges and makes any big swings in the next few weeks.
6.) MEMPHIS: Is there anything Phillip Goodrum can't do? New Mexico's centerbacks are a high-closing sort, so Ben Pirmann played his wingers markedly higher than usual and let Goodrum play as a central-dropping sort of striker. His motion constantly opened gaps, as on the opening goal for the travelling 901 FC where Luiz Fernando - now with three goals and three assists in about 12 matches of time - got in behind. Great stuff as always from a truly elite offense.
Pirmann's posse upped their pressure down the middle and especially focused on Birmingham's lone holder in a Southern Harm matchup, creating transition looks against one of the best defenses in the division. Still, that aggression left 901 FC vulnerable to the Legion's central heft, an approach bolstered by Enzo Martinez and Anderson Asiedu constantly dropping into the middle. Birmingham's first second-half goal broke right past Leston Paul in an ill-timed tackle, and the second carved down Memphis' throat with Paul off the pitch entirely in order to accommodate another forward. Maybe the Tennesseans are just cursed in this rivalry game, but this wasn't a good performance by any measure.
7.) SACRAMENTO: Douglas Martinez is a lovely mover in transition, bursting into the channels when Sacramento breaks from block. Deshorn Brown has shown flashes as a powerful central carrier. Luther Archimede is pacey and line-stretching in his own right. None have consistently scored. Can Maalique Foster change the dynamic? He has the pace to make those Martinez runs, the physicality to ape Brown, and he sits above the 80th percentile for conversion rate and expected goals. All of that skill was on display against Colorado Springs, and #99 added a lovely rebounded finish to open the scoring after his hold-up sparked the sequence.
The Martinez-Foster pair was less effective on Saturday. Sacramento did that thing where they almost punt on a weekend matchup after a big midweek bout, and 17-year-old Santiago Suarez had a brutal game at centerback. Rodrigo Lopez was a huge miss as well, and the two-striker look that filled for him lacked any sort of creative impetus or complementary sense of spacing. The formula seems to be starting one, putting two creators behind him, and hoping for the best. All this said, Sacramento wasn't all that dire, and preserving your legs against a chippy foe on a baseball field won't garner much derision from me.
Playoff Form
8.) NEW MEXICO: What's old is new again in Albuquerque, which is flowery code for the fact that Amando Moreno, Devon Sandoval, and Kevaughn Frater started alongside each other against Memphis on Wednesday. The trio fronted another diamond-esque look for New Mexico, and I have to say that Sandoval looks great with the tighter fade. Moreno, meanwhile, looks great on the pitch. In 2020, he put up 93rd percentile expected goals and 92nd percentile foul drawing, and he looked to have that play-driving spark on the dribble against a strong opponent, regularly breaking past the Memphis pivot on foot.
The defense was weaker, and I was a bit baffled. New Mexico tends to be solid, but they've been quite feeble in the last few games. I don't fancy Rashid Tetteh quick enough to play as a true fullback, and using Will Seymore in the center when you've got Alexis Souahy and Austin Yearwood - injuries matter, I know - led to over-aggression and malformation. Memphis is elite, but this team can be sharper.
We saw some of that sharpness against a stout Monterey defense on Saturday. Frater and Moreno starred again, but Preston Tabortetaka (90th percentile expected goals, 78th percentile crossing) was the big insertion into the lineup. HIs head-down, high-speed dribbling provided a secondary wave of progression alongside Wehan, and it paid dividends in creating both of the side's first-half goals. Zach Prince is spoilt for choice at this point, and he might already be finding paydirt in his lineup.
9.) DETROIT: Yazeed Matthews slotted right into the starting eleven on his Le Rouge return as Detroit rotated the squad at midweek, joining Francis Atuahene in a new-look forward line. Still, Trevor James' pressing scheme was the main takeaway. Rhys Williams and Deklan Wynne often squeezed toward the middle of the pitch, and Connor Rutz did the same from his attacking midfield spot; Birmingham resultingly came under mass amounts of heat on the ball. When Detroit forced turnovers they were successful at finding Francis Atuahene in transition. I praised his pace and movement last week and endorsed a shape with him as the #9, but the forward might not have it; he's in the 28th percentile for conversion and the 15th for expected goals per shot. Naturally, the side got the goal with Antoine Hoppenot and Pato Botello on the pitch. #29 slide wide to cross, #19 occupied the centerbacks with his frame, and Connor Rutz had the space to convert. A concession came moments later, but a late header from Matt Lewis off a smart set piece got Detroit a slightly lucky result, albeit one that karmically balances a stretch of bad breaks.
Saturday saw the normal forward line restored against the class of the East. They got touches, and I thought Brad Dunwell accounted for himself well in the pivot, but Connor Rutz felt very lonely at the #10 spot. Rutz is in the bottom third of attackers for his touches per 90, and he was isolated against a compact 4-1-4-1 that pushed their wingers high and sheltered into a tight central three. At the same time, Detroit was disciplined in defending transition. Williams and Deklan Wynne were clearly instructed to sit deeper in attack and recover into defense with abandon, and it bottled a speedy opposing wing tandem. Louisville eventually broke through when one of those wingers got behind, crossed into a heavily overloaded box, and lucked their way into a penalty, but Detroit came to play. Let's be real: everyone loses to Louisville, and this wasn't a bad performance.
10.) PITTSBURGH: The balance between Robbie Mertz and Kenardo Forbes will be the key for Bob Lilley down the stretch. Last week, Forbes played as a right-sided advanced creator, staying fairly narrow and subverting the things you'd expect from a forward on the lineup card. Mertz, meanwhile, got box to box in the middle. The roles were reversed against the Baby Bulls, and there are time where that can seem like a mistake if you consider that Mertz is above the 80th percentile for defensive actions while Forbes is below average. Consider New York's second goal, where Forbes whiffed in a three-on-two break to leave the net vulnerable. Still, #11 is best when he's getting regular touches, and Mertz is best when he can be a pest in the high press and poach as a late-arriver in the final third. Take that opening 'Hounds tally, where Mertz looped around the top of the box at a clip to meet a Russell Cicerone header for a lovely, banging goal. I don't quite know what the answer is, but a knock-down, drag-out game with the Baby Bulls is a harbinger of something subpar, even if Pittsburgh controlled the run of play.
11.) TULSA: In a big one against Indy that marked an Oklahoma return for Sean Lewis, the home side didn't quite seem up to it in attack. Dario Suarez was the star against Miami thanks to his technique and rapid-fire fluidity; high-placed Lebo Moloto was fine a shade slower in his decisions by comparison. That's the rub of the 3-4-3 for Tulsa; Moloto's patient, low-work-rate style doesn't have a natural home in the pivot or the front line. Still, Tulsa struck at the death when they gave Marcus Epps a run-out and moved into a back four. Epps, sporting #7, wasn't all that active, but Gabby Torres was rapturously good out wide, earning his third assist of the year in the new shape for Donovan Ricketts. This season, Torres ranks in the 72nd percentile for expected assists and total crosses, and getting him re-settled is nothing but a boon. Credit to him and this Tulsa side for a spirited win.
12.) MIAMI: A few weeks back, I highlighted Joaquin Rivas as a left wingback and did a whole darn Tactics Show about it, but Miami insists on labeling him a winger and Aedan Stanley a left back. I have my qualms given the defensive work rate Rivas brings and the disparity between Stanley and Mark Segbers' aggression at right, but I can't argue with the end results for this Miami team. The defensive performance in the 3-4-3 was adroit, and Segbers was key. #98, a marauder by trade in just the 26th percentile for defensive actions, sat noticeably deeper to man mark Joel Johnson, Hartford's one dynamic threat. Don't let that imply that Segbers wasn't huge in attack; his underlap won the penalty to give Miami a 1-0 lead after he raced beyond Johnson.
On the Bubble
13.) COLORADO SPRINGS: A modest proposal for Brendan Burke: play a normal shape! Against Sacramento, the Switchbacks sat in a 3-4-3 in attack that loosely conformed to the strictures of a back four in defense. The transitions between phases were brutal, and the shifting look did nothing to challenge the Republic's stout defense. In the reverse fixture, Colorado Springs focused on high-tempo, controlled breaks spelled by long diagonals to change things up. The wingback depth innate to the new look limited those switches, allowing the opposition to sit back and deny the still-sharp progressive passing. On Sacramento's second goal, the 3-4-3 pushed Jimmy Ockford up the middle in build to absolutely no effect, allowing the opposition to press and intercept to draw the goal-creating foul. What's the point? With a squad this talented, just be normal and rely on that talent. One win since Independence Day says a lot.
Saturday was better in a lot of ways. The Switchbacks were much closer to a conventional 4-4-1-1 off the ball, and Elvis Amoh impressed me to no end in how he tracked back defensively. He's no one's idea of a box-to-box player, but his sheer presence clogged the midfield and lent solidity against Tampa Bay. I loved the fluidity of the team on the winning goal, too. Watch that replay and just admire the movement Cam Lindley is putting in to open Hadji Barry's play-linking midfield drop. There's tempo, intelligence, and quality, and it all stems from an organized stop. This team is mercurial, but the first months of 2022 and this game showed that they can be a threat.
14.) LAS VEGAS: I regularly praise the narrow 4-3-3 that Las Vegas brings in the press and the manner in which it flattens into a 4-5-1 in block, but Orange County systematically tore that shifting system to shreds on Wednesday. The hosts launched numerous switches over the compact press shape and regularly found Milan Iloski on the move to enter the zone, and they pushed two center midfielders high once settled in attack to challenge the flatness of that low shape. Barely ten minutes into the game, the Lights overreacted to that midfield overload, yielded space to the opposing holder, and couldn't deal with a chip over the top that Orange County had all the time in the world to pick out. My playoff odds fancied this side as the 6th seed coming into the matchweek, but they sure haven't shown that form as of late.
The Sacramento game was a case study in taking what you're given. Facing a left-sided centerback hardly of driving age, Las Vegas ruthlessly targeted their inexperienced foe with balls over the top and overlapping runners. Both of their first two goals came in that style, the second finished by Daron Iskendarian slinking to the far post after the guests shifted too hard in covering towards their left. The Lights wore out the game in their flat 4-5-1 from there to keep the front foot in the playoff hunt; my odds improbably have them in the field in three-quarters of scenarios.
15.) ORANGE COUNTY: The leap in quality with Dillon Powers and Seth Casiple in the midfield has been staggering. Powers was in the 90th percentile for pass completion and the 78th for defensive actions last year, and Casiple put in bang average defensive actions alongside 86th percentile forward passing in 2020. The pair are capable of getting up and down the pitch and really dominating the spine; back on the ball, they pair tempo-setting patience with instant break passing instincts. #2 did the trick on Orange County's opener against Las Vegas, stepping high into the midfield to chip an assist into Milan Iloski. Finally, this team has consistency. It starts with Iloski, but the midfield is huge, Brent Richards deserves a shout, and Patrick Rakovsky has recovered from a benching to reclaim starting form.
16.) EL PASO: My playoff odds model continues to be wildly low on the Locomotive - they're barely above 10% thanks to those extra games played - and you can understand watching this defense at times. Matt Bahner and Ander Egiluz, who both put in great shifts in the Switchbacks recovery last week, were beaten in the channel for both of San Diego's first-half goals, never quite able to supply enough speed or communicate well enough to do the job. The left side was better between Andrew Fox, Eder Borelli, and Nick Hinds generating four shots and six crosses. Hinds in particular was allowed to push against San Diego's unbalanced shape. Still, the results didn't come consistently, and this team is winless in six game, and I don't know what to say. Try a back three? go for a flat 4-4-2? John Hutchinson's had a rocky year, but he can still prove himself by being brave down the stretch.
17.) MONTEREY: I've been adulatory about the Roberts-Greene defensive core for Monterey all year long, but the New Mexico game exposed a systemic vulnerability to speed. Monterey has made a living out of sitting both of their holding midfielders deep to deny the counter, but their rivals this weekend leveraged a rapid attacking midfield to great effect whenever those holders pushed up. There's only so much Hugh Roberts (95th percentile Goals Above Replacement) and Kai Greene (84th percentile GAR) can do with four players plowing towards them with momentum. Also, you have to feel for a frozen Antony Siaha on the second goal. In any event, the playoffs remain a possibility, and if you had told me that Monterey and Phoenix would be dead even come August, I'd have laughed in your face after the season opener. The expectations game matters.
18.) LOS ANGELES: A few stray notes: firstly, I love watching Remi Cabral move in space. He's got four goals this year and rates above average but unspectacularly in basically every statistical category, but the way he carves into the tightest windows of opposing midfields to link play is phenomenal. He's an interesting counterpoint to my other big focus from the weekend, Michael Salazar. Against Charleston, he basically didn't move from the right half space, firmly camped a step wide of the left centerback to challenge the Battery back three. I incorrectly thought of Salazar as a striker's striker in Memphis, but his crossing this Saturday and season-long creation (83rd percentile expected assists) are a delight.
Down Bad
19.) RIO GRANDE VALLEY: You can't count the Toros out in the jam-packed West, but their added-time concession to San Antonio might be the death knell. Still, I largely want to stay positive, and Christian Pinzon gives me the chance to do so. The latter-day addition pitched in a goal and an assist, but it was the way that he masterfully navigated the centerback-wingback gap which set his performance apart. San Antonio is judicious in their aggression, but Pinzon's nous challenged that composure consistently. On Akeem Ward's goal - go watch that beauty, seriously - one midseason addition drew the defense high and let another get behind. Maybe RGV would be in a better spot if they had that level of two-way spark on the flank all year long.
20.) CHARLESTON: Midfield balance has been the albatross around Conor Casey's neck since he adopted the 3-4-3, and Robbie Crawford-Romario Piggott isn't the long-term answer, but that combo is a blast while it lasts. Charleston's opener came when those two split high and low, with #6 dropping deep to provide composed deep creation and #10 sitting up to connect with the forwards and marauding wingbacks. Later, that same split, emphasized by substitutions that narrowed the Battery but somehow worsened their central shape, let Los Angeles play outside-in to equalize. Andrew Booth is the answer going forward, but the various bandages have been fun to watch if nothing else.
21.) OAKLAND: The administrative leave for Juan Guerra throws a wrench in things. Having a playoff rival try to poach your coach is brutal for the Roots no matter how you slice it. Noah Delgado, the interim gaffer, has a nice track record across the North American game and served on El Salvador's staff at the most recent Gold Cup. Still, how could this team not be affected? Meanwhile, how can the league continue on with no by-laws regarding tampering for non-players?
Edit: Oakland reached out to me to correct this point. I had previously asserted that Guerra's contract had an early termination clause, and that was not the case. Guerra's deal was a multi-year commitment, but it included no language around an early termination.
I know the playoff odds are somewhat slim for Oakland at the moment, and this week's news is fairly disastrous, but I loved watching this team play even if the results weren't quite there. Throw in a better centerback trio and boost the Goals Saved Above Average from a dire negative five over the course of the season, and 2022 is a different story for Guerra. While I'm bloviating, how about Charlie Dennis? The signing from League One's FC Tucson has been a delight. He's 6'2" and built like a freight train, able to drop deep from his right-wing spot to provide secondary hold-up play and create. To that effect, Dennis is in the 94th percentile for expected assists. The dribbling and physicality are there in the numbers too, as evidenced by 92nd percentile foul drawing. Even if Ottar Karlsson and Mikael Johnsen are distant memories after their loan spells, Dennis can be the cornerstone of this team's attack in 2023 or down the stretch for a magical end-of-year run no matter who's in charge.
22.) PHOENIX: Rick Schantz led Phoenix Rising to four consecutive top-three finishes in the Western Conference, reached an unplayed title game, and created one of the most coherent tactical juggernauts American soccer has ever seen. Phoenix's ball-dominant 4-3-3 wore you down with careful possession, counterpressed you after turnovers, and never let up. In transition, stars like Solomon Asante could do it alone or break off of hold-up maestros like Adam Jahn; defensively, coverage from a lone holder allowed the fullbacks to bomb high and supercharge the offense with a safe pair of hands behind them.
All of that changed in 2022. Possession was out the window, and personnel choices in the midfield and defense led to endless turnovers. Phoenix's solid transition defense lost the plot, and left backs Baboucarr Njie and Ryan Flood were constantly caught high up the pitch. Marcus Epps was never allowed to shine as a premier dribbler in the Asante mold, and Luis Seijas bizarrely lost his spot midway into the campaign. Schantz tried a back three, never stuck with a system, and just couldn't figure it out.
It was an open secret that the locker room was at least partially gone by June, and the recent burst of decent form didn't change that. One player told me that engaged in "zero tactical work" behind the scenes and admonished the Schantz-led staff for "really bad scouting" leading to an "uneven roster." Those prescriptions are hard to argue with. Part of the job at this level is recruitment, and none of Phoenix's 2022 additions other than Greg Hurst have shone to my eye. Even Hurst doesn't fit the profile of a typical Rising striker, though I think he's easily got a decade of top-level performances left in the Championship. To the point, though: things had gone sour.
The numbers paint the picture well. Phoenix plays fewer passes per 90 than any other side in the USL, yet they're also bottom-five in tackles and clearances; that fearsome counterpress disappeared. Bad luck played a part in attack, as Rising sat under 10% for conversion rate, but you can also chalk that up to low-quality chances and a penchant for long attempts amidst an inability to penetrate. Schantz should get a second look in this league, but this season was chastening.
On the Juan Guerra outreach: I don't hate the fit. Phoenix was within their legal rights to contact their former assistant. Does that make Rising's behavior acceptable or savory in a subjective sense? Not for my taste. I like Guerra a lot as a man-manager and as someone capable of forging a system to match his roster, but I think Phoenix could aim higher. This is one of the premier sporting organizations in the USL, up there with Tampa Bay and Louisville. Go for an Ian Russell! Like I said, I think Guerra is perfectly legitimate, but he feels like a Plan B raised up to Plan A status.
23.) LOUDOUN: As the official hydra of the USL, Loudoun has a gift for sprouting a spate of new attackers whenever the parent club in the capital claims the existing studs. The flavor of the month is Abdoul Zanne, who excelled in his left-to-right runs a few weeks back but did it end-to-end against Atlanta. No one would accuse Two-nited of having a strong or organized defense, but #7 tore past the foe to earn a penalty early into the match. Minutes later, the right-sider was swapping with Jacob Greene to put in a tackle in his own box. We'll, uh, ignore that other penalty. In any event, I think that Loudoun's 4-4-2 is too unbalanced and predictable to consistently bear fruit, but individual moments of shine can make a difference.
24.) HARTFORD: Logan Gdula (63rd percentile expected goals, 92nd foul drawing) and Younes Boudadi (85th percentile Goals Above Replacement) feel deeply underrated thanks to Hartford's general lack of success, and I hope that changes under the new management that'll be revealed on Monday. Both are great offensively and always left completely unshielded at back. On the opening penalty concession, Gdula was left unshielded as Miami's right wingback burst up on the underlap. Goal two saw Boudadi outmanned three-to-one thanks to the unbalanced shape of the opposition. Joel Johnson and Prince Saydee give you a lot of positives, but defense isn't in that category. It's a shame, because I rate all of these players in a vacuum. Here's to that new coach!
25.) INDY: The Eleven turned Jesus Vazquez's loan deal into a permanent transfer this week, and they celebrated by…playing a back line with four natural centerbacks? Whatever my hold-ups were, the style worked, denying Da Costa and Moloto's creativity in the channels thanks to the innate narrowness of the personnel. Ahead of that defense, Indy played their truest diamond midfield in ages, and that look also limited what Tulsa's pivot could do. Was Indy even remotely coherent in attack? Well, no. Were they perfectly aligned to shut things down at the other end? I'd say so, and Mark Lowry deserves credit for that. Of course, the Eleven still conceded at the death thanks to that midfield diamond completely losing its shape and the centerbacks doing their best impression of a black-and-white, Stoogian slapstick routine. Brutal, brutal stuff.
26.) NEW YORK: The Red Bulls generallystruggled to build against Pittsburgh's narrow 5-1-3-1 press. The narrow wingers shut down a Michael Knapp-led pivot, and balls into the channels were cut out by the opposing wide centerbacks. Jordan Adebayo-Smith showed flashes as a moderately good mover at the end of long hoists, but 2022 has shown that the ex-Rowdie lacks the end product to carry a team in the way, say, Omar Sowe could. Adebayo-Smith is below the 30th percentile for expected goals and expected assists alike, and while bad service is a factor, he just doesn't have the "it" factor the Baby Bulls desperately need. Credit to him for the ball carriage and assists on that equalizing second tally, and credit to Wiki Carmona's smart run, but New York was under the gun all night and didn't deserve a draw.
27.) ATLANTA: Tristan Trager and Jackon Conway mean business. On the tying goal about halfway into the first period, Trager dropped into his own half to hold play up, linking with 17-year-old Luke Brennan. #21 filled the channel from there, buying Brennan room to breath and eventually attracting defensive attention that gave Conway a half-inch to meet a cross with acrobatic aplomb. Still, the ever-present issue came in defense. Raimar, who rates in the 29th percentile for tackle win rate and even lower for defensive actions, took a bizarrely conservative mien against a switch and mistimed his tackle to cede the opening penalty. On multiple occasions, Bryce Washington chose the exactly wrong moment to step up on the ball to carry, waltzing into a turnover and leaving his teammates unshielded.
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