Another week, another offseason catchup post. We're getting into the thick of it with moves and hirings, but I'd invite you to take a step back and check out the State of the USL podcast we did on The USL Show. It's a wonderful look at the ups and downs of the Championship, League One, and the W League in 2022.
Elsewhere, I'm covering every game of the United States' World Cup run for Backheeled. Basically, I take one play from every match and illustrate how it defined Gregg Berhalter's tactics or shifted the game. Check that out, and read every wonderful bit of insight we're putting out on the site. The short-form podcast is really delightful too. But without further ado...
Number One: What does Antoine Hoppenot add to Tab Ramos' Hartford team?
As the defending assist leader in the USL, Antoine Hoppenot could've been in high demand this offseason. Somewhat surprisingly, the veteran attacker signed for Tab Ramos' new-look Hartford Athletic this week. Hoppenot wanted to be closer to his family, and the result is that Hartford ranks third in my way-too-early projected standings in the East, hovering in the low 50s for points.
When Ramos took over at the end of last season, his club didn't overhaul their approach. Harry Watling, frankly, never had an identity as a manager, often flitting between a back three and back four without rhyme or reason. After Watling's return to England amidst a disastrous start, Ray Reid installed a positive 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 with a sense of panache. Ramos continued in that vein, improving on Reid's template.
Under the former USYNT gaffer, Hartford played at a 58-point pace and scored 2.4 goals per game; Reid's final seven matches, by comparison, put the club at a 34-point level with only 1.1 goals per game. Ramos' main innovation was a dual-no. 10 midfield shape with both Danny Barrera and Andre Lewis nailed on. That duo paired with the pace of Joel Johnson and Prince Saydee alongside false nine Ariel Martinez to create goals aplenty.
Still, the outburst wasn't sustainable. Ramos-era Hartford also shipped 2.0 goals per game, struggling when teams played over the aggressive midfield or caused confusion with rotation in the half spaces. Missing Conor McGlynn at the base of the midfield was a massive deal; Tom Brewitt didn't cut it moving from centerback to the no. 6 role. Nevertheless, all-out attacking couldn't be the answer in the long term.
That's why the addition of Hoppenot is so important. I anticipate that he'll play a left wing role in Connecticut, reprising his position from Detroit. The Frenchman is a one-man creative engine that led all attackers in crosses and ranked in the 98th percentile for expected assists. He's a tremendously smart runner without the ball and works efficiently with teammates. Putting someone like Hoppenot into your attack takes the burden off the midfield and allows for more balance.
You can see that effect isolated in the still example here. Hoppenot dominates the half space, carving from a center-right role into the channel. He's effective at the far touchline whipping in crosses or diving into more narrow positions as above; you salivate thinking about the ex-Detroit man working off of someone like a Johnson at fullback.
Still, note how the rest of the attacking band spaces to the far side while both central midfielders stay deep. Le Rouge, powered by #29, was so successful because of the way they wore teams down in attack and maintained balance deeper down the pitch. They didn't need to throw every body forward.
Even if Hoppenot operates as a Martinez-esque facilitating striker, his presence opens up a more even-keeled approach for Hartford. There's still plenty of work to do in building out this roster and adding depth, and I don't necessarily trust Tulu and Robin Lapert at back, but the bones of a playoff contender are here for Tab Ramos.
Number Two: Ian Cameron and El Paso's tactical overhaul
Ever since their debut year, the El Paso Locomotive have been defined by ground-based possession soccer. John Hutchinson continued that tradition in 2022 but led a team that was obviously adrift between eras. Defensive errors were rife, and it was clear that the changing room was unsettled.
Things moved quickly at season's end. Dylan Mares and Richie Ryan left and Hutchinson followed, but much of the Solignac-Gomez-Yuma core remained. Still, the future became eminently clearer this week when Seriously Loco broke the news that South Georgia Tormenta's Ian Cameron would likely take over the coaching job.
Cameron couldn't be a further stylistic cry from Hutchinson and Mark Lowry before him. Tormenta's entire season was fairly average by raw goals scored and allowed. However, their final nine games - including the title run - saw South Georgia concede just 0.7 goals per game and never allow more than a single concession in any match. This is a coach who knows how to organize a low-possession, counter-centric side.
The numbers shown above are illustrative. Tormenta finished in the bottom quarter of USL League One for passes completed for game and placed second in their long-pass rate on goal kicks. They nearly led the league in defensive actions to boot. In attack, Cameron's crew generated the lowest share of shots via crosses in the division by a distance. In every aspect, this direct, bunkering style leading into dribble-heavy counters was anathema to the classic Locomotive look.
Crucially, Cameron's championship team was led by one of the best centerback pairs in all of lower-league soccer. Josh Phelps and Jake Dengler both rated around the top 10% of League One defenders. Each was direct and progressive in their passing and efficient in the tackle.
Phelps is a bit more controlled in his distribution and projects as a more technical fit in a Championship side . Dengler does more of the dirty work and tends towards punts to safety. I'd frankly want both if I were running the Locomotive.
Led by those two, Tormenta was stunningly organized in the defensive phase of the game. Above, you're seeing one of Chattanooga Red Wolves' best chances in the title tilt. Off a transition move, the guests advance into the South Georgia half with three attackers near the ball. Still, look how narrow Tormenta gets. All four defenders are within the horizontal span of the 18-yard box, and both defensive midfielders in the 4-2-3-1 compress to the ball carrier. It's a far cry from the mistakes that haunted El Paso this year, and you'd expect Cameron to instill a similar ethos in Texas in 2023.
Will the complete change in system click overnight? I have my doubts. Connectivity and chemistry are crucial to the picture-perfect defending seen above, and those characteristics simply take time to build. I think Cameron is a knockout hire, but the same fanbase that booed Evan Newton early in 2022 needs to be a bit patient.
Number Three: Analyzing the marriage between Cam Lindley and Mark Lowry's Indy Eleven
When Cam Lindley last suited up for Indy Eleven in 2020, he did so in a team with Tyler Gibson, Tyler Pasher, Ayoze, and Neveal Hackshaw sharing the spotlight. Upon his return to Carroll Stadium next season, Lindley will be the headliner expected to take the Boys in Blue back to the playoffs for the first time in four years. His move from Colorado Springs is a massive transaction. Lindley made the all-league team and got my vote in that mix; he's simply unreal as a deep-lying creator. His nine assists were just two away from the overall league lead, but the new signing for Indy Eleven gives you so much more.
During his last stint at the Mike, Lindley was tasked with something of a box-to-box role. That level of activity suited the ex-Switchback well, but he really shone under Brendan Burke in 2022 when he was allowed to serve as a last line of defense while sparking build from the deepest areas of the pitch. In that sense, Lindley provides a fascinating comparison with a stalwart of Mark Lowry's teams in Jacksonville and El Paso: Richie Ryan.
Above, you can see an example of how Ryan was deployed in a random 2020 match coached by Lowry. El Paso has attackers, midfielders, and an underlapping fullback in the mix in the final third, but the defensive midfielder sits a line further back. Ryan is a pressure release valve. He's there to make himself available to any and all ball carriers if they're feeling the heat, always ready to recycle play.
That skillset is easy to miss but vitally important. Ryan carved out a lengthy career in Ireland and the United States by mastering the intricacies of possessive retention and putting in a tackle or two going the other way. Lindley has it in spades, but his is a more complete sort of offensive game.
Take this sequence from the 2022 USL Playoffs. Colorado Springs' front line in the 4-3-3 is shifted towards the left with Lindley a step behind in that Ryan-esque midfield position. The now-Indy man is tracking in the same direction, lingering behind his attacking teammates while maintaining the flexibility to cut out passes to either of two showing opponents.
Lindley's positioning pays off, allowing him to intercept the ball. This is where the differences between Ryan's staid style and Lindley's dynamism begin to shine. With the left winger deep, the midfielder takes a left-footed touch and carries the ball on his own. Lindley senses that two or three foes are out of the play and takes initiative, springing a break. He's showcasing more of a no. 8 or no. 10's skillset.
Lindley also knows his limitations; he won't beat you one-on-one with slick dribbling, but he'll cook you with a well-weighted past. He drifts towards the sideline as his speedy attacking teammate races into the channel, creating a three-on-two edge of forwards with Lindley pulling the strings behind them. From the interception to his ball carriage and sense of the game's tempo, this play illustrates the holistic excellence of the new Eleven signing's game.
Take the spark exemplified there and combine it with Ryan's multitudinous positives, and you can see why I'm so high on this move. Lindley won't do it on his own, and I've heard from multiple folks that Indy has more big names on the way to help him out. It should be noted that Lindley was at his peak in Colorado when Zach Zandi's gravity opened up space; put a supporting cast around the Carmel kid, and this team will fly.
Spare Thoughts
Tampa Bay quietly let a few big names go. Jordan Scarlett looked a bit lost at times in 2022, but he can be an all-league caliber centerback. Steeven Dos Santos is still a tank of a hold-up man, and I dig Thomas Vancaeyezeele's Swiss-army-knife game.
Phoenix is being weird with their offseason announcements. Adding a former Venezuelan international midfielder and a bright Nigerian fullback is nice, but, uh, what's the deal with Kevon Lambert and Aodhan Quinn? Greg Hurst getting sold to New Mexico is a bit wild too. He was miscast when Rick Schantz's possessive juggernaut suddenly turned into a dump-and-chase mess.
Sacramento has a big offseason in store to make sure that 2022's revival continues into true contention next year. I can't say enough about the Russell Cicerone addition up top. Still, the roster decisions this week were bold. Dan Casey chose to pursue MLS or an Ireland return rather than come back, and the Luis Felipe exit is a big deal. The Republic have more help coming, but they're a no. 8 away from the top of the pile for me.
Landon Donovan was just six small Nate Millers in a trench coat this whole time.
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