When I started following this sport in middle school, I'd get up every day, hop on my iPod Touch, and immediately scan the blogs and websites for all the American soccer news I could find. If Soccer By Ives happened to cover the NASL, it was a good day; if Matt Doyle published a tactical piece, I was over the moon.
Grant Wahl was something different altogether. I had grown up on Sports Illustrated and SI Kids (remember those posters?), and I considered his work to be something deeper and more insightful. Every time I got to read Wahl, I gained real insight into the game and the culture around it. For me, no one else had that perspective, and that's held true into 2022. I never got to interact with Grant Wahl, but he will be missed. He's an inspiration for people who want to cover and grow soccer in the United States.
Number One: San Diego's offensive gameplan
Between 2021 and 2022, San Diego Loyal grew from a fiercely possessive team that wore you down by dominating the ball into...a team that did the same thing, but with a Plan B. Kyle Vassell was the difference. The Englishman allowed San Diego to look long over defenses. His tank-like 6'0"frame was built to bully Western Conference foes in hold-up.
As a result, the Loyal continued to keep the third-highest share of possession in the league, but their passing profile became varied. A 14% long pass rate forced defenses to spread out against the more holistic threat. San Diego generated less shots on target on a pure basis, but their chances were better thanks to this extra space.
Vassell was excellent in his own right, knocking home 14 goals in about 21 matches. Thanks to his 86th percentile finishing and the tactical aspects mentioned above, San Diego climbed from a 12.8% conversion rate to 15.0%. Additionally, Vassell had a decent touch and provided a good aerial threat, and his combative style was galvanizing for a side that some accused of being flimsy.
With Nate Miller taking over as the full-on manager from an assistant role, you'd imagine San Diego will stay possessive. The team announced a massive slate of 17 returnees this week, but Vassell is the one big departure.
There's a real scenario where Miller improves depth around the edges and relies on secondary scoring to fill in for Vassell. Debutantes like Evan Conway (nine goals) and Thomas Amang (11 goals) can step up in year two.
Still, Vassell came to Southern California for a reason, and I think the team will make a splash this offseason. If you think small and look for a physical USL forward, maybe you feel out Detroit City's Pato Botello, now a free agent, or San Antonio's Santiago Patino, unconfirmed for 2023. More likely, the Loyal bid for another foreign import a la 2022's star striker.
Either way, it would pay off to arm Miller with a complete arsenal. San Diego always feels like a team on the precipice of something bigger, and while the issues tend to come in defense, they'd benefit from a full slate of diverse talent up top.
Number Two: How valuable is continuity for the USL's elite, and how is roster construction changing?
In 2022, San Antonio FC gave 57% of their minutes to players from the 2021 roster. That's counting Jordan Farr's emergency loan and midseason additions like Samuel Adeniran. Louisville City, by comparison, used returners or internal prospects (think Carlos Moguel, for instance) in 59% of their total minutes.
My first impression was that these numbers seemed low, but that isn't the case. Across the USL, 662 players participated in 180 minutes or more. Within that group, 371 were new additions to their club during the 2022 season. 291 players were returnees.
Overall, new signings played 50.3% of minutes versus 49.7% for familiar faces. The league's best two teams were outliers on the high end.
That high rate of continuity for the conference champions means something; their tendency towards carryover has spread this offseason. Among 235 player signings to date, 29 of them have been announced as multi-year contracts. I haven't tracked these details in prior seasons, but it feels like a noticeably jump in a league defined by one-year deals.
Monterey Bay, coming off of their expansion campaign, is a case in point. They've retained 11 key players on multi-year agreements or one-year contracts with options, a rate that's unheard of in this league. Detroit City isn't far behind; every one of their returnees has received a two- or three-season contract.
Player recruitment has also diversified. Phoenix Rising has signed Erickson Gallardo, Uzo Onuorah, Renzo Zambrano from outside of the USL, and their only in-league addition has been Jose Hernandez, a Valley native. FC Tulsa's recruits have largely come from the Canadian Premier League and MLS NEXT Pro. Last year, Detroit famously drew heavily from NISA.
Teams like the Sacramento Republic and Colorado Springs Switchbacks have largely recruited from within the league, but there isn't a one-size-fits-all framework as we barrel towards 2023.
These are positive trends on all fronts. More familiar rosters can execute more complicated tactics, gain rapport, and elevate the league's level of play. Keeping players in a city over longer stretches also creates a better sense of community with the fans.
Back on the pitch, varying sources of acquisitions and scouting more widely can also unearth superior talent. As USL teams earn money from academy player sales, improve attendance and sponsorship locally, and face upward pressure from the CBA agreement, these developments should hopefully continue unabated.
Number Three: Where should Bruno Lapa land?
Above, you'll see a classic moment from Bruno Lapa during his time with the Birmingham Legion. He lags the overlapping right back, inching into the space left by the deepening opposition. When Lapa receives, he deftly controls the ball with his left foot, taps it to the right, and flows into a breathtaking through ball over the top. An instant later, it's 1-1 thanks to the Brazilian's assist.
After Birmingham's first wave of roster announcements this week, Lapa is now a free agent. He was a breakout creator in Alabama in 2020 after a storied spell at Wake Forest, but he seemed to lose favor with Tommy Soehn in 2022. The Legion's 4-4-2 system relied on Enzo Martinez as a deeper, ball-dominant forward that occupied the space you'd often see Lapa sit in. That made him surplus to requirements.
However, last season absolutely wasn't a down year for Lapa. He only played in about half of his team's minutes, but the former Demon Deacon still tallied five goals and four assists. His percentile ranks on a per-90-minute basis paint a similarly effective picture over the years:
That's what we call elite, folks. Few no. 10s have as complete an offensive game as Lapa.
Where, then, should the star midfielder end up in 2023? Miami FC is my first pick. For one, they're in the Southern/Mid-Atlantic corridor that the Brazilian has called home in the United States. Miami ranked 16th in shots created and 14th in shots on target last year. Their excellence on the flanks through Mark Segbers and Joaquin Rivas was undercut by a lack of a killer presence down the middle. Florian Valot proved to be an effective "pass before the pass" sort of player wanting for a partner; Lapa could be that type.
Indy Eleven's primary need is at striker, but they need a no. 10 to fill the classic "Dylan Mares" role in Mark Lowry's 4-4-2 diamond . Mares, who put in 57th percentile defensive actions during his last season under Lowry, isn't a one-to-one match to the more luxurious Lapa. Still, Lapa can mirror his incision and set piece mastery. He'd also provide be an advanced "Zach Zandi" type to open up Cam Lindley as a progressive pivot piece.
In theory, Lapa would've been a great addition for the stagnant attacking midfields in Detroit, Charleston, or New Mexico. Each of those sides lacked for creation in the hole. None scored more than 50 goals to boot, though their early machinations have worsened Lapa's fit.
Detroit City built through their wingbacks, relying on Maxi Rodriguez's deeper brilliance and late runs from the central midfield as secondary sources. The results were decent but need refinement. Still, with the ball-dominant Rodriguez back and Connor Rutz renewed for three years as a no. 10, Lapa wouldn't be perfect. Trevor James needs a holder or no. 8 to round things out; I'd put Rutz there and trust the back three to deny breaks, but James wouldn't.
Charleston...well, the less said, the better in terms of 2022. Emilio Ycaza helps Ben Pirmann immensely and eliminates the need for Lapa. I do think Lapa is an interesting simulacrum of Laurent Kissiedou's traditional creation role as seen in Memphis, but it isn't to be with Pirmann settling on different players at his new posting.
Meanwhile, New Mexico ought to have looked for a Chris Wehan replacement in my opinion. The stalwart midfielder ranked below average for creation (44th percentile expected assists), looked slow tracking back (3rd percentile defensive actions), and lacked pace and verve as a dribbler (4th percentile foul drawing). Lapa is a fresher face, but Zach Prince preferred ol' reliable with an eye towards Cristian Nava's integration into fuller minutes.
Whoever inherits Lapa immediately levels up in the final third. He has vision that few players at this level can match, and he immediately elevates any contender. He's going to excel wherever he lands.
Comments