Welcome back to another Sunday column! I'll ramble about a few things as always, but I wanted to start with a handful of plugs. Firstly, I finished up my team-by-team offseason write-ups on the 2022 Offseason Hub, so give those a read. Of course, that page also has a full transaction and roster tracker, tactical insights, Championship and League One player stats, and Championship team stats. Next up, engage with the USL Show! We had a great episode on nostalgic USL crests this week, and we're excited to focus in on the pitch as the season draws near. The YouTube channel also features my Tactics Show content a day early; subscribe! One final shout for some podcast appearances on my end. I've recently hit up Cue the Smoke to talk about Indy Eleven, I'm on the Fan Experience rounding up league news every week, and I'll soon be on the SA Soccer Roundtable talkin' Texas. Check it all out!
In any event, I put out the bat signal for ideas on a NBA-style "most improved" candidate for the USL in 2022. One name that came up was Jake LaCava (kudos, @yurikaRBLR; check out his Rowdies show), who joined the Tampa Bay Rowdies on loan from the New York Red Bulls system after a few successful campaigns. At twenty-one years old, LaCava has already cemented himself as a double-digit goal and assist guy across a full year at the #10 spot.
When I think about LaCava's skillset, I'm most impressed by his ability to drive offense in open space. He's a strong dribbler with a clean touch, and, while not a prodigious creator, his shot threat generates lanes for his teammates. He can also come deep and ease build, which is so valuable in this league and at his position in particular.
For someone that young, LaCava is great, but I don't know if I see him as a breakout guy this year. Basically, I worry he won't see enough of the pitch to be a star, which is a function of Tampa being utterly stacked in the midfield. The parallel here is Zach Steinberger, a nominally similar #10 who earned half of LaCava's New York minute total under Neill Collins last year. For the Red Bull product to shine, he'll have to eat that time and steal even more from Yann Ekra, Lewis Hilton, Leo Fernandes, or Jake Areman. LaCava is going to be a stud, and the amount of play he's seen in the preseason is encouraging, but we'll see what gives.
Someone I could see making the leap is Nick Hinds in El Paso. A left back or defensive midfielder in Austin last year, Hinds let it be known in a great Seriously Loco interview that he'll be used as a winger this season. Says Hinds: "I love to go at players and take people on, and obviously I have some defending history. So when we lose the ball higher up the pitch, that's a positive."
As seen in the highlight clip, Hinds is skilled and intelligent enough to put his money where his mouth is. He'll also start the year in a tactically comfortable spot since he knows new Locomotive coach John Hutchinson. The Aussie gaffer expects his wide players to hustle hard defensively, suiting Hinds' left-back skillset, while also tucking narrow in the final third. This will facilitate a two-man game with the amazing Eder Borelli, and it also meshes with Hinds' control and tight dribbling so cultivated in central midfield minutes at other stops. Ultimately, Hinds may not be the flashiest pick, but I think his overall impact could be massive.
One final shout to represent defense here, and that's Wes Charpie out of Louisville City. I recently broke down Louisville's defensive style and tactics, focusing a bit on the transition to a more youthful squad; Charpie is key to that change. It's a big ask to fill Alexis Souahy's shoes, but I'm confident he can.
A central defender under Danny Cruz has to be athletic enough to defend in a high-ish line and recover against counterattacks. That line is so high in the first place because City dominates with possession in the final third, and the CBs need to stay up to recycle the ball when it's worked back. Think of Charpie as a pressure release valve or a reset button. As you can see in the clip linked above and the stats shown here, Charpie has both the athleticism and the skill to get those jobs done. My only concern is that new addition Ian Soler (check out the essential introduction from my pal Benton at Vamos Morados) steals his time. Still, I'm broadly confident about Charpie making the leap to all-league consideration.
I'll hold back from picking apart every single preseason result this week, but I did want to register a bit of interest in FC Tulsa's lineup from their latest warmup bout. You can see a rough estimation of their starting set below.
This is quite a good squad, and it's really deep across the board. I guarantee you that the lineup above won't be the same as the one on opening day, but it betrays who's in the mix. Petar Cuic, for instance, is capable as a #6 holding midfielder or as a central defender; it's interesting to see him next to Lebo Moloto, where he would be completely liberated from creative duties and could focus on destruction and defending. Gabby Torres is another bright spot at left who can solve the creative issues presented when Jorge Corrales is gone on international duty; the problems of someone being too good, eh?
When I'm mapping out this team's depth chart and analyzing the side from a statistical and tactical angle, a few things pop out. For one, I'm curious about their defensive shape. I wrote a piece championing the use of a 4-2-3-1 to clamp down on opposing sides given this team's pressure-light approach, and I stand by that. In the squad that was rolled out, I think the defensive approach was, in fact, based around a five-man midfield. That said, the shift away from a front two won't work without defensive buy-in from the #10 and quality finishing from the #9. Can Rodrigo Da Costa give you the former and Brian Brown the latter? I have questions on both ends, but I'm happy to see Tulsa switching it up.
You know 'em, you love 'em, and you'll probably spend two weeks angrily calling me out for 'em: it's Power Ranking time! My biweekly table of USL teams only underwent light changes this time around, featuring stasis at the top. Still, I want to address the movers here.
I won't dive too deep into El Paso, but just refer back to the Nick Hinds section for my sentiment. I had this side outside the top ten a month or so ago, and I think I was penalizing them for being too talented in the middle of the park. Dylan Mares not getting every minute because Diego Luna is amazing is a good thing, and I struggled to wrap my head around that. Do I fully believe in the defense right now? No, but this team is legit.
I caused a real ruckus ranking San Antonio low a few weeks back as well, and they rise on the additions of defender Fabien Garcia with Ketuka Manneh and Deshane Beckford in attack. Solidity, speed, and guile; all key to the Marcina identity. Here's a link to a fuller video endorsement.
Call me biased, but I'm coming around on Indy. The goalie situation is sorted , and I'm ever more confident in Raul Aguilera as a key addition in the Mark Lowry midfield. The regression-to-the-mean question with Ayoze, Hackshaw, Ouimette, et al. is going to determine a lot here.
I hate to be in this spot, but I have Orange County fifteenth in the league and outside of the playoffs by one position. I've discussed the loss of Eric Calvillo (El Paso's midfield, man) and am increasingly worried by the glut of #6 and #8 midfielders replacing him when this team so desperately needs a linking #10. There's also a big burden on Kobi Henry to step into full starter minutes, which he seems capable of, and on Ronaldo Damus and Erick Torres to figure out a striking connection with immediacy, which I'm more dubious about. This team is talented enough on paper to run it back for another playoff heater, and I trust Richard Chaplow, but the West is strong and this team's build is too wonky.
The biggest riser of all is Monterey Bay. Hugh Roberts and Kai Greene joined up since my last ranking, and they'll immediately become one of the best defensive pairs in the entire league. I worry about ball progression, finishing, wing depth, and basically every other aspect here, but you can envision this team combining centerback excellence and Chris Cortez holdup to an Oakland-like run of results to stay afloat. More on this side soon...
That's a wrap for now. Make sure to follow the links in the opening, and check out my Young Player Week content from Twitter as well! Cheers.
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