Welcome in to another rambling Sunday column! You'll have to wait to hate on my biweekly power rankings, but in the meantime I wanted to mark down a few notable preseason trends and dive into the Louisville defense. We'll start with the former; three cheers for actual soccer! Before that, though, I wanted to pitch my Young Player Week over on Twitter. So far, I've profiled:
Lamar Walker (AM, MIA)
Preston Judd (FW, LAG)
Daniel Trejo (FW, LVL)
Caleb Wiley (FB, ATL)
Trey Muse (GK, LDN)
There'll be three more posts on the way plus a wrap-up with higher-level numbers on young players in the league. But without further ado, back to the preseason:
New Mexico has active so far, playing three matches with thorough updates. I've noted their first two starting formations below, taking the liberty to stab at their shape. The first game featured teenager Christian Nava in the lineup after he lit up the USL Academy Cup; I see him contributing to the front three in a fair number of matches. Match two was harder to get a read on, but Austin Yearwood was restored to the starting unit, and in my mind this bumped Rashid Tetteh to a holding role. Higher, that created a front two and liberated Justin Portillo to get box-to-box. Match three saw a team a bit too sub-heavy to draw conclusions, but I'm very excited to see how this team looks on opening day.
Oakland kicked off their preseason slate as well, and this inaugural matchup saw the Roots start Juan Carlos Azocar on the wing. Azocar was a Swiss Army knife with Rio Grande Valley last season, and I fancied the role he took as a no-nonsense, tenacious wingback down the stretch. He's good at the attacking-minded spot the Roots are using him at too, but his deployment may betray the use of a defense-tilted system to start the Juan Guerra era. One more note from beat reporter Jonathan Comeaux: trialist striker Nico Molina seemed to impress, and this team doesn't really have a true #9 at the moment. Expect a signing there, Molina or otherwise.
Phoenix's first lineup was largely as expected, and I talked a lot about that potential eleven on the latest Fan Experience podcast. The positional battle to keep an eye on is at left back, where Baboucarr Njie got the look over Ryan Flood. I had leaned towards Flood starting on opening day as a point of continuity, but Njie gives you more explosion, speed, and progressive dribbling. A heavily rotated Saturday squad also saw him start.
Miami turned out two playoff-tier lineups across halves in their friendly against Montreal. I've mapped out the squads in a Pulis-ish 4-4-2, but those left-sided strikers may have functioned as #10 midfielders in a 4-2-3-1; the distinction isn't huge. I am curious who starts on the wings come March. Lamar Walker and Florian Valot get the nods in my mind, but this team is disgustingly talented out wide.
Indy Eleven debuted a squad with Sam Brown starting as the #6 and ex-Orlando City midfielder Raul Aguilera on one flank of the diamond. Neveal Hackshaw took over the holding role for the second half. I had the Brown/Hackshaw dynamic nailed down in my expected eleven (find one for every team on the Offseason Hub!), but Aguilera was a question mark; he could be big. One other note: that trialist in goal should've tipped me off that something was afoot, and, indeed, Bobby Edwards retired out of the blue on Friday. Indy has to add there, lest they start teenager Alex Svetanoff. Saturday's team was trialist-laden, but Timmer/Jerome is a yummy centerback pair.
Finally, a few quicker hits. In Tampa, Jake Areman debuted in the central midfield. I wonder how much run he'll get there versus the wingback role he held in Charlotte. San Antonio rolled with a back three as always on Saturday, but I'm having a hell of a time sussing out the rest of the alignment. I dig the Patino/Collier combo at a minimum. Lastly, I've drawn out Hartford's Saturday starters below alongside those of Charleston. Oh, and San Diego precedes this bullet because I'm a lineup addict.
Apropos of nothing, I also wanted to discuss Louisville's defensive system heading into 2022. This was an elite side in its own half last year, holding opponents to the second-fewest shots on target in the league. We'll get into the systematic reasons behind that, but I wanted to start with the roster overhaul at back for Danny Cruz and company.
In the exit column, Jonathan Gomez was joined by Alexis Souahy, Pat McMahon, and Chris Hubbard. These spots were filled, respectively by Amadou Dia, no one in particular, possibly Ray Serrano, and Kyle Morton. Dia and Morton are known quantities in the USL, each having put up 90th percentile seasons in prior campaigns. Serrano has a history of decent run-out as a wingback in Tacoma, and he could replace the aging McMahon with a marauding turn on the right. Meanwhile, those Souahy minutes have been left vacant by design; Louisville expects Wes Charpie and Josh Wynder to step up and prove their worth, showcasing a youth-driven path forward.
No matter how the personnel shake out, I'm more interested the system. In general, Louisville tries to maintain possession high up the pitch. The opponent can't score if they don't have the ball, after all. To support this suffocation, the side pushes both of their fullbacks high up the pitch. On the ball, this gives City two extra passing outlets and lets them stay dominant. It also bolsters the counterpress. Counterpressure describes the tactic of immediately closing down on opponents with your attackers when you lose possession. Those two extra fullbacks give an extra thrust to the counterpress since they can intercept rushed passes, put in tackles themselves, or allow for more daring actions by their peers through their simple presence.
When in the deep and middle blocks, Louisville's midfield can feature one holder behind a line of four or a double pivot backing up a trio. This strategy hinges on one of the central midfielders variously advancing in the press or sitting back to clog zone fourteen. When Louisville is pinned deep in their third, both CMs are expected to move wide and support their teammates against overlaps and overloads. As a reaction, the central attacking midfielder or a winger (often Brian Ownby) will cycle deeper to prevent incision in the vacated middle.
Let's get into video to illustrate these principles. Starting with goal kicks, one is immediately struck by the lack of high pressure. Though this team rated in the 86th percentile for press intensity, that ferocity comes in the counterpress. On goal kicks, City keeps a tight shape in the middle of the pitch with the centerbacks encouraged to push up actively. Optimally, the centerbacks will launch the ball back into the opposing half, allowing that structured defense to cut off lanes and win back possession. If the CBs lose their aerial duels, the team is still set up to repel opposing forays.
Still, this team does, in fact, spend most of their time closer to the final third on the front foot. In the instance of counterpressure seen above, the striker, right winger, and right back all close hard when possession is lost. Backed up by three central men, the sequence ends in an interception by holder Tyler Gibson. Louisville remains in attack.
The approach in the mid-block is calmer, and the 4-1-4-1 shape is clear to see. Supported by a strong formation and the backing of Gibson, Ownby steps up to harry the opposing player. An aggressive press it isn't, but Louisville repels the move nonetheless. The second clip illustrates the concept of the pivot helping wide. Niall McCabe, filling that mobile #8 role here, slides deep and left to support against the overlap. He intercepts the pass, illustrating the value of the tactic and the discipline innate to City's shape.
One final clip shows the Louisville approach deeper in their own half. Nothing groundbreaking here. The shape of the back four is good, and it shifts to the flank in a cogent manner. The support from the pivot is solid. Here, the opposition gets a shot off, but it's at a tight angle in a crowd and comes off of a lost one-on-one; the system isn't the issue. In the second sequence, both CMs move wide and the CAM lingers as backup. A cross comes in, but it couldn't be less threatening. Louisville clears with ease.
For some reason, my data is consistently low on Louisville. They're projected as a rock-solid playoff side, but there isn't a recognition of their perennial conference-titlist status. As you can see, I'm subjectively sold on Louisville's style amidst the roster churn and the statistical caution. This is a great USL defense with huge attacking upside, and their organized, territorial, and possessive style is going to carry them to a strong 2022.
That's all, folks. I'll be back with more preseason takeaways and an updated power ranking next week, alongside whatever other tactical trends catch my interest. Until then, thanks for reading!
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