Explaining New Mexico's Style
New Mexico United are the patron saints of the high press in the USL Championship. Troy Lesense instilled a hard-closing, aggressive identity in the club from their earliest days, and New Mexico qualified for the playoffs in each of their first two seasons under his watch. 2021 ended in disappointment and without a playoff berth, but the same style remained and was still somewhat effective. Lesense's side allowed just 9.1 passes per defensive action, one of the stingiest marks in the USL.
Since the 2020 season, the hard-pressing system has been based out of a three-at-the-back formation. As seen in the graphic below mapping a common 2022 alignment, New Mexico has stayed consistent even with Zach Prince at the helm. Prince has experimented with back fours and midfield diamonds at times, but he returned to a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 shape this weekend in a road trip to New York.
What sets the look apart in 2022? New Mexico's right back - often Harry Swartz or Daniel Bruce - sits comparatively higher than the left back. This liberates one of the forwards to drift into the left channel. Neco Brett is nailed-on as the true #9 at the heart of the attack, and he's active as a closer. The third player labeled as "forward" below enjoys a varied deployment. With Chris Wehan in the spot, you get a creative force in possession, but one who presses high in a 3-4-3 shape. At other times, that spot is filled by a box-to-box central midfielder.
No matter the exact machinations of the starting eleven, New Mexico presses high. Their central midfielders push up and challenge for the ball, their forwards swarming actively, and the wingbacks get involved in the opposing third. To compress the pitch and support that pressure, New Mexico uses a high defensive line.
In other words, the side keeps their three central defenders very close to the halfway point of the field. This makes it hard for opponents to play past New Mexico without being offside, but it also makes life difficult for the defenders who have more ground to cover.
Kalen Ryden takes on the most responsibility of any player in this alignment. He anchors the defense as the centermost central defender, serving as a catch-all "centerfielder" and last line of defense. Alex Tambakis is an effective sweeper from goal, and that lightens Ryden's load to an extent, but his contributions are still enormous. Let's dig in and see why the stalwart defender is so crucial.
Holding the High Line
The ensuing clips come from New Mexico's recent match at New York Red Bulls II, a game in which the guests dominated possession and territory. This obviously led to numerous offensive chances, but it also left New Mexico exposed to the counterattack. Still, Ryden shone.
New York looks over the top of the high defensive line here, trying to catch New Mexico unready. There's a bit of uncertainty initially, but you can see a few high-level aspects of Ryden's game on display. For one, note his agility on the turn. #22 stays aware, sidles over to the runner, and puts in an immaculate tackle. His win percentage on challenges is oddly low - in the fourth percentile of all defenders - but moments like this illustrate that Ryden is precise when it matters.
Here, Ryden's physicality takes the stage. Rashid Tetteh lets a runner into the channel, but Ryden boxes out the New York man without a second thought. His strength holds the attacker back, and he retains enough control and presence of mind to dink a clearing ball into the middle of the pitch. It's a subtle but clean play in all respects. Ryden is in the 92nd percentile for total clearances, sweeping up danger in these very instances.
The matchup in Montclair saw the Baby Bulls emerge in the second half, but Ryden's interventions were largely responsible for the limitation of opposing danger. Here, he walks a tightrope, covering a run up the middle from Zach Ryan while angling himself to deny a cutback to the right-sided Red Bull. When Ryan commits to a shot, Ryden's acceleration comes to the forefront, and he's able to step in front of the shooter to muzzle the chance.
Across these clips, #22's instinctual reading of the game stands out. He always knows where to be to put a damper on potentially dangerous counterattacks, and his body positioning maximizes these chance-limiting interventions.
Distributing from the Back
Further, #22 is a strong passer from the back line. Justin Portillo and the wingbacks drive play for this side, but they can't receive the ball without Ryden as the man in the middle. When New Mexico needs to rest, Ryden is always available. That said, he has a real sense for a line-breaking entry pass.
You'll see two of those crucial balls in the clip above. The first finds Will Seymore en route to Justin Portillo, and the second hits Josh Suggs at wingback. Seriously, watch that first clip back. Ryden threads the needle through the tightest window to beat three forwards in the press, and New Mexico can advance from there. In the second instance, the centerback takes one controlling touch and keeps the momentum going with his wide ball. He has a sense of tempo while still remaining clean and technical.
One more clip. Ryden receives from Tambakis, and he doesn't hesitate to blast a ball over the high line. #22 is a quick thinker, decisive as a defender and passer alike. Here, that capability pays off as New Mexico gets a chance in behind and earns a corner. The accuracy and precision in the long ball are a rare combination.
On the season, Ryden is in the 67th percentile for total pass volume and roughly average by most progressivity metrics. More often than not, he serves as a safe pair of hands, recycling possession to his fellow centerbacks. Still, the examples here illustrate Ryden's value as a discerning creator and play-driver.
Across these examples, you're seeing one of the most composed, unflappable players in the USL Championship. Ryden won't always blow you away with obvious highlights, but that's not his job. New Mexico United succeeds by creating chaos and playing on the front foot, but they can only do so with the backstop of #22 in defense. This team is able to experiment in the midfield and forward lines because of Ryden's reliability, comfortable in the knowledge that he can clean up most errors. From his sage passing to his impeccable defensive rotations to those goal-denying tackles, Kalen Ryden underlies all of New Mexico's success.
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