With just about a month to play in the USL Championship season, Monterey Bay FC has everything to play for. The expansion side sits 11th in the table in the Western Conference, but don't let that fool you: Frank Yallop's club is two points out of the playoff field with less matches played than every other team in the league.
Monterey was slated to play the seventh-placed Las Vegas Lights this weekend, but the match was rescheduled due to issues at Cashman Field. My projections currently have the side one point out of the playoffs, but a win over the Lights would boost Monterey to 6th place with a 78% chance of getting in.
While waiting for Cardinale Stadium to open, this team started slowly out of the gates. Their debut match in Phoenix began with four first-half concessions, foreshadowing six losses in 2022's first seven games. When Hugh Roberts and Kai Greene both got healthy, things rapidly improved. The centerbacks are crucial and give Yallop and company a base to build upon. Greene is minus-one for goal difference this year in a side that's 12 goals in the negative overall; the added solidity is obvious.
When Monterey took the next step beyond competence and asserted themselves as a playoff candidate, their efficient attack took center stage. This team has just two losses in their last 12 games, and that joy has been a result of the counterattack. Monterey sits deep, rides out pressure, and works into their pacey, intelligent upfield players. No individual is a better representation of that hard-nosed approach than Sam Gleadle.
British born but Southwest raised, Gleadle is a veteran of the elite defensive sides in the Western Conference. He mostly played as a fullback with Reno 1868 FC and San Antonio FC, executing at the highest levels in hugely disparate systems. Reno played a possessive style and used a man-marking defense; San Antonio sits off the ball and relies on rapid counterattacks for goalscoring. In both styles, Gleadle shone.
This year, the 26-year-old has been used as an attacker with Monterey. The expansion club has seen large amounts of variability in their attacking positions, but Gleadle is as nailed as anyone after his recent run of form. On the season, #23 is in the 92nd percentile for conversion rate amongst attackers, but he puts in 63rd percentile levels of defensive actions all the while. Gleadle is dogged in the press, smart and quick in his runs, and clinical as a finisher.
In Monterey's 4-4-1-1 or 4-2-3-1 setup, Gleadle plays as a right midfielder or as the deeper #10 underneath the striker. Given how flat the midfield line becomes in block, #23 is tasked with great defensive responsibility in that latter deployment. Essentially, Yallop sits eight players deep, lets striker Christian Volesky stay high as an outlet for hold-up and direct passing after turnovers, and tasks #23 with pressing from touchline to touchline. Adrian Rebollar has filled that same position nicely, but Gleadle's defensive sensibilities and speed set him apart.
Take the example shown in the tweet here. Gleadle is there in the press, making himself an absolute nuisance. Orange County turns over thanks to his efforts and the overall discipline of the Monterey team, and that's where the fun begins. Volesky drops low, and Chase Boone - another breakout star in the 2022 campaign - makes a smart run off of him into the hole. The guests are sucked forward, and Gleadle makes a run behind the defense to score his third goals in Monterey's last two games.
This is the instinct that sets Gleadle apart and represents everything that's gone right for Monterey. The goal only happens because the defense presses with maximum effort; that was the key to stabilizing this team in the Spring. After that, offensive fluidity reigns. Players like Boone and Gleadle have an excellent sense for interchange and movement, turning this Monterey team into a real counterattacking threat that can't be taken lightly in transition.
You'll see another instance of those two wreaking havoc here, this time at the expense of the second-placed San Diego Loyal. When #31 makes a deep rightward run, the Loyal are drawn up the pitch. Gleadle senses this development and streaks behind the elevated defensive line. The ball ends up at his feet, and he curls a lovely left-footed shot into the back of the net. That goal broke open the game, and Monterey would go on to win 3-1 against an elite USL side.
Frank Yallop deserves massive credit for sticking with a baseline system, bringing in key reinforcements, and leaning into what works. His decision-making and defensive coaching clearly have paid dividends in Northern California. Still, it takes a bit of skill and a touch of magic to turn such a dire start into a playoff challenge, and that's where players like Gleadle come in. Few USL veterans have #23's combination of effort and talent, and Gleadle's clutch late-season performances illustrate that uniqueness to a tee. Whether or not Monterey gets over the line after match 32, they should be confident that they've found a core with Gleadle at the center of it.
Comentarios