Charlotte FC’s second-ever signing is 21-year-old, Australian midfielder Riley McGree. Another midfield signing for Charlotte but this one specializes on the offensive side of the game. While Sergio Ruiz is a more defensive-minded midfielder, McGree is a dynamic attacking midfielder. However, there is a similarity between Ruiz and McGree; they are both versatile. While McGree is listed as an attacking midfielder, he is also capable of playing on the wing, and the number eight role in a three-man midfield which he did at his previous team, Adelaide United in Australia.
Speaking of Adelaide United, Riley had a brilliant 2019-20 season in the A-League notching 10 goals and 5 assists from the midfield position. He finished the season with an impressive goals and assists per 90 rate of 0.68 (FBref). He also had a 57% involvement in moves ending in a goal (smarterscout). His performances were rewarded by receiving the A-League Young Footballer of the Year reward. A feat even more impressive considering the circumstances of Adelaide United this past season…
Adelaide United had the youngest starting line up in the A-League with the average age of the squad being 25 years old. With a young team, inconsistency will naturally be a part of it and that inconsistency held them back throughout the season. Regardless, McGree managed to have the best season of his young career all while on an inconsistent team that finished in 7th place out of 11 total teams.
So what is it about McGree’s game that ultimately contributed to an outstanding season and being hyped up as one of Australia’s most exciting young prospects? And how will it translate to MLS?
Athleticism
The first thing that stands out about Riley is just his pure, raw athleticism. He stands at a respectable 5 foot 10 inches and has a fit and lean body physique. While he is naturally athletic, it isn’t all genes. Riley has been putting on more mass throughout the years and its effects have definitely shown on the pitch. He is naturally a fast and explosive player but adding on more mass has increased his strength and ability to hold players off. A great example of this strength combined with his explosiveness can be seen in the clip below.
Even with Riley’s recent weight lifting and increase in mass, it hasn’t affected the speed he has always had. He still remains as explosive and fast as ever and perhaps even more. Riley’s athletism is also enhanced by his work ethic. Being naturally athletic and also possessing a strong work ethic makes for a powerful combination. The clip below demonstrates how this combination Riley possesses can produce something from nothing.
A common aspect about MLS that foreigners have continually mentioned they’ve had to adjust to is the physicality of the league. Serie A and Italian national team legend, Andrea Pirlo, had this to say about playing in MLS in an interview, “It’s a very hard league to play in. It’s very physical, there’s a lot of running. So there is a lot of physical work…..” With that said, Riley’s athleticism will benefit him greatly in MLS and he should have no problem adjusting to the physicality of the league. Adjusting should be even easier as well considering he is on loan at one of the most physical leagues in the world… the second division in England, the EFL Championship.
Being athletic and having a great work ethic is very important but if you don’t have any technical or mental skills on the pitch, they will only take you so far. While Riley is well-rounded in both these departments, he has two skills that stand out the most.
Off The Ball Movement
For a young player like Riley, the technical aspects like dribbling, shooting, and passing are easy to train and improve on. The majority of young professional players can further develop and improve these aspects over time just throughout training and playing throughout their seasons. However, most young players tend to struggle to grasp the mental aspects of the game. Young players who have an aptitude in the mental side of the game tend to stand out. Riley is one of these young players who has this aptitude for the mental side of the game and his exceptional off the ball movement is a byproduct of it.
A perfect demonstration of Riley’s excellent off the ball movement can be seen in this game versus Melbourne City. As the ball gets switched towards the left side of the pitch, Riley recognizes the open space (blue) within the area and moves towards it. The Melbourne City defensive midfielder, Joshua Brillante, tails him.
The ball has been switched and the Adelaide left-back has possession and is looking to find a pass in the open space. The Melbourne City midfielder recognizes that Riley is trying to occupy that open space and create a forward passing option for the Adelaide left-back so he steps in front of Riley’s path towards the open space (red). He blocks Riley’s path towards the open space leaving the left-back without any threatening forward passes.
Riley reacts quickly to the midfielder stepping up to block his path. The Melbourne City right-back is pushing up to go mark the left-winger at the same time Brillante steps up to block the passing lane towards Riley. Riley recognizes and sees that when the Melbourne midfielder and right back step up, all that space in behind them (blue) will open up. He immediately stops his run towards the initial open space and changes his run into the space behind the two Melbourne players. Riley hopes that his fellow Adelaide left-back sees his run and makes the pass in behind into the space he is running to.
His left-back does indeed end up making the pass in behind and plays Riley through. As you can see, Riley’s run dragged the defensive midfielder (1) out of his original position in front of the two center backs, leaving that area completely uncovered. The space is open for any Adelaide player to make an uncontested run into, which is what Riley’s teammate (green circle), smartly opted to do. Riley’s run also forced the right center back (2) to leave his central position in order to close down the open space that Riley would have to dribble freely into the opponent’s penalty box.
With the defensive midfielder and the right center back being dragged out by Riley’s run it leaves his two teammates free to run into the box unmarked (1 & 2). This left Riley with two open targets to hit with a cross and potentially score a goal. While the play didn’t result in a goal because Riley’s cross was short, it still shows how Riley’s off the ball movement can create scoring opportunities for his team.
Even if the player doesn’t score a goal from his off the ball movement that doesn’t mean it is useless, quite the opposite. What makes being good at moving off the ball so important is the fact that it creates advantages for your team. Good off the ball movement creates overloads, it drags opponents out of their position creating gaps in their shape, and helps advance the ball into threatening areas. All of these direct results of good off ball movement lead to not only more goal scoring opportunities but also higher quality opportunities.
Observable in the clip below, throughout a game Riley is constantly scanning his surroundings for open space to exploit. He rarely sits still and stays in one place. His head is always on a swivel looking for the next available open space. Not only does Riley have a good vision and understanding of off the ball movement but he can process this information quickly. He doesn’t have to stop and think about his next move. He reacts almost immeditealy and gets into the open spaces as soon as they are available.
Great off the ball movement is a valuable skill and ability to have for any player on any team. However, it becomes invaluable when you combine a keen off the ball ability with clinical finishing, perfectly weighted passes, or both…
Versatile Finishing
Although Riley plays as a midfielder, he’s finishing ability is that of a seasoned striker. He led Adelaide United in scoring with 10 goals which is even more impressive considering the position he plays. He has a magical left foot that is capable of creating spectacular goals from nothing but also puts away easy chances. While his passing is decent, it can still improve but it is McGree’s striking ability that really shines in the final third. Whether the finish is from a tap in, volley, outside the box, weak foot, curler, or scorpion kick, Riley is capable of finishing in a multitude of different ways. Examples of Riley’s versatile finishing ability can be seen below.
Left Foot
Right Foot
Tap In
Touch & Shoot
Curler
Volley
Outside The Box
And for fun… Scorpion Kick
Conclusion
Riley’s versatile finishing ability and his excellent off the ball movement is a deadly combination in the midfield. McGree’s runs into open space in and around the box along with his finishing ability remind me of one of, if not the best midfielder in the world right now. Kevin De Bruyne. De Bruyne is in a league of his own and will go down as one of the best midfielders to play the game. Even though McGree isn’t anywhere close to De Bruyne’s level, his position, versatility, physique, and style of play are unexpectedly quite similar to that of De Bruyne’s. He can finish inside and outside the box, has great off the ball movement, and is versatile enough to play in the midfield as well as out wide. All traits that make De Bruyne extremely valuable to Manchester City and one of the best midfielders in the world.
While Riley is far off from being at De Bruyne’s level, and most likely never will reach it, he has only recently turned 22 years old. He still has much room to further develop in to reach his full potential. One aspect that Riley isn’t particularly bad in but he could definitely improve in order to reach his full potential is his passing. Riley also needs to get on the ball more and dictate play. Once he improves these aspects he will be the complete attacking midfielder.
Charlotte FC has itself an exciting, dynamic young player who has only just begun tapping into his full potential. As of right now, Riley McGree’s main focus and goal should be to become a regular starter and contributor at his loanee club, Birmingham City. He’s off to a decent start in the championship scoring a goal in his first start for the club a week ago. The Championship is an ideal place for Riley to develop in to prepare for the MLS. The physicality and speed of the game in the Championship is superb preparation for the physical style of MLS. It is very likely that Charlotte will be getting an even better version of Riley McGree than the one right now on his return from his loan spell in the Championship.
Riley McGree is an athletic, dynamic, exciting young player who will no doubt be key to Charlotte FC in their inaugural season. He will provide goals and assists from the midfield position and whose superb positioning will be a struggle for MLS defenders to deal with. Riley may be Australia’s golden boy but he shouldn’t be taken lightly because of his young age. He has all the potential and ability to quickly develop into an elite attacking midfielder in the MLS and more.
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