Sobociński is considered to be one of the most talented young stoppers in Poland but is still very raw. He had an impressive campaign to help get LKS Lodz get promoted to the first division of Poland, Ekstraklasa, but struggled to adapt to the superior league. It was a difficult year for not only Sobociński but for the team as a whole as they got relegated down to the 2nd division. Thus far, things have turned around for both Sobociński and Lodz with them in contention for promotion once again sitting in 2nd place.

What about Sobociński makes him considered by many in Poland as the future of Poland’s defense? And how will he be able to transition to MLS?

Aggression

When you watch Sobociński for the first time, the first thing that stands out is his aggression. His approach on defense is reminiscent of the classic, no non-sense defenders of the early 2000s. While he only stands 6’1, which is relatively on the smaller side of centrebacks, he imposes himself on opponents as if he were much bigger. He doesn’t like to give opponents space or time. This is why he is suited to the stopper role.

The stopper in soccer is the centreback whose job is to stop the advancement of the ball as quickly as possible. They do this by fiercely contesting every ball in their area, stepping into passing lanes, and use aggression to disrupt the offense. This role requires confidence, bravery, anticipation, and strong tackling and heading ability. All traits that Sobociński possesses.

Sobociński is a fearless, strong tackler who is also great aerially. He loves to get stuck in and aggressively challenges for every ball. He isn’t afraid to put his body on the line to make the necessary tackle. He tackles hard and with authority not only winning the ball but also making an immediate statement to opposing players. Sobociński isn’t the type of defender who jockeys until his opponent passes back or makes mistake. He is hungry to make a crunching tackle anytime an opposing player has the ball.

As of writing this, Sobociński has won a solid 62.9% of his defensive duels this season. This is a further indication of his good one versus one defensive capability. In the air, thus far this season Sobociński has won 65.4% of his aerial duels. Sobociński isn’t the tallest but possesses fine athleticism. He has an impressive top speed for a centreback, able to quickly move laterally, and win those aerial duels. This athletism aids his aggressiveness and gives him an advantage in 1 v 1 scenarios.

His style of play is a nightmare for attackers because anytime they play against him they are in for a physical battle. Sobociński doesn’t want to give a single inch away for free. Sobociński’s style of play isn’t only physically fatiguing for opposing players but also affects them psychologically. If opposing players knows every time they touch the ball they are going to be physically challenged hard it will affect their mental. They will be less likely to hold on to the ball for long and instead opt for a quick pass backward or sideways instead of turning towards the goal and attacking.

However, like most young defenders, Sobociński isn’t flawless. His over aggression can sometimes lead him to be prone to mistakes and yellow cards. In his season playing in the Polish first division, he was criticized for making too many mistakes and rightfully so. His mistakes normally don’t come from a place of not being physically capable but rather more on the mental side of the game.

As in most young players, soccer IQ, such as reading the game and positioning is their weakest part. This trend continues with Sobociński and his occasional rash decision-making. Whether it is reading the game too late or anticipating too early, Sobociński needs to improve this aspect of his game to get the best out of his exceptional physical capabilities. This area can be improved with coaching and just flat out more experience.

Sobociński’s athleticism and physicality will help him significantly in adjusting to Major League Soccer’s high level of physicality. However, he must improve the mental aspects of his game in order to successfully defend the superior MLS attackers week in and week out. The clever and skillful attackers of MLS such as Lodeiro, Reynoso, Zelarayán, etc. make quick work of overly aggressive defenders who don’t read the game well. Playing against these attackers on a weekly basis will help Sobociński to improve every defensive aspect of his game.

Technical Ability

It’s rare enough to find a left-footed centreback nowadays, but to find a left-footed centreback that is athletic and gritty with a strong technical ability is a combination of unicorn level scarcity. This combination is very valuable in modern football systems because of the emphasis on high pressing and building up from the back.

Left-footed centrebacks are high in demand because of the prominence of playing out of the back. Teams now more than ever like to build up their attack starting from the goalkeeper and defenders are an important piece to start the attack. Defenders nowadays need to be strong technically and comfortable on the ball. Left-footed centerbacks help even more in the build-up because when playing on the left side it is much safer to pass with the left foot than the right.

Sobociński has what many Polish fans have deemed a “magical left foot” and for good reason. His left foot creates beautiful passes in every different form. From long switches, to over-the-top through balls, and line-breaking passes, Sobociński’s left foot can do it all. This season he’s had an exemplary overall pass completion percentage of 85.3%, attempting an average of 64.47 passes per 90 minutes.

Sobociński started out as a defensive midfielder in the youth levels of Poland. In fact, when playing in the youth levels he was known to consistently score goals from long distances because of the power his left foot possessed. As he’s gotten older he’s also increased his accuracy to go along with that power elevating his passing ability to another level. It is perhaps his time as a defensive midfielder that helped him develop his technical ability.

Below are some examples that showcase his diverse passing ability:

Over-The-Top Through Ball

Long Switch

Line-Breaking Pass

Passing Under Pressure

Sobociński’s technical abilities don’t stop at his passing. To accompany his strong passing ability he also has good vision. When on the ball, he is constantly scanning for runs in behind and openings to exploit the defense. He is comfortable enough on the ball to progress it forward as well as possesses a good first touch. He’s well-rounded in every technical aspect.

Similar to his defense, if Sobociński improves his decision-making when it comes to passing, it will take his distribution to an even higher level. This season so far he has completed 50.8% of his long passes with an average of 10.38 long passes attempted per 90. Completing half of his long passes is not bad at all, but the ones he didn’t were mostly due to it not being a good choice rather than not him not capable of producing the accuracy required. Again, this is something that he can improve with more experience and time.

Sobociński is going to help Charlotte FC in possession by progressing the ball forward and unlocking defenses through his ball carrying and precise passing.

Conclusion

Charlotte FC’s Sporting Director, Zoran Krneta, has consistently said that Charlotte will look to play an attacking, possession-based style and Sobociński fits the profile of the ideal centreback for this system. His athleticism and 1v1 capabilities allow him to play a high defensive line. He possesses the technical ability and composure to play out of the back. He also has that fearlessness that you can’t teach but is essential for being an elite stopper.

Major League Soccer is a great opportunity for Sobociński’s next step in his young career. He will be heading to a league that has the superior attacking quality and increased physicality that will push him to the next level. It will give him a chance to refine his skills and ability to prepare for a move to a better European league if that’s what he wants. He will also be going to a club that will be playing a system that caters to his playstyle and strengths.

Charlotte FC has possibly found themselves a diamond in the rough. While he’s rough around the edges, he has all the ability to be a key player in Charlotte’s spine for the upcoming inaugural season and much longer. He also has the potential to play at a high level back in Europe in the near future if he desires and earns it. For the rest of the year, he will continue to hone his craft in Poland helping push LKS Lodz to another promotion back to the Ekstraklasa.

Like “The Punisher” from the Marvel comics, Sobociński is gritty and instills fear in his opponents but is precise in his execution, someone Charlotte FC fans should look forward to having on their side.

The post Jan Sobociński: The Polish Punisher appeared first on Regal Soccer.

The first and most obvious reason is a quicker adjustment period. There will be no culture shock or language barrier when bringing in an American player to the MLS. The second reason is that he won’t fill up a valuable international player slot. That means one could use those slots on the more impactful positions such as attacking midfielder or striker with higher-profile foreign players. Lastly, American players are normally undervalued so if you have to pay a transfer fee there is a good chance it will be lower than say an Argentinian or Spanish player.

There are plenty of MLS quality Americans playing abroad that Charlotte FC should be inquiring about. However, there are a certain three that would be open to an MLS move, fit the club’s ideal player profile, and be automatic starters for Charlotte without breaking the bank.

Starting with…

Ethan Horvath (25)

Club: Club Brugge (Belgium)

Position(s): GK

Transfermarkt Value: $1.4 Million

Profile: Ethan Horvath has been playing in Europe his whole professional career, first at Molde in Norway and then Club Brugge in Belgium. Unfortunately for him, things haven’t gone to plan at Brugge only playing one league game thus far this season. His contract expires this upcoming June so he could leave for free. At 25 years old, Horvath is entering his prime and has an important decision to make regarding the future of his career.

Does he renew his contract at Club Brugge and keep fighting for the starting position? Or does he decide to leave to get guaranteed playing time elsewhere? Horvath has previously stated in an interview that he is the main financial provider for his parents. A move to MLS in his current situation would be very attractive considering he would get the playing time he deserves and be financially stable to continue supporting his family. All this while being in the familiar setting of his home country.

Horvath can easily be one of the best goalkeepers in MLS. He has all the ability and experience to be one of the headline keepers within the league. Back in October, the starting keeper for Brugge, Simon Mignolet, tested positive for COVID-19 and couldn’t play the Champions League game against Zenit. Horvath was thrust into starting a Champions League game having not played competitively in 13 months. He rose to the occasion and had a brilliant game making 2 key saves near the end to help Club Brugge win the game 2 – 1.

This was a testament to Horvath’s not only goalkeeping ability but even more so to his unwavering mentality to put in a performance like that, after not having played in 13 months and on the biggest stage in football.

Horvath stands at 6’3 with a lean, lanky body physique. He possesses excellent reflexes making him good in 1 v 1 scenarios and set pieces. He also has a great diving ability and is able to stretch and reach wide shots with precision. All that is combined with strong hands and parrying ability that decreases the risk of him giving the opposing team extra chances.

The command of his box is solid with him being aggressive to punch or catch crosses or corner kicks. Horvath’s lanky physique is deceptive because unlike what most would think he is athletic. He is capable of coming off his line quickly with acceleration and speed. As well has a good jumping ability to reach crosses or set-piece passes.

Horvath’s biggest weaknesses are his on the ball ability and distribution. He is not a ball playing goalkeeper. If a system is heavily reliant on using the keeper as an extra man for possession he may struggle in it. While he isn’t the worst, don’t expect him to do anything more than either to play it simple short or punt it long. His decision-making in certain scenarios could improve too but only being 25-years-old and a keeper who generally have longer careers, he has plenty of room to improve.

Charlotte FC would already be signing one of the best keepers in the league without him even playing a game for the club. He wouldn’t require a DP contract but a cheaper TAM deal would most likely be needed to attract him to Charlotte. For Horvath, Charlotte would provide a guaranteed starting position as well as financial security.

The clip below demonstrates Horvath using his high reflexes and strong hands to save a problematic shot and protect his team’s lead.

Ventura Alvarado (28)

Club: Atlético San Luis (Mexico)

Position(s): CB, RB, LB

Transfermarkt Value: $3 Million

Profile: Ventura Alvarado has been applying his trade in Mexico his entire career. The ex-Club América player has currently fallen out of favor at Atlético San Luis to a much younger Jesús Sandoval. The club is in 14th place and Alvarado is getting minimal playing time so a move to MLS could sound like a saving grace to him.

Alvarado’s most obvious asset to his game is his athleticism. He’s not the tallest of centrebacks standing at barely 6 feet but his raw athleticism makes up for his lack of height. In Mexico, he’s known as being one of the fastest and most mobile defenders in the league. Alvarado is extremely fast. Possessing quick acceleration and an impressive top speed for anyone let alone a centreback. Despite his shorter height, Alvarado is also very strong and able to win physical battles.

Alvarado is also a super aggressive defender. He is constantly seeking out the ball and pressuring anyone who has it. He loves to let the attackers know that anytime they touch the ball he will be right there to give them a shove and make them uncomfortable. His athleticism combined with his aggression makes for a difficult combination to beat the majority of times. Attackers have very little time to react when Alvarado is right on them immediately as they receive the ball.

His athleticism and aggression make him an excellent 1 v 1 defender. His aggression and ability to outpace or muscle opponents tend to be overwhelming. He will come out on top in most 1 v 1 scenarios.

However, this aggression doesn’t come risk-free and can be a liability. Alvarado accumulates a lot of yellow cards. Normally it is due to him being overly aggressive and arriving late on tackles. This is something he will have to be careful with when playing against the evasive MLS attackers such as Pozuelo and Zelarayán. Alvarado is best paired with a more passive, sweeper centreback to cover for him.

Alvarado is also very technically sound. First off, he’s completely comfortable with both his feet. He’s able to ping passes and dribble with both his right and left foot. He is also very comfortable carrying the ball and driving it forward. On top of that also possesses a solid passing range. From short easy passes to long diagonals across the pitch, Alvarado is capable of passing in a variety of ways.

Lastly, as a byproduct of his athleticism, on-the-ball ability, and two-footedness, Alvarado is very positionally flexible. He can play across the entire defensive line and defensive midfielder position in an emergency. He possesses the speed and technical ability to play fullback on either side of the pitch. His height, aggression, awareness, and tackling ability allow him to play as either the left or right centreback.

One aspect that one can’t see on the stat sheet is that Alvarado is also a leader. He captained Club Necaxa during one of their best seasons in recent years finishing 6th, making the Liga MX playoffs.

Alvarado’s skill set, athleticism, and versatility make him the ideal defender for modern, high-pressing systems that require fluidity between the different positions. With his age, lack of playing time, and at a smaller club in Mexico, Charlotte FC should be able to sign him at discounted transfer fee. He also would most likely be able to be brought in with just a senior contract. Alvarado can be a player that the club can build their defense around with his vast experience in playing and captaining in the unforgiving Liga MX.

The clip below demonstrates Alvarado’s aggression and strong tackling ability.

This one demonstrates his raw athleticism and commitment.

Shaq Moore (25)

Club: CD Tenerife (Spain)

Position(s): RB, RW

Transfermarkt Value: $720,000

Profile: Shaq Moore was a lock-in starter for Levante when they were playing in La Liga three years ago. Putting in solid performances week in and week out, including a memorable one against Barcelona. However, he currently finds himself being a key player at CD Tenerife in the Spanish second division but sitting in 16th place.

So far this season, Moore has 2,105 minutes played, by far the most minutes of any other player at Tenerife and one of the highest in La Liga 2. With that said, there is no chance that Tenerife will get promoted this season. That combined with just being flat out too good for Tenerife, Moore could be looking for alternative options. He’s been playing in Spain for almost 5 years now and a new challenge back in his home country could be enticing.

Moore is an attack minded fullback that loves to get forward at every opportunity. Standing at 5’11, he’s taller than most fullbacks but doesn’t sacrifice any speed for the additional height. He is rapid and utilizes that that speed to fly down the wide-space, beat players in the 1 v 1s, or to get back on defense.

His speed allows him to get into the position to do what he does best. Crossing. Shaq’s biggest strength is his pinpoint crossing ability. His crosses don’t only have the pace but the precision as well. Almost every cross Moore makes is a threatening one. For opposing teams, it’s a nightmare combination when you have a fullback who can get into the crossing positions and put in precise crosses all game long. It is very difficult to defend for 90 minutes.

Naturally, when it comes to attack-minded fullbacks, their poor defensive positioning will get exposed. Nevertheless, with Moore’s speed he is capable of getting back on defense quickly. His speed and agility also helps him in 1 v 1 defending. His 5’11 height combined with his quickness makes it very difficult to dribble past him. On top of that, he has an impressive slide tackle to add to his defensive arsenal.

Moore isn’t only a crossing merchant on offense. He has great overall technical ability to dribble into threatening positions as well as playing dangerous through balls. His offensive abilities are so good that he is sometimes utilized as a right-winger for Tenerife. His passes have a nice weight to them. He will often play threatening passes in behind the defense to his wingers or strikers playing them through on goal.

Moore’s transfer fee is a bargain for the quality of player Charlotte would be getting. He wouldn’t even require absurdly high wages. A senior contract on the higher end of the spectrum would most likely be the max required to sign him. Moore should have no problem adjusting to the MLS and would fit the player profile of what the Charlotte front office is looking for. Moore is entering his prime but is still young enough to make a move back to Europe if he so desires, which would also net Charlotte FC a nice profit. It wouldn’t be a dead-end move for Moore. Charlotte would get a potential top MLS fullback for a bargain with the potential of profit or being the long-term right-back for the club.

This clip below is a typical Moore sequence and showcases what he does best. He uses his pace to join the attack, drives the ball forward when he receives it, and then delivers a threatening cross.

Conclusion

Signing American players from abroad is a great way to bring quality into the club without having to spend a fortune. It allows for more room for international slots and the budget to bring in even better foreign talent into the team. That combined with an easy adjustment period makes signing Americans make that much more sense. With more talent than ever in the US pool, better players are getting overlooked and Charlotte FC should take full advantage of that.

The post Americans Abroad Charlotte FC Should Sign appeared first on Regal Soccer.

Various French clubs at every professional level have been further financially devastated on top of the already crippling Covid-19 losses. With many French clubs not receiving the TV revenue they were promised, they are desperate to offload players to build some revenue. Due to this, many players within Ligue 1 & 2 are being sold at discount prices that would normally be unheard of. Players who were unattainable for certain clubs before 2020 are suddenly realistic possibilities.

As one can imagine, right now there are bargains around every corner of Ligue 1 & 2. One of the many leagues that can benefit greatly from this is Major League Soccer. French football is a gold mine of talent. In more normal circumstances, most Ligue 1 and some Ligue 2 players would have been difficult to attract and afford for MLS clubs. That is no longer the case. Clubs in the MLS can now sign players from Ligue 1 & 2 that normally just wouldn’t have been possible in the past.

With Charlotte FC building its inaugural roster for 2022, Ligue 1 & 2 have to be leagues that they are keeping a close eye on. Many of the players from these leagues fit the Charlotte FC player signing profile and philosophy. Young players with high potential and players in their prime who are MLS first-team quality. While there are a multitude of great potential pickups, three stand out to be fantastic fits and bargains for Charlotte FC

Beginning with…

Amine Bassi (23) (Morocco)

Club: AS Nancy (Ligue 2)

Position(s): AM, CM, CF, LW, RW

Transfermarkt Value: $1.8 Million

Profile: Amine Bassi is a silky right-footed playmaker who has excellent technique, vision, and spatial awareness. While his best position is attacking midfielder, he is very versatile. Just in 2020, he was deployed as an attacking midfielder, center midfielder, left-winger, right-winger, and center-forward at AS Nancy. Bassi is exceptional at making himself available to receive the ball around the penalty area and immediately turning to try to create a chance for his team. He has been in a league of his own in chance creation in Ligue 2 for the past 2 seasons. He’s very well-rounded technically so he has multiple different approaches to create these chances for his team.

He can create chances by playing a threaded through ball, whipping in a sizzling cross, beating his defender in a 1 v 1 with his tight dribbling, or taking a quick touch to create enough space for him to fire a shot. His precise, close-control dribbling makes taking the ball off him incredibly difficult. His vision and ability to pick a pass can open up defenses in an instant. He isn’t afraid to shoot outside the box and is more than capable of consistently scoring these lower percentage shots. Bassi is a complete playmaker. In a league that at the heart of most successful teams is an elite number ten pulling the strings, Bassi looks very capable of being that puppetmaster. In order to reach that level though he has to increase his end production.

While he creates the most chances out of anyone in Ligue 2, his goal and assist tallies could be better. In the 2019 – 2020 season, he notched 4 goals and 3 assists in 2,008 minutes played. Thus far in the 2020 – 2021 season, he has 4 goals with 0 assists in 843 minutes. However, his expected assists are 3.79 this season. His lack of assists could come down to his teammates not finishing off the chances Bassi creates for them. Who knows what he could accomplish with more clinical finishers. He would also have to adjust to the physicality of the league with him lacking raw strength and physical presence.

With that said, if Charlotte FC were to sign him as a Designated Player he would need to take his goal and assist tallies to the next level. A goal he is more than capable of accomplishing considering he has much room to further develop at the young age of 23.

There has been European interest for Bassi but most recently it seems to have died off. Bassi could have very easily have been picked up by an English Championship team but because of Brexit that just isn’t an option anymore. Charlotte FC can take advantage of this current situation and swipe a massive young talent out from under everyone. He would most likely have to be a Designated Player but would only be 24-years-old when Charlotte starts playing allowing for a potentially huge profit if he gets sold later on.

He would be coming into the MLS as one of the most creative and dynamic players within the league. At 23, he’s already accumulated 7,944 minutes of professional playing experience and is at a stage where he is ready for the next step in his career. Similar to when 23-year-old Miguel Almiron made his jump from Lanús in Argentina to play for Atlanta United in MLS. Shockingly, Bassi is available for a free transfer this summer with his contract with AS Nancy expiring this upcoming June. Charlotte FC and MLS could provide Bassi a bigger stage to showcase his talent to the world.

The clip below perfectly demonstrates Bassi’s playmaking ability. Utilizing his superb close control dribbling, flair, and vision, he dictates the entire sequence and creates a goal for his team finishing it off with an assist.

Amine Adli (20) (France/Morocco)

Club: Toulouse FC (Ligue 2)

Position(s): ST & CF

Transfermarkt Value: $603k

Profile: Amine Adli is just 20-years-old but is a lockdown starter for promotion favorites, second place Toulouse FC in Ligue 2. He’s overperforming his expected goals of 3.62 already scoring 5 goals and adding 3 assists in 1,308 minutes played so far this season. While he is still a very young and raw prospect, he has shown to possess qualities beyond his years.

What initially stands out the most about Adli is that he doesn’t seem to be significantly weak in any footballing aspect. Despite his young age and limited professional experience, he has proven he has what it takes to play at a professional level. A complete forward is the best way to describe the kind of striker Adli is.

In terms of physical characteristics, he stands at 5’9 but has a similar, sturdy build to that of also 5’9 Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero. He has great explosiveness and speed to help him get away from defenders. His low center of gravity, great balance, and sturdy build help in avoiding getting bullied off the ball on a regular basis. He also seems to have made bulking up this past offseason a priority and continues increasing his mass up to this point. All of Adli’s physical characteristics would be helpful for the physicality of Major League Soccer.

However, more importantly, where do his mental and technical soccer abilities stand? Well, Adli isn’t only a complete forward because of physical characteristics. On the technical side, he can do it all. He has good ball control to carry the ball effectively, clever dribbler utilizing small touches to beat defenders, good vision and short passing ability for a young striker, and versatile finishing.

He has no problem using both his feet to score and dribble. He’s capable of dropping deep to receive the ball and progress it forward into the final 3rd. He can also play off defenders’ shoulders and get in behind. Adli can play almost any assignment asked of him in that striker position. His hold up ability still needs work but will improve as he continues to physically develop and gain more experience.

When it comes to his strongest mental attributes the most impressive ones are his composure and awareness. Whether it’s being closed down by a press or a 1 v 1 against the goalkeeper he is aware of his surroundings and has the composure and technical ability to act accordingly. The pressures of professional football don’t seem to startle him. He just looks like he belongs. However, one area where most young players are weak in is decision making. This is certainly an area that Adli needs to improve in but it is only natural to assume he will improve on it with experience.

Adli’s contract with Toulouse also ends this upcoming June so he would be available on a free transfer. His salary, however, is the tricky aspect to estimate. While there has been very little hype around Adli, if Toulouse sustains their good form and gets promoted to Ligue 1, it would make attracting Adli more difficult. If that is the case, a Designated Player contract may be the only way to attract him to MLS. On the flip side, if they don’t get promoted, MLS would be a more attractive option than playing in Ligue 2. In that case, a TAM contract or less could suffice to bring him to Charlotte.

While U-23 Designated Players have been very hit or miss in the league, unlike a lot of the flops, Adli has already proven he can be a consistent contributor to a professional team. However, the reality remains that a U-23 DP is still a huge gamble for any MLS club. MLS is more physically demanding than Ligue 2 and some young players just can’t handle the transition.

The most ideal scenario would be to sign Adli on a Senior or TAM contract at most. He isn’t ready right now to bear that Designated Player status but can still be a consistent starter in MLS. Regardless of whether he comes in on a DP, TAM, or senior contract, he will have to step up his goal contributions.

Charlotte would be gambling on his potential to develop into a top MLS striker, so they would require patience with him. A big risk but with massive upside. With that said, Adli has all the tools to be a top MLS striker and the next headline MLS export.

In the clip below, one can see all his well-rounded abilities coming together to start and finish a goal sequence. He begins with a clever pass that splits the defense. He then has the awareness to recognize where the open space is in the box and runs into it. His teammate finds him and Adli is composed and technically adept enough to take one precise touch to beat the last defender. He immediately follows that touch with a beautiful finish on his weaker right foot.

Senou Coulibaly (26) (Mali)

Club: Dijon FCO (Ligue 1)

Position(s): RCB, LCB

Transfermarkt Value: $968k

Profile: Senou Coulibaly is a right-footed center-back that stands at a towering 6’4 but is impressively mobile. While on paper having a really tall center-back seems to be a strength there are many cases where height is more a hindrance than an advantage. Coulibaly is not one of these cases. The clip below is just to showcase the athletism Coulibaly possesses despite his deceptive tall, lankier frame. He is able to keep up 1 v 1 with Kylian Mbappe, one of the fastest players in the world.

Coulibaly has a good understanding of how to get the most out of his height. A common trend you find in Coulibaly’s profile is how well he utilizes the combination of his height and athletism. The most obvious advantage of such height and athletism comes in aerial duels. Coulibaly is fast enough to arrive at the aerial balls within his defensive area and also has the height to win them against the majority of attackers.

Coulibaly is very commanding of his defensive area. Any opposition player that comes into or receives the ball within it will be immediately met by him. Coulibaly’s approach to defending is to disrupt the flow of attack by applying pressure immediately on the first touch an opponent has. With his long 6’4 frame and ability to quickly move laterally, it is difficult to dribble past his initial pressure. Most times, Coulibaly pressures the opposing ball receiving player as the ball arrives at their feet. His initial pressure forces most attackers to have to make a quick decision. This normally results in the opposing players being forced to make a less threatening pass backward.

While Coulibaly’s pressures can be very effective, if mistimed or against better opposition it can end up leaving the defense exposed. Coulibaly seems decently aware of these scenarios but occasionally will pressure in moments that will leave the defensive shape vulnerable. In MLS specifically, higher quality Designated Players who are excellent dribblers can take advantage of such pressure. One clever touch or feint from them could result in Coulibaly getting beat. However, with experience playing in Ligue 1, he has faced his fair share of attacking quality.

When it comes time to defend an attacker face to face in 1 v 1 scenarios, Coulibaly takes a less aggressive approach compared to when his opponent is playing with their back against him. He is patient and rarely lunges for tackles. He uses his length and lateral quickness to jockey his opponents to keep them in front of him. He jockeys until his opponent takes a bad touch, leaves an opening, or a teammate helps that he then takes advantage of to dispossess his opponent. His objective is to stay between the attacker and the goal or passing lane they are looking to attack.

The weaker aspects of Coulibaly’s game are his tackling and passing. He needs to improve the strength of his tackles. Sometimes when he goes for tackles it lacks strength and commitment not allowing for clean dispossession of the ball. It can give second chance opportunities to the opposing team. He also rarely slide tackles but when he does he doesn’t seem to time them well. If he wasn’t so tall and athletic this would be a bigger issue but he makes up for the lack of slide tackling ability with his raw athletism and length.

Coulibaly’s passing is mediocre at best. His passing range is very limited, it isn’t the most accurate and his pass selection can be off at times. While he’s actually pretty decent on the ball dribbling wise, don’t expect him to progress the ball with his passing. Coulibaly would best be paired with a center-back who is comfortable passing out of the back.

However, Coulibaly isn’t a complete product yet. Center-backs tend to peak at older ages compared to most other positions in soccer. With Coulibaly only being 26, he’s not even in his prime yet as a center-back, so he still has much room to improve. Dijon is highly likely to get relegated to Ligue 2 and a move to MLS could be attractive to a player like Coulibaly. There isn’t much transfer interest for Coulibaly, but that is great news for Charlotte. With relegation, his transfer fee would drop even lower than what it already is allowing Charlotte to pick up a solid center-back about to enter his prime for pennies.

Conclusion

With Covid-19 and the TV deal disaster in French football, Charlotte FC has a rare window to acquire players from Ligue 1 & 2 for massively discounted prices. It is a huge opportunity to acquire some high quality, key players for the inaugural season of Charlotte. Zoran Krneta, Thomas Schaling, and co. have continuously stated that the Charlotte scouting network is monitoring leagues all around the world for players. Ligue 1 & 2 should be at the very top of the list of their prioritized leagues to scout.

Massive thank you to Kasarachi from @FootyScribblers for all his recommendations and additional insight on French football! Make sure to check out his own site over at footballscribblers.blogspot.com.

The post Ligue 1 & 2 Bargains for Charlotte FC appeared first on Regal Soccer.

With four months left until that estimated deadline, there still have been no solid rumors surrounding who could end up being Charlotte FC’s first-ever head coach. However, there is an available coach out there who seems to tick every box for what Charlotte FC are looking for. His name is Peter Uneken.

Coaching History

Dutchman, Peter Uneken, is the current coach of Jong PSV, the U-21 PSV squad that plays in the second division of the Netherlands professional football pyramid.

Uneken, a former professional player, started his coaching career at NEC Nijmegen as a youth coach there for three years. Afterward, he began his 7-year coaching career at PSV at the helm of the PSV U-14 team. Then he went on to coach the PSV U-17 team for two seasons before taking charge of Jong PSV for four years starting as the assistant coach and becoming the head coach two years later.

His two seasons as head coach of Jong PSV have resulted in finishing in eighteenth place his first season and currently in sixteenth place in his second season. While these results seem to be alarmingly awful at first glance, Jong PSV can be extremely inconsistent due to the nature of it being a youth team playing in a professional league.

Players come and go at a constant rate and it makes it difficult to build cohesiveness and chemistry within the team. The best Jong PSV players are consistently either being moved up to the senior team or sold to clubs around the world. The high player turnover rate at Jong PSV makes the job of finishing at the top of the table that much more challenging. Fortunately, finishing high on the table isn’t what the Jong PSV head coach is judged on, but rather developing youth players into professional footballers.

But what about Peter Uneken screams perfect fit for the head coach position at Charlotte?

Availability

The first and most obvious question when it comes to hiring a coach is… are they even available for hire?

Uneken has already publicly announced his departure from the club after the end of 2021 season, “I had a great time here, but I feel I am ready to take the next step in my career.” His departure from PSV happens to align perfectly with the timeline that Charlotte FC has set for hiring the head coach.

Charlotte sporting director, Zoran Krneta, has mentioned in previous interviews that the club’s goal is to hire the head coach before the upcoming summer and winter transfer windows. The reasoning behind this is so that the coach can be a part of the recruitment process in those two crucial windows.

Speaking of recruitment…

Recruitment

If Uneken were to be hired, he wouldn’t be the only ex-PSV employee at Charlotte FC. Charlotte’s director of scouting is Thomas Schaling who previously was a senior scout at PSV and is also Dutch himself. But why does this matter?

With both Uneken and Schaling coming from the school of PSV their recruitment philosophies will align. They will have an understanding because of their past experiences at PSV. It could be very well possible that Schaling already personally knows or has met Uneken. This connection will help facilitate the entire recruitment process.

The chemistry between the head coach and director of scouting can’t be overlooked. The relationship between the two positions directly affects the team on the pitch. This will be especially crucial with the upcoming transfer windows where Krneta, Schaling, and the future head coach will be working closely together to build a competitive inaugural squad.

Part of the Charlotte FC recruitment philosophy that Krneta and the scouting department have prioritized is youth.

Youth Development

The club has consistently talked about how they want to make youth development a priority. Their goal is that the Charlotte FC academy continuously produces quality players who can contribute to the first team. This goal is something that Uneken is very familiar with coming from one of the most elite youth producing clubs in the world.

Uneken had the following to say about his work with the youth in his announcement on leaving Jong PSV, “At PSV U21, we play professional football but are secondary to the first-team squad. Our main duty is to deliver well-rounded footballers into the professional game. And that’s what we have done. We are half-way through the season but as many as six players have made their professional debut and Yorbe Vertessen has been promoted to the senior squad, which makes everybody at the PSV Academy very proud.”

Uneken’s entire job as head coach of Jong PSV revolved around taking raw, young prospects and shaping them into proper footballing professionals. PSV does this as well as anyone else in the world and Charlotte would be inheriting all their trade secrets in hiring Uneken.

With 7 years of experience within the youth system of PSV, Uneken undoubtedly has learned PSV’s strategy in producing world-class talent consistently. He would benefit the Charlotte FC academy massively and would be key in helping the youth players transition into the professional game.

His experience at PSV has also helped him in learning the best ways to communicate with youth players and create those connections that are so crucial to their development. Interacting with youth players requires a drastically different approach compared to veteran professionals. This not only benefits Charlotte academy players but any young players that Charlotte FC signs in the future.

Uneken would also have considerable contacts as PSV to organize loan or permanent moves to Charlotte for young players within the PSV academy system or professional teams. Charlotte FC could utilize this to acquire some of the best young talents at PSV and throughout the Netherlands.

Developing youth is easily Uneken’s biggest strength. You could call him a specialist in that department. He would have no problem trusting the youth and integrating them into the first team at Charlotte.

Playing Philosophy

“We will play attractive, attacking soccer that our fans will appreciate,“ Zoran said. ”And, of course, we will try to win every game.” These are the words of Zoran Krneta early on in an interview when asked about the playing philosophy the club will have.

PSV plays an attacking, possession-based football from the academy levels to the senior team. Uneken’s playing philosophy would line up with what the club is looking for. He would bring that attractive PSV style of play to Charlotte.

While Charlotte has only signed three players thus far, those players fit this style of play, hence why they were signed by the club. Sergio Ruiz, the club’s first-ever signing, said in an interview with Regal Soccer that he prefers playing in a vertical, possession-based system.

With that said, how well he could implement that system in the MLS would remain to be seen.

Conclusion

Peter Uneken may not be the flashy signing fans would want but he ticks every box that Charlotte FC is looking for in a head coach. The only concern, a significant one at that, would be his lack of substantial head coaching experience. It is also for this reason that a head coaching job for Charlotte FC would be a realistic possibility.

His lack of professional coaching experience wouldn’t make him an attractive coaching option for any team within the top 5 leagues. Leaving perhaps a small team within the Eredivisie or the other smaller European leagues to take a chance on him. While that is plausible, none of those opportunities would seem as attractive as the Charlotte FC job.

Charlotte FC would be offering an incredibly unique experience and more exposure for Uneke as a head coach. He would be leading a brand new team in a new country but working within a familiar environment alongside a majority Dutch scouting department. With the Charlotte FC front office leaning towards hiring a European coach, on the surface, this hiring makes perfect sense.

Uneken looks to be a remarkably compatible option for the Charlotte FC head coach position. With the grand puzzle of Charlotte FC slowly coming together, Peter Uneken could be a piece that fits perfectly into it.

The post Peter Uneken: Charlotte’s Perfect Fit? appeared first on Regal Soccer.

But this wasn’t good enough for us. We wanted something of our own. Soccer is engrained in Carolina culture, it is an integral part of us, we deserved something of our own. The Carolinas were craving a team more than ever. Finally, on that fateful day of December 17th, 2019, Charlotte was awarded an MLS franchise.

What a day December 17th was. I remember being in a state of shock, excitement, and pure joy. I couldn’t believe the Carolinas were finally getting an MLS team. There was a party in Charlotte that reverberated throughout the Carolinas. Tom Glik, president of Tepper Sports & Entertainment, put it perfectly: “We’re not bringing soccer to Charlotte. It’s been here for decades.”

David Tepper and co. wanted to come out and not only announce the new MLS franchise but make a statement. Without even knowing the name of this new MLS club, David Tepper immediately targeted our future rivals and recent MLS Cup winners Atlanta, “Charlotte is HOT! We’re the hot city,” Tepper said. “Screw that other city!”

He got that right, Charlotte is HOT. Thousands of fans swarmed to place seat deposits right as they announced the ability to. Over twenty-two thousand seat deposits were placed within the first month. The Carolinas were finally getting their MLS team.

However, after the announcement party, the hard work begins in building a brand new soccer club from scratch. At this point, Charlotte was expecting their inaugural season to be in 2021. The club only had a little over a year to sign all the staff, all the players and be ready to play in March 2021. Time was of the essence.

The next few months were filled with staff hirings, most notable the following. First off, Zoran Krneta was announced as Sporting Director. He brings global knowledge with his experience as co-founder of the global scouting network Star Sports & Entertainment. Also bringing experience in landing players in the MLS such as former Chicago Fire player and 2017 Golden Boot winner Nemanja Nikolic.

Shortly after, Marc Nicholls was announced as Technical Director. Tepper president, Tom Glick, had this to say on his impact: “He brings a wealth of experience in Major League Soccer and our region, and he has built high performing teams. It’s great to have him join us right now, as we build from the ground up, including constructing our youth academy, establishing partnerships with other soccer organizations, confirming our coaching methods and laying pathways for young players into our senior team.”

Director of Scouting was next and former PSV senior scout, Thomas Schaling was the man chosen for the job. Another notable addition to the Scouting Department of Charlotte was the announcement of Steve Walsh as a Special Advisor. Yes, the same Steve Walsh who helped build Leicester City’s historic Premier League-winning team in 2015-16.

To lead the new Charlotte academy, Dan Lock was appointed Academy Manager. He brings over a decade of experience in all youth soccer levels. Most recently working in highly respected Seattle Sounders academy.

These hirings made a statement to the fans and the league that the team weren’t playing around. They hired top-notch individuals for the job to ensure that the club is in the best hands possible to create a winning and competitive team right out of the gate.

It was around the end of when the majority of the headline Charlotte staff positions were hired that the inevitable Coronavirus started significantly impacting the United States. The MLS season was just starting but doubts of it being able to continue were increasing. With only two 2 games into the 2020 MLS season, it had been to be postponed until further notice. The new Charlotte MLS franchise had to begin questioning how Covid-19 would impact them and their process towards the inaugural season.

With the pandemic, along with everyone else, Charlotte had to adapt. The name of the club still hadn’t had been announced to the public, the academy needed to get started, and building the inaugural roster all had to get done. However, to the disappointment of fans, MLS and Charlotte announced that our inaugural season would be delayed to 2022. From a fan perspective, it was disheartening. From the Charlotte staff’s perspective, it was probably relief, because they had some breathing room to not rush and really build the club and team up properly.

While Covid-19 has been devastating to the world, it has been a blessing in disguise for the club. The first reason is just having more time to prepare for the inaugural season. The second of them came in the form of the first-ever player signing for the team. On July 8th, a week before the delaying of the inaugural Charlotte season, Sergio Ruiz becomes the club’s first signing. The midfielder was acquired from just relegated Racing Santander in the competitive Spanish second division. According to sporting director Zoran Krneta, signing Ruiz was only financially possible due to the crashing soccer transfer market caused by the pandemic.

Shortly after, Sergio Ruiz was loaned to the iconic Spanish club, Las Palmas, in the Spanish second division to continue playing and developing in a league he is familiar with. Speaking with Sergio personally, he is extremely passionate about the Charlotte project and is one hundred and ten percent committed to the club. He told me he was just as sad as the fans when the inaugural season was delayed a year. His heart is not only in Charlotte but he also has all the footballing ability to go along with that heart on the pitch.

At this stage, over six months had passed since the club was first announced but still no official name, crest, and colors had been released. After a long wait, on July 22nd they were announced. The Carolina’s MLS team would be named Charlotte Football Club and colors would be the Panthers blue, black, and white.

The name was disappointing considering the unnecessarily long wait fans had to endure for it (personally I would have gone with Charlotte Athletic). The colors make sense considering Charlotte FC will play in Bank of America stadium along with the Carolina Panthers. The crest while simple and basic is a clean design that is easily recognizable (personally a bigger fan of the secondary logo).

The fans finally had a name, crest, and logo for the club and something tangible through merchandise to support the team with.

The next few months were heavily focused on the Charlotte FC academy. They played their first matches on August 22nd and then played their first MLS Next matches on September 19th. In between all the academy action, Charlotte FC announced their second-ever signing, Australian golden boy Riley McGree.

He was announced on October 5th and the transfer showed the club’s vast scouting range. It is not often that Australian players go to MLS in general but especially young and upcoming ones. The signing of McGree continued to show the club’s commitment to signing younger but experienced players. How Riley will fare in the MLS is still unknown but the potential to be a top player is there.

Twenty six days later the Charlotte FC Academy U-15 and U-17 teams faced off against rivals Atlanta United in the Bank of America stadium. It was the first taste of game-day action for the CLT fans and it was quite a showing. The U-17s managed to haul in a 3 – 2 win in an end to end affair. While the younger U-15 squad most consisted of players 14 years old and younger lost to the older Atlanta U-15 team 5 – 3. Both games showed real early promise in the Charlotte FC youth system and players.

Lastly, Nick Kelly has just recently been announced as club president for Charlotte FC. Nick Kelly brings extensive experience in soccer marketing and partnerships. His former employer, AB InBev, is well connected with global soccer not only creating partnerships with over a dozen MLS clubs but also multiple international tournaments. Tournaments like the FIFA World Cup, Olympics, International Champions Cup, and Copa America. Budweiser became an official partner of the National Women’s Soccer League under Kelly in 2019.

Following the Nick Kelly hiring, another player signing was made on December 18th in Brandt Bronico. Another midfielder but this one is a 25-year-old North Carolina native who first made his name playing for the Charlotte 49ers. He brings MLS experience having made 66 MLS appearances for the team that drafted him, Chicago Fire. Charlotte signed their first-ever local boy in Bronico and the fans love it.

As of right now, there are a solid 31,000 seat deposits and counting going into 2021. While it has been a strong first year for Charlotte FC, there is still much more to do. The next priorities will be to continue to sell more seat deposits, hire a coach, and accelerate the planning and building of the first team.

Charlotte FC has much to be proud of in what they have accomplished in year one. The club has built a strong foundation to build upon the brand and team in their excellent staff hiring. The academy has had an impressive start and already looks competitive. Great signings that can contribute immediately in 2022 were made with Ruiz, McGree, and Bronico.

2020 was not the kind of year anyone expected but Charlotte FC deserves major credit for how they not only handled but made the most of the daunting circumstances. While 2020 was a historic and busy year for Charlotte, 2021 is only going to be even busier. The party has just begun.

The post Charlotte FC: A Year In Review appeared first on Regal Soccer.

 “We are committed to bringing Major League Soccer to our city and region,” Charlotte MLS owner David Tepper said in a club statement. “The party’s still on! We are just delaying it a bit to ensure we have the best experience for our fans when we do start playing.”

Charlotte will be among a group of new MLS clubs and looking to develop their fanbase. Locally it’ll be easier as they get involved in the community and draw fans to the stadium especially in a hopefully post-covid time. Gaining fans nationally will be more challenging in an increasingly crowded field of clubs. A great way to win instant credibility and fandom from the moderate disconnected fan may be to add a young American player or two to capture the hearts of MLS’ slowly growing USMNT fan base.

Knowing we’re now more than a full year away from the launch let’s take a way too early look at some young USMNT players that could join the squad to help bring more unattached US fans into the launch fold.

Brooklyn Raines, M

The young player is in the Barca Academy currently, but is a rising star on a lot of radars. The success of Barca Academy is well established in MLS with names like Julian Araujo (LAG), Bryce Duke (LAFC) and most recently Caden Clark (NYRB). Brooklyn is currently ranked #37 on David Kerr’s top 50 u20 players { https://chasingacup.com/top-50-u20-prospects/ } and one of only 5 from the 2005 age group listed in the top 50 players.

If he does not have an early path to Europe he’ll have to wait until he is 18 and would be a great pick up for Charlotte in their debut season to draw USMNT fans.

Aaron Heard, M

Aaron is a fantastic central midfield prospect who came from Maryland before joining the Philadelphia Union academy. One of the leaders in youth development in MLS, their academy has an incredible track record for signing talented prospects and developing them into global professionals. Heard left for “family reasons” according to the Union Academy Director, Tommy Wilson, and as of yet has not signed with a new club.

The young player won the Golden Ball at the Concacaf U13 Championship in Costa Rica in 2019. Aaron has not played with the YNT yet, but has certainly been on US fans radars. David Kerr recognized him on his top future prospects list. {https://chasingacup.com/way-too-young-usynt-prospects/}  He’s a talented player that would be a phenomenal signing for Charlotte FC.

Chris Thaggard, F

Chris has a big advance over the other two as he is conveniently already in Charlotte FC’s academy system. Thaggard is ranked #31 on David Kerr’s Top 50 u20 prospects list. { https://chasingacup.com/top-50-u20-prospects/ } A striker who has tallied well over 100 goals in his youth career and though he’ll be a younger player will be joining the new MLS academy league when it begins again.

Chris is a strong and athletic forward and an extremely talented dribbler that will hope to capture a spot on the U17 squad. Thaggard has dominated in the early days of his career and will look to carry the confidence into 2021 and beyond as Charlotte rises into the MLS.

There are tons of prospects around the country that are undiscovered. It is so challenging to predict the future especially with such young players, but Raines and Heard are great bets and Thaggard well just makes a ton of sense to get excited about.  

It is a pretty divided US fan base between the MLS defenders and the “Euro-snob”, but that divide has been shrinking as MLS has loosened their grip on players and embraced becoming a development focused and seller’s league. This growing model and revenue stream could be a great way for Charlotte to approach leaping into the league at full speed with some national attention from the US fan base especially in a World Cup year. Charlotte FC, we’ll be watching and waiting.

Marcus O’Malley

@chasingacup

The post Charlotte FC Can Win US Fan’s Hearts appeared first on Regal Soccer.

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.

The post Riley McGree: Australia’s Golden Boy appeared first on Regal Soccer.

Even though Pozuelo plays in the midfield like Ruiz, he is limited to one position and role. Pozuelo is a specialized cheese knife, he is a master at one role. Ruiz on the other hand is a swiss army knife. He isn’t limited to just one position and role. He isn’t amazing at one thing but rather good at multiple things. One could say his specialty is… versatility?

In the modern game, high pressing systems dominate throughout the world. To play these high pressing systems, athletic and versatile midfielders are needed. Sergio Ruiz had a reported 10 European teams interested in loaning him. It is this versatility and athletism that made him so high in demand. So we know he’s versatile, but what stands out in Ruiz’s game?

Reading the Game

When people discuss midfielders they are quick to point out their tackles, interceptions, pass completion rate, etc. However, there is an underlying skill that is at the core of all these statistics and the lack of it hinders even the most talented of midfielders. That skill is reading the game.

What does that mean? Reading the game means the player’s ability to notice and integrate the moving information on the field, including the ball, the team members, the opponents, as well as the actions they perform.

Reading the game is key to high pressing systems which are heavily favored at the moment. In pressing systems, if one player isn’t aware of their surroundings and isn’t capable of reading the game it puts the whole system at risk of falling apart. It is this ability that makes Sergio so valuable to any team.

In this example in Sergio Ruiz’s Las Palmas debut against CD Leganés, he (white crown) is in extremely vulnerable position along with his teammate. His teammate and him are in a 3 versus 2 scenario. If the ball manages to get passed Sergio and his teammate to the opposing player in the red circle then it can expose the entire defense. The Leganes attacker would have acres of space to either pass to his two teammates behind him, carry the ball forward dribbling or play a splitting ball down the line to the wide player in the bottom left. Sergio recognizes that in order get to the ball to the player in the red circle, the player with the ball has to pass first to the player in the middle of the pitch at the halfway line. Sergio is aware of this potential threat before it becomes a real threat. But you can see a threat and not properly extinguish it.

Sergio, however, moves quickly to extinguish the threat. He runs towards the player receiving the pass before the pass even gets to him to apply pressure and avoid giving him an easy passing lane to the threat (red circle). If Sergio had instead opted to track back and cover red circle, then it would have given a passing lane to the player in the orange circle. If this player received the ball, it would be another set of new threats to the defense. Sergio made the right choice and rather opted to pressure the player in front of him.

Sergio is able to apply the pressure he wanted and forces the opposing player to try and dribble out of the pressure. He knows he has his teammate for help so he only has to force the opposing player to go wide. In doing this he continues to cover the passing lane towards red circle which only gives the Leganes player one option— to pass towards his winger in the bottom left.

The Leganes player runs out of dribbling room and is forced to pass to his winger. By this point, it is too late and the Leganes player has run into Sergio’s teammate who has closed down space between the Leganes player with the ball and the winger on the byline. Sergio’s teammate is set up for an easy tackle on the Leganes players right has he tries to pass to his winger forcing a turnover.

Because of Sergio’s ability to read the game, he was able to completely nullify a tactical advantage the opposing team had and force a loss of possession. In what otherwise could have easily resulted in Las Palmas’ defense being exposed and giving Leganes a goal scoring opportunity.

In this second example of Sergio’s ability to read the game, Sergio has been caught out by a pass made by the Zaragoza player which then is quickly passed down to the Zaragoza player furthest to bottom right.

However, Sergio doesn’t panic. He recognizes the biggest danger is a pass back to #2 on Zaragoza (red circle) because he would have a clear lane to dribble through the massive gap between the center backs. Instead of chasing down #2 he just runs in between #2 and the Zaragoza player who wants to make the pass in order to block that passing lane.

This results in the Zaragoza player having to make a difficult pass past Sergio that ends up deflecting off Sergio’s thigh and instead of #2 being able to receive the ball in his stride to run straight at goal, he has to receive the pass behind him. Sergio recognizes this and instead of trying to make the tackle there, he runs towards where he anticipates the Zaragoza player will turn towards.

This leads to an easy tackle for Sergio and the threat diminished. Even though Sergio was beat on the first initial pass, he wasn’t reactive but proactive. He read the situation, acted accordingly, and extinguished the threat as quick as it started.

Sergio Ruiz’s ability to read the game has also led to him having an impressive 8 interceptions in his first 5 games at Las Palmas on the defensive side of the game. In a league like MLS where most players play reactively, players who can read the game well always stand out and strive.

We’ve shown Sergio’s ability to read the game mostly on the defensive side but being the versatile player he is, his ability to read the game isn’t only limited to the defensive side of the game.

Vertical Play

At Las Palmas, Sergio has been assigned a more defensive role than what he had at his time in Santander. While he is solid in that strictly defensive midfielder position, a whole other great aspect of his game is not being utilized. His vertical playing ability…

Due to his role and position, Sergio Ruiz at Las Palmas is mostly limited to short sideways, backward and forward passes. However, Sergio is at his best when he has the freedom to use his dribbling to drive forward and carry the ball from a deep midfield position to a threatening attacking position. This is a vertical action.

Smarterscout, a soccer analysis platform, has a measuring system to determine a player’s effectiveness in a specific dimension of the game. They are scored on a 0 – 99 scale with 0 being not effective at all and 99 being extremely effective. The dribbling score is determined by moving the ball by advancing it uncontested at least 10% of the length of the field or by taking on a player. Sergio Ruiz during the 2019-20 season at Santander scored an astonishing 97 in the dribbling department.

The example below is a perfect example of Ruiz’s vertical offensive capability of carrying the ball directly towards the goal and creating a shot for himself. He recognizes the space ahead of him and is technically and athletically capable of beating the players in front of him.

While it may speak for itself, why is this ability to carry the ball vertically so important in a midfielder? If you can bypass the midfield as an opposing midfielder it forces the defenders to choose between the midfielder driving forward or the attackers surrounding him. It creates mismatches and opens up space to create goal scoring opportunities.

This other example is quite similar to the first but it just further showcases the ability Sergio has to single handily create something from nothing with his ability to drive the ball forward. His athleticism is a major contributing factor to his ability to carry the ball. He doesn’t have the greatest of ball control and isn’t a skillful player. However, he does have the speed and strength to power past his opponents which is evident in the clip.

With MLS being a very attack orientated league, games are very open, so the better transitioning team will normally always wins. Sergio Ruiz’s vertical playing ability to make a tackle on his team’s end of the field and immediately turn and carry the ball forward up the pitch while the opposing team is still trying to track back is going to be very valuable for Charlotte FC’s transitional play.

Leadership

One aspect that also stands out about Sergio Ruiz is his leadership ability. This is an aspect that can’t be quantified or backed by statistics but is very clear in watching Sergio’s demeanor on and off the pitch.

In personally talking with Sergio, he is a humble, approachable and friendly guy. When it comes to soccer, he is a disciplined and focused individual. He has the mentality and work ethic that can be contagious for a team. He has the maturity of a 30-year-old experienced player but is in fact only 25 himself.

This makes him captaining his old team Racing de Santander that much more impressive considering he was even younger then. He isn’t the captain for Las Palmas but that doesn’t stop him from taking a leadership role on that team. He not only leads through his actions but he is also very vocal on the pitch directing players in front and around him.

Conclusion

When Sergio Ruiz was announced as Charlotte’s first signing the club’s sporting director, Zoran Krneta, mentioned that Sergio was signed for his leadership ability, versatility, and to be a building block to build the team around. Zoran and Scouting Director Thomas Schaling-De Herder unsurprisingly were spot on with Sergio.

He is a complete midfielder who can play in a two-man or three-man midfield. He is athletic and has a great understanding of the game. He can defend, pass, dribble, shoot, and is capable of doing whatever is asked of him and do it well. He can be an offensive threat but isn’t afraid to also do the dirty work on the defensive end. He is a leader on and off the pitch who will push and improve his teammates around him. And the best part? He is only 25 years old.

He still has much room to improve his game. Chances are when Charlotte gets Sergio Ruiz in 2022 he is going to arrive an even better player than he is right now. The coach at Las Palmas has shown a lot of trust and confidence in Sergio and has started him in every match of the five they have played so far without Sergio not able to have been apart of their preseason. He will get plenty of playing time and has a year and a half to further improve his weaker aspects of his game such as his first touch but also get even stronger at all his strengths.

In talking with Sergio Ruiz, he is very passionate about the Charlotte FC project and is dying to get started. He believes his playing style and athleticism will translate well to MLS. Especially because he has been told by Charlotte that the vertical, attacking, aggressive playing style he prefers will be played by the team. It seems clear that Charlotte FC is going to put Sergio in the best position for him to succeed. Firstly with the style we are going to play and secondly playing Sergio in his preferred box-to-box role in a 3 man midfield.

Charlotte FC is getting an exceptional, versatile midfielder who could have easily continued playing in Europe for many more years but lucky for Charlotte has chosen MLS and the Queen City. He is dedicated, focused, and passionate about the team on and off the pitch. Charlotte not only has a fantastic player but also a fantastic teammate, leader, and possibly their first ever club captain.

The post Sergio Ruiz: Versatile, Verticle, and More appeared first on Regal Soccer.