Image credit: Ann Arbor Mudpuppies

INDIANAPOLIS — At halftime of Friday’s National Futsal Premier League (NFPL) final between the Ann Arbor Mudpuppies and Futsal Indy, the scoreboard read 1-1. Eighteen second-half goals later, the Mudpuppies lifted the trophy as the first-ever NFPL postseason champions after surging to a 13-7 win.

It was a wild ride, to say the least, especially once Ann Arbor’s Yuri Farkas put his stamp on the match.

After a bit of a feel-out session early, the game opened up about midway through the first half. Both sides hit the woodwork and tested one another’s goalkeepers, but the back of the net proved elusive.

Futsal Indy struck first and seemed set to head to the locker room with a 1-nil lead, but Ann Arbor equalized with under a minute left in the half. It was an unusually low-scoring half for a futsal game, making what was to come even more shocking.

The wheels fell off alarmingly fast for Futsal Indy following the break. After holding the visitors to just a lone tally in the first half, Indy conceded five goals in the first six minutes of the second and never really recovered. The hosts briefly cut the lead to 7-3, but it was all Ann Arbor from there.

Farkas did a little bit of everything in leading the Mudpuppies rally, namely scoring in bunches. He tallied in a variety of ways and also regularly showed poise on the ball in the middle of the court.

Yuri Farkas (back right) took over in the second half.

With nothing to lose, Indy rotated a field player into net to masquerade as a part-time goalkeeper while often joining the attack to create a numbers advantage. The move allowed the hosts to rack up a few goals late, but they continued conceding just as many as they scored with their net frequently exposed.

Junyor Zanelatto and Marcelo De Matos led the way for Indy with impactful performances, but both visibly displayed their frustration in the second half by repeatedly jawing at the referees. Given the explosion of Mudpuppies goals, the frustration could be seen up and down the Futsal Indy roster Friday night.

Futsal Indy finished atop the NFPL regular-season table after winning nine of 12 games; the Mudpuppies won eight and finished second.

League commissioner Ubusuku Abukusumo was on hand at Park Tudor School, Futsal Indy’s home venue, to soak up the final and present the NFPL title to Ann Arbor. Abukusumo played for the Columbus Crew from 1997-99.

With its first season in the books after an 18-goal second half in the NFPL title match, the league will look to build upon its successful inaugural campaign when next season rolls around.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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WESTFIELD, Ind. — Co-hosts Nipun Chopra and Kevin Johnston share their thoughts on the Indy Eleven, FC Cincinnati and Sogility, the soccer-specific training facility where the show is filmed, in Episode 4 of Soc Takes TV on the ISC Sports Network.

WATCH HERE

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With the rise of advanced analytics in soccer, expected goals (xG) has become a go-to metric for examining the quality of both clubs and individual players beyond base accumulation stats (goals, assists, etc.).

Inspired by Ben Mayhew of Experimental 3-6-1, who utilizes similar statistics for the English Football League, the below table and charts are an examination of the attacking, defensive and overall quality of MLS clubs, regularly updated throughout the 2019 season.

All clubs have played between 13-17 matches so far in 2019, approaching the midpoint of the regular season. Trends have become firm, though still alterable with a second-half switch. That becomes less likely as we continue – barring a Sounders-esque miracle run.

Some items of note:

· LAFC are still absolutely killing it. They have the best attack by far, with their 19 shots per game as best in the league by four shots more than the next closest team – and they convert those into goals at the second-best rate, trailing only the Sounders. Defensively, however, they now have a match in Atlanta United, who share almost exactly identical metrics in shots faced per game and shots faced per goal allowed. It’s not exactly a crash back to Earth, but the first semblance of competitiveness another club has shown LAFC all year.

· The New York Red Bulls have rebounded tremendously from their early season woes. While their matches tend to be low-volume in terms of shots in both directions, the Red Bulls defense has quietly become one of the five most efficient league-wide. The offense continues to lag, however, shooting at too low of a volume to take ideal advantage of their clinical finishing. If the offense can catch up to the defense, they’ll jump from the second-tier of clubs into the top alongside LAFC, Atlanta and… the Houston Dynamo?

· If I asked you to name the second-best team in the league based on xG, would you guess the Houston Dynamo? Other teams are more efficient on offense – like the Union – and defense – like the Red Bulls, but the xG numbers draw your eye to the Dynamo behind LAFC. The Union and Fire both have a case in this metric, but it’s close enough to be a toss-up between the three.

· Three most lucky clubs (based on GD-xGD, i.e. how much better their GD is vs. their xGD)

o Seattle Sounders FC (11.68)

o D.C. United (11.41)

o New York Red Bulls (7.38)

· Three most unlucky clubs (based on GD-xGD, i.e. how much worse their GD is vs. their xGD)

o New England Revolution (-8.63)

o Chicago Fire (-8.49)

o FC Cincinnati (-8.39)

All xG totals are sourced from American Soccer Analysis’ xG Interactive Tables.

Here is a small glossary of the terms for clarity:

GP – Games Played
ShtF – Shots For
ShtA – Shots Against
GF – Goals For
GA – Goals Against
GD – Goal Differential
xGF – Expected Goals For
xGA – Expected Goals Against
xGD – Expected Goal Differential
GD-xGD – Goal Differential minus Expected Goal Differential
ShtF/g – Shots For per Game
ShtA/g – Shots Against per Game
GF/g – Goals For per Game
GA/g – Goals Against per Game
GD/g – Goal Differential per Game
xGF/g – Expected Goals For per Game
xGA/g – Expected Goals Against per Game
xGD/g – Expected Goal Differential per Game
ShtF/GF – Shots For per Goal For
ShtA/GA – Shots Against per Goal Against

Follow Colton on Twitter: @cjcoreschi.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

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• Westchester United FC, based in Westchester, N.Y., is the WPSL‘s latest expansion side, the league announced Thursday. The team will debut in 2021. The 4-year-old club already fields a…
• Indiana Futsal director Justin Becht joins host Kevin Johnston for a discussion on the latest happenings at Indiana Soccer, coaching, his trips to Cuba to build futsal courts, Fulham,…
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Josh Penn (right) looked mature beyond his years in his Indy Eleven debut. Photo credit: Robbie Mehling

The show Josh Penn put on in the Indy Eleven’s 2-1 loss to Saint Louis FC on Saturday was so enthralling that the only thing missing was Teller.

The U-19 U.S. men’s national team member and Indiana Hoosiers commit regularly diced up opponents on the left flank and showed an exceptional feel for the game. He was the most dangerous player on the pitch for the first 45 minutes, eviscerated the ankles of a solid veteran defender in Matt Bahner and showed a special type of creativity — a willingness to take players on in space that’s not often exhibited by young American footballers.

Penn also nearly helped open the scoring a few times. The 18-year-old fired a shot on target after putting Bahner on skates in the 19th minute that would’ve found twine were it not for a save by well-positioned St. Louis goalkeeper Jake Fenlason.

Penn’s short, lofted pass to a wide-open Dane Kelly at the far post in the 35th minute created a savory header opportunity that Fenlason denied. Later, in the 48th, Penn burned up the left side and found Kelly’s noggin again — this time at the near post — that led to a header off the woodwork.

“Josh is a fast, dynamic player who can beat people on the dribble and is scoring threat,” said Indy Eleven head coach Martin Rennie in the release announcing Penn’s signing.

But it wasn’t all puppies and flowers in Penn’s debut. For one, his team didn’t leave with a win, albeit through perhaps no fault of his own.

He showed his inexperience on occasion, which is expected of a player his age. A couple times he took a heavy first touch and conceded possession. At others, he was a tad optimistic about playing a long ball across the field, or forced a short- or -mid-distance pass in traffic.

Penn also quieted down when the defense paid more attention to him as the match wore on. He flashed his ability significantly more in the first half and wasn’t able to impact the game as much after the intermission.

His defensive contributions were pretty nonexistent as well. He officially recorded nary a tackle, clearance, blocked shot or interception. With a three-back system behind him, he’ll definitely need to improve on that side of the ball.

But on the whole, the final numbers were as impressive as the eye test. In his 80-minute shift, Penn completed 76.7 percent of his passes, 30 successful in total, of which four were long passes. His aforementioned shot on target was his lone on the day, and he was credited with two successful crosses and two chances created for his connections with Kelly. He won four of six duels, drew two fouls while committing zero and avoided going into the referee’s book.

His heat map — from right to left — also revealed a lengthy tenure in the final third, a trait Rennie will surely grow to appreciate.

Image credit: USL Championship/Opta

Penn has very soft feet for a player his size. Standing 6-2 with a smooth left foot to boot, his physicality presents almost as much of a challenge to opponents as his technical ability does. His field vision seems quite advanced for his age, as some of the passes he attempted Saturday that didn’t connect showed the ambition of a confident player who’s aware of where his teammates are at or headed.

Penn is able to suit up for the Eleven while maintaining his amateur status via a partnership with Chicago-based Sockers FC. He intends to head off to Indiana University this fall to play for Todd Yeagley after choosing the school in January.

It looks like both the Eleven and Hoosiers have themselves a special talent at their disposal. In fact, his career with both might end up getting cut short because of his astronomical potential.

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

But having a guy who’ll likely be too talented to stick around in the future is a dandy problem to have in the short term. And it sounds like Rennie won’t run out of ideas as far as how to deploy Penn.

“He can play multiple positions,” Rennie told Soc Takes following his team’s nil-nil preseason draw with Nashville SC on March 2. “He’s a really talented young kid as you could see today. He’s a very, very good player. He can play a few positions for us, but today he played out (left).”

Indy has an away date at the Charlotte Independence tonight with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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With the rise of advanced analytics in soccer, expected goals (xG) has become a go-to metric for examining the quality of both clubs and individual players beyond base accumulation stats (goals, assists, etc.).

Inspired by Ben Mayhew of Experimental 3-6-1, who utilizes similar statistics for the English Football League, the below table and charts are an examination of the attacking, defensive and overall quality of MLS clubs, regularly updated throughout the 2019 season.

All clubs have played between 8-11 matches so far in 2019, comprising between a quarter and a third of the full season slate. The trends established in earlier editions of these charts are starting to cement themselves, though a few teams have managed to buck themselves out of early ruts. These trends are still reversible with a change in form, but if continued at this point could cement a club’s fortunes as the season progresses.

Some items of note:

• LAFC have been utterly dominant on every front. They control shot dominance in their matches at almost a 2:1 advantage, they score frequently and efficiently while holding opponents to few shots and requiring even more before conceding. Bob Bradley’s side have been as good as advertised, and their xGD lines up fairly well with their actual GD, indicating that it isn’t just luck, they really are this good.
• Surprisingly, Atlanta United’s metrics show them in a very favorable light despite an incredibly slow start to the season. The defending champs have been a bit unlucky, with their actual GD about two below their xGD. Where they’ve lacked has been efficiency, giving up goals on far too few of shots (despite only allowing a few shots per game) and taking nearly 14 shots to score a goal, wasting plentiful opportunities (shooting as often as anyone aside from LAFC). The metrics indicate a turnaround could be coming and that the results haven’t followed the quality of play.
• Toronto FC have rebounded to high form, driven entirely by efficiency. The Reds take just over four shots to score each goal and take roughly 12 per match, a good ratio by any standard. The defense has been shakier, mostly avoiding the issue, but overall TFC are rightly placed among the league’s better clubs.
• Three most lucky clubs (based on GD-xGD, i.e. how much better their GD is vs. their xGD)
  • Seattle Sounders FC (9.60)
  • Philadelphia Union (5.92)
• Three most unlucky clubs (based on GD-xGD, i.e. how much worse their GD is vs. their xGD)
  • New England Revolution (-11.01)

All xG totals are sourced from American Soccer Analysis’ xG Interactive Tables

Here is a small glossary of the terms for clarity:

GP – Games Played
ShtF – Shots For
ShtA – Shots Against
GF – Goals For
GA – Goals Against
GD – Goal Differential
xGF – Expected Goals For
xGA – Expected Goals Against
xGD – Expected Goal Differential
GD-xGD – Goal Differential minus Expected Goal Differential
ShtF/g – Shots For per Game
ShtA/g – Shots Against per Game
GF/g – Goals For per Game
GA/g – Goals Against per Game
GD/g – Goal Differential per Game
xGF/g – Expected Goals For per Game
xGA/g – Expected Goals Against per Game
xGD/g – Expected Goal Differential per Game
ShtF/GF – Shots For per Goal For
ShtA/GA – Shots Against per Goal Against

Follow Colton on Twitter: @cjcoreschi.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

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Image credit: Target/United Soccer Coaches

INDIANAPOLIS — Target and United Soccer Coaches have teamed up to offer free coaching courses via their Urban Soccer Initiative, enabling those who complete the course to receive an official coaching license, the Urban Soccer-Futsal Diploma.

Indiana Futsal and the Irsay Family YMCA have joined them in the endeavor to offer the free course in Indy this Sunday, May 5. It’ll be held at the Irsay Family YMCA from 4-8 p.m.

Space in the free Urban Soccer-Futsal Diploma course in Indianapolis is limited; interested attendees can register here while spots are still available.

Image credit: Indiana Futsal

Other cities that’ll host Urban Soccer Initiative courses include Kansas City, New York, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Hartford, Denver, Detroit, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Providence, Seattle and Boston. Visit the Urban Soccer Initiative’s website for dates, times and to register for the free classes throughout the U.S.

“It is the goal of this project to bring coach education resources to urban areas of these communities,” states the course’s homepage. “United Soccer Coaches recognizes in our Commitment to Culture, that the sport of soccer needs to rise to the occasion and be more inclusive of diversity and embrace the ever changing landscape of the sport. We encourage coaches from all around these communities to join this educational endeavor and join our Foundation’s goal to enrich communities through powerful coaches.”

United Soccer Coaches education content coordinator Vince Ganzberg will instruct the Indianapolis course. He’s coached at various soccer programs throughout central Indiana and is currently the educational consultant for the Zionsville Youth Soccer Association.

This is United Soccer Coaches’ Target Urban Soccer Diploma in KCMO. These coaches are here to change kids’ lives and be a source of positivity through the game; they aspire to inspire. pic.twitter.com/7daimy4EQx

— Rusty Kugler (@rustykugler) April 23, 2019

“As soccer coaches, we are committed to creating a unique, positive culture for our sport in America,” reads the United Soccer Coaches’ Commitment to Culture, a new core tenet established by the organization in October 2018 on the heels of the U.S. men’s national team’s failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. “We want to lead the effort to build a soccer culture that celebrates what is best about our game and helps it transcend from what happens on the field to what happens in the lives of our players.”

For questions or further details on Sunday’s free Urban Soccer-Futsal Diploma course at the Irsay Family YMCA, contact director of Indiana Futsal Justin Becht at [email protected].

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

• Westchester United FC, based in Westchester, N.Y., is the WPSL‘s latest expansion side, the league announced Thursday. The team will debut in 2021. The 4-year-old club already fields a…
• Indiana Futsal director Justin Becht joins host Kevin Johnston for a discussion on the latest happenings at Indiana Soccer, coaching, his trips to Cuba to build futsal courts, Fulham,…
• U.S. Soccer unveiled head coach Gregg Berhalter’s roster for the upcoming U.S. men’s national team friendlies against Wales on Nov. 12 and Panama on Nov. 16. The Wales match…
• Norwich City turned in its most comprehensive attacking display of the season Saturday in a 3-1 away victory at Bristol City. Following the conclusion of the weekend’s fixtures, the…

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

It’s almost time for USL action once again. The league is back as the permanent Division 2 league with a new brand, loads of new teams and some exciting changes for the 2019 season. The USL is now fresh off a (relatively) quiet offseason. No teams folded, no new lawsuits were filed and we’ve found ourselves in a rare period of stability at the Division 2 level.

First up, the changes for 2019. FC Cincinnati is gone, departing to greener pastures in MLS after “crushing this league,” even though it never won a cup. Three other teams, Penn FC, Toronto FC 2 and the Richmond Kickers, have chosen to drop down to Division 3 in the new USL League One, with Penn FC taking a year off to sort things out. Seattle Sounders FC 2 have made their move to Tacoma permanent, adopting the new name Tacoma Defiance and have announced plans for a new soccer facility to be built adjacent to Cheney Stadium. Meanwhile, Saint Louis FC has once again switched conferences.

Joining the league are a record seven new clubs, the largest freshman class in modern USL history. Pro soccer returns to Austin with the Austin Bold, while Birmingham, El Paso, Hartford, Loudon, Memphis and Albuquerque all make their debuts in the USL.

The league retains the two-conference and 34-game configuration from before, but has modified the playoffs. Now, 10 teams make the postseason, with seeds seven through 10 entering a play-in round before the typical single-elimination bracket resumes. Once again, teams will only play clubs within their own conference, meaning that each team will host a home-and-away series against every other in-conference team.

A quick note on formatting and data: All records will be listed as win-draw-loss, and all USL attendance data is taken from the wonderful infographics by Mike Pendleton. Stadium capacities are whatever the teams themselves list, not necessarily the full capacity of the venue.

So, with those administrative updates out of the way, let’s dive in, beginning with the Western Conference. And buckle up, we’ve got nine teams to get through, so this might just be my longest USL article yet.

Austin Bold FC

After three long years, the USL finally returns to the capital of Texas. The new Austin Bold have solved one of the major issues which plagued the second incarnation of the Aztex — the lack of a dedicated stadium — by building a new facility within the infield at Circuit of the Americas. While it is a good 20-minute drive from downtown without any mass transit options, it’s theirs, it’s built just for soccer and it sells alcohol.

Off the field, the roster has rapidly come together, featuring a wealth of veteran talent from around the world, including some rather significant names in Dario Conca, Kléber and Xavier Báez. They might be the oldest roster in the league at present, but it’s not a bad way to start off, and there’s never a shortage of young talent in central Texas should they need some extra depth. For head coach, Austin has signed Brazilian Marcelo Serrano, concurrently serving as head coach of the U.S. Virgin Islands national team, and former assistant with the USA and Brazil youth international sides. It’s his first club head coaching position, making him a bit of a bold choice (I’m sorry), but at the same time, I’m all for giving a young coach the benefit of the doubt. He’s used his connections in his native Brazil to bring in a number of players and has the makings of a very exciting club at his hands.

One thing before we move on: The Bold are still caught up in some ongoing chaos locally, and as part of the attempted relocation of the Crew, Bold FC chairman Bobby Epstein participated in some sketchy dealings of his own. There’s talk of it potentially alienating the local fans before a ball is ever kicked, and it might be something to remember should we find some poor attendance early.

And in case you managed to drink enough to forget, Austin Bold FC will find itself competing locally with the incoming Austin FC, due to join MLS in a new stadium of its own in 2021. Should the Bold carve out a niche of their own, they could manage to survive, and I could definitely see a future where the Bold becomes a sort of Reno-esque affiliate. But if the two teams never see eye-to-eye and Bold FC proves to have burned bridges, things could get rough.

Prognosis: WE REQUIRE MORE MARKET SHARE.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

Last spring, I predicted that 2018 would look more like 2016 for the Switchbacks, with a potential return to form and playoffs. That didn’t happen, and instead they further declined to post their worst record in the USL to date. They lost three of their first four, all 1-0, and save for five games in midsummer, couldn’t go more than two games without a loss. However, 11 of the team’s 17 losses were by just a single goal, meaning that they weren’t much worse overall than the likes of Saint Louis or San Antonio.

Trittschuh and Co. have proceeded to absolutely clean house and already have a radically different roster for 2019 with only six players officially returning. Fresh offensive additions in Mike Seth and Ismailia Jome join the returning Shane Malcolm to hopefully rebuild an attacking core, while Jordan Burt is back for more attacking defender fun. In goal, Steward Ceus seems to have won the starting role for the future following Moise Pouaty’s departure. Last season, the Switchbacks mainly struggled offensively, tied for fewest goals scored in the West with just 36. On paper, this is a better midfield, but not by as much as I think they’ll need. They might be able to find success by getting five or six goals from half the team, rather than having one or two guys in double-digits, and this feels like what’s planned. If the rebuild works, the Switchbacks could be a real threat in the Western Conference. If it doesn’t, I start wondering about Trittschuh’s future.

Off the field, attendance has continued to grow, up over 1,000 from their inaugural season, and the club is currently planning a 10,000-seat downtown stadium set to open in 2021. The new partnership with the Colorado Rapids seems like it should have been obvious for years — and I’m pretty certain I’ve discussed exactly that before — so now it’s on the powers that be to give the local fans something to cheer about. I could definitely see some young Rapids Homegrown signings helping out in Colorado Springs on the field, and nothing sells tickets quite like an exciting, winning team. I’m not gonna go as far as to say this is their year, but I feel like this is the real make-or-break season for the Switchbacks. Playoffs or bust?

Prognosis: Playoffs or bust.

El Paso Locomotive FC

At long last, El Paso has found its spot within pro soccer, bringing the USL Championship up to four Texan teams for 2019. They already have a rather high-profile celebrity endorsement in former congressman Beto O’Rourke and a roster that’s starting to take shape in preseason. They also have one of my favorite brands among the 2019 freshman, with a touch of European inspiration and a lovely homage to the city’s railroad roots.

El Paso’s first player signing was former Whitecaps and Tigres forward Omar Salgado, a local boy through and through, who was signed in the middle of last season and loaned to Las Vegas. They followed that with four players Mark Lowry brought over from Jacksonville and a good bit of variety in signings from elsewhere. In particular, I like the signing of Sebastian Contreras who seems like the USL equivalent of a Mauro Diaz-sort, and Mechack Jerome is exactly the sort of tough defender an expansion team needs.

In Mark Lowry, El Paso has a coach with recent D2 experience, having been responsible for a dramatic change of fortune in Jacksonville in 2017, dragging the Armada from 11th in 2016 up to fifth. It’s a smart hire, and I trust his ability to bring a team together. That said, I get a bit anxious looking at this roster as it currently stands, with lots of players that have only played limited minutes in recent years or players that never really impressed at their previous gigs. A roster is definitely more than the sum of its parts, and I’ve seen Lowry get results out of such a team, but it’s something I’m thinking about.

As El Paso has gone through preseason, some of these doubts have waned with Locomotive FC looking strong in their seven friendlies. Salgado seems to have finally found the right team for him, Contreras is getting comfortable and their back line has been solid. But again, it’s preseason, who knows how this might change come the real games? I’m optimistic for El Paso and the postseason feels within reach, but that’s not the most important thing for year one. If the foundation they build this season works, they’re likely in for the long haul.

Prognosis: If we build it, they will come.

Fresno FC

Fresno made a reasonably solid, if utterly unremarkable, debut last season, right in line with my predictions. For 2019, they’ve retained around half of their roster, which is always a reassuring thing, but there are several noteworthy departures that give me pause. Danny Barrera and Pedro Ribeiro are out, and that’s not a promising sign. Those two combined for a large chunk of Fresno’s less-than-stellar offense last season. I do like the addition of Jaime Chavez, who should mesh pretty well with Juan Pablo Caffa, but that leaves them with one of the oldest rosters in the league. Jackson is another interesting signing who could be a serious asset for them, but again, he’s 30 and hasn’t played league minutes since the 2017 NASL season. Add in Jemal Johnson who turns 34 in May, and it doesn’t feel like a viable long-term strategy. But who knows? Maybe Adam Smith’s visible hand can help these guys supply what’s demanded enough to make the playoffs, then just flood the roster with youth next year. Their youth setup is already pretty nice, with that increasingly common move to partner with/buy out the local USL League Two side ahead of a pro debut.

On the defensive side of things, Fresno is pretty much set. They’ve not just retained but strengthened much of their defensive core, which managed to concede just 38 goals last season. It definitely helped keep some games that probably should have been losses level, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re among the best defensive teams in the league once again.

So far, there are no serious concerns for 2019 other than some skepticism toward a few signings, and I could see them sneaking into the playoffs as a nine or 10 seed. All that’s left is to rehash the same complaint I’ve been making for over a year and use that secondary crest as the primary. Those new jerseys are pretty sharp and so much better than last year — although I don’t really like the sponsor logo, but honestly, whatever — and with that fox logo, things would be pretty much ideal as far as I’m concerned.

Prognosis: Win now, maybe, or at least lose less now, hopefully.

LA Galaxy II

Instead of writing the same recap-preview-analysis segment for the II teams, I’ve decided to do something a bit different this year. With the increased focus on young players and youth development in general, I find it more informative instead to discuss which young players people should be paying attention to.

Efrain Alvarez was the blatantly obvious standout player last year, who managed an incredible 12 goals and 3 assists despite starting just 13 games. He’s ostensibly an attacking midfielder, occupying the typical space of a 10 in a 4-2-3-1 or 3-5-2, with exceptional play-making ability. He’s also only 16. He firmly won a shot in MLS last season and has been working with the first team since November. He’s already an amazing player, and being able to work with no less than Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Zlatan Ibrahimovic spells a very, very bright future.

Goalkeeper Eric Lopez has been a regular for Los Dos since the 2016 season, earning the starting roll in 2017 and platooning with Justin Vom Steeg, another promising ‘keeper prospect, in 2018. While the two never managed a clean sheet during the season, that was much more on the porous defense in front of them, and both clearly demonstrated some significant value in net. Both registered two penalty saves and managed to keep their club in some games where they were clearly outgunned. Vom Steeg is getting his chance with the first team as David Bingham’s backup, so we’ll probably see him at least get some playing time in the Open Cup.

I’ve already mentioned their defensive struggles last season, so let’s instead talk about some particular bright spots. Tomas Hilliard-Arce, the second pick in the 2018 SuperDraft, spent half the season in the USL to cut his teeth as a young professional, and immediately shined. He was a fixture in the back line who led the team in most defensive metrics and showed a lot of comfort moving forward to build from the back. He’s an accurate passer, a solid defensive presence and only 23. It looks like he’ll start 2019 in MLS. Returning to the USL is Nate Shultz, a third-round pick also from the 2018 draft that many people didn’t expect much out of, and were quickly proven wrong. Upon joining Los Dos, Shultz immediately began starting and consistently looked comfortable amid a lot of squad rotation. He’s tough, he’s quick, he’s disciplined, and he made a fantastic partner to Hilliard-Arce. Keep an eye on him, he might just pop up in MLS soon.

Prognosis: Play the kids.

Las Vegas Lights FC

Ladies and gentlemen, Chelis has left the building. And his son, too. And yet, the memes are still alive and kicking in Sin City, with Eric Wynalda joining the club as his replacement. He’s brought his usual brand of roster building and Twitter drama with him to Nevada, to everyone’s excitement. Honestly, not a bad fit, and the more time goes on, the more I like the hire.

Vegas debuted last season with a high-scoring, high-speed, frenetic squad that looked alright early in the season, save for a few scary flattenings, but they at least looked somewhat competitive until August. Twenty-six points from 23 games isn’t fantastic, but it’s enough under most circumstances to sneak into the bottom of the playoff bracket.

And then the front fell off. From Aug. 11 until Oct. 10, the Lights managed just two points across 11 games, conceding three or more goals five times in the process. Things were very, very bad. Their final win of the season in the penultimate week was an absurd 5-2 home thrashing of Phoenix, a team that had beaten them twice by a 6-0 score already that year.

Only five players are returning for 2019, which would seem crazy if not for Wynalda’s previous history doing the exact same thing. Primary ‘keeper Ricardo Ferriño is out, the midfield pairing of Carlos Alvarez and Daigo Kobayashi are out, leading scorer Raul Mendiola is out and Freddy Adu is out. This is essentially a brand-new team in year two.

I like that they’re keeping Samuel Ochoa and Matt Thomas, and between Angel Alvarez and Thomas Olsen they’re more or less set for goalkeepers, but there are just so many brand new pieces that I really don’t know what to make of this team just yet. That said, their starting lineup did absolutely embarrass Toronto’s MLS starters in their first preseason game. That 5-1 result led to the team making and hanging a banner on what used to be the outfield fence, exactly the sort of meme behavior I need from the Lights. Their 3-0 loss and 2-2 draw to the Colorado Rapids say they might be a bit better than last year, but they’re not organized yet. Their final preseason test brought a victory over Orange County SC.

Prognosis: The memes will continue until results improve.

New Mexico United

Welcome to the USL, New Mexico. Finally! I’m legitimately so excited to see Albuquerque — and New Mexico at large — get in this league. They’ve felt like an ideal soccer market for years, and given the hype already building around this team, that was the right call.

Troy Lesesne gets the nod as both coach and technical director, giving him full control over roster decisions, and one can see his USL familiarity in every signing so far. Sixteen of the 19 players signed came from teams within the USL system, including the likes of Devon Sandoval, Juan Guzman, Kevaughn Frater, Josh Suggs and Justin Schmidt. There are so many players on this list that make me think “yeah, that’s a solid move” that I’m gonna go as far as to say New Mexico will be the best of the 2019 expansion teams in the West.

Lesesne is an interesting hire in that he’s never been a professional head coach before, but his resume has no shortage of experience. He spent eight years as an assistant at D1 College of Charleston, a season working with both the Charleston Battery and Vancouver Whitecaps, and four seasons as an assistant with the Charlotte Independence. Just like his roster decisions, I look at his experience and think “yep, this makes perfect sense.” He’s on a multi-year contract, so we’ll get to see him build and coach a team from scratch over the coming seasons.

Off the field, hype is already building around this team, from the love of their Meow Wolf jersey sponsorship to the general display of passion for soccer in the community. Drawing 1,215 people to a February preseason game against a college opponent is a good sign. They’re also closely working with the Albuquerque Sol in League Two, another smart decision.

Really, my only possible criticisms so far are trivial squabbles related to the crest, jerseys or use of a ballpark, but none of those really affect my projections for the team. If they keep playing their cards right, as they’ve been doing, I see them with a 10,000-plus-seat dedicated stadium of their own that they’re routinely selling out in under five years. (The next Sacramento?)

Prognosis: Pay attention, this might be something big.

Oklahoma City Energy FC

Last year, I projected OKC to make it to the championship game. They then went and lost eight games straight starting in the second week of the season, and I went from maximum hype train to literally writing a piece on how everyone should get fired in less than two months.

Steve Cooke eventually got the ship righted in May, and once the bleeding stopped, the team hit a 1.6 PPG pace. Had they started the season the way they looked in June and July, they would have finished somewhere around 6th place in the West, which would have been firmly good enough. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say I’m now confident in Steve Cooke as coach, and I apologize for my reactionary takes last spring.

They’re bringing back nine players from last season along with three players from their youth system, and look like a much stronger and deeper team across much of the roster. That said, losing Jose Barril and Alex Dixon hurts their offense in a way that their signings may or may not fix.

Alexy Bosetti is a super-fun signing from France, where he was scoring in Ligue 1 over the past five years, and was electric for Laval. I’m also big on the additions of Cordell Cato and Christian Eissele, who both provide some very interesting options for the Energy’s offense moving forward. Kal Okot and Josh Garcia both join from the League Two Energy U23 side to reinforce the midfield, while Harrison Bouma becomes the first academy signing in team history — all very exciting and promising for the long-term growth of the organization.

Atiba Harris is back on a multi-year deal, a fantastic reward for one of my favorite players who made a serious difference last year. I’m very pleased that Callum Ross and Christian Ibeagha are back, as I don’t like OKC’s playoff chances without them. I’m also quite pleased to see Cody Laurendi retained, more so given Matt Van Oekel’s departure.

All things considered, if the new signings can fit into that system that lit up last June, OKC is a playoff team. If Bosetti finds USL defenses weaker than those in the French second tier, they’re a contender. And if their depth is able to at least perform as good as last season, they’re a threat in the playoffs. But that’s a lot of ifs.

Prognosis: Ask me again at the end of April.

Orange County SC

Orange County SC was the most exciting team in the USL last season and far too few people paid attention. They were the class of the Western Conference for much of the year, one of just two teams to win at least 20 games, and have quietly built one of the best organizations in the league. More people should be following this team.

Shit, they’re so overlooked that I forgot to include them in my initial preview last season.

Anyway, following a sale and rebrand in 2016, they’ve built their own stadium, developed their own coach and damn nearly made the championship game last season. Thomas Enevoldsen emerged as a goal-scoring machine, Braeden Cloutier built up a reputation as a brilliant coach and their run of form during the second half of the season was some of the best soccer I’ve ever seen. That 2.12 PPG pace would’ve had them at 72 points across a full season, closer to Cincinnati than Louisville. The only reason they didn’t make the final was Didier Drogba.

In the offseason, they retained the vast majority of their players. Really, this roster was championship caliber last season, so they made the correct decision. The biggest departure is Enevoldsen, who, despite his absence in the playoffs, scored 20 goals that will need to be found somewhere in 2019.

They’ve brought in Harry Forester and Liam Trotter from abroad, along with Jerry Van Ewijk from Reno, who can help fill that gap. But that’s still the biggest question I have for OCSC in 2019. If the goals keep coming and a reinforced midfield keeps them winning games, they’re the easy favorite to finish first in the conference and make the final. They have just about every single piece they need for that to happen and they’re better than last year in all but one role.

Off the field, attendance is up, fan engagement is up, sponsorship is up and things are looking pretty amazing for the future. Those playoff sellouts helped the team immensely and I have high hopes for them to break the 4,000-average barrier this season. Add in a solid Open Cup run and they could be in for an amazing run.

Prognosis: 90% they win the West, 10% they’re a mess.

This concludes the first of four parts of my 2019 USL Championship season mega preview. Next up will be the second half of the Western Conference, followed by the two Eastern Conference pieces.

Follow John on Twitter: @JohnMLTX.

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Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

WESTFIELD, Ind. — Butler University men’s soccer and the Indy Eleven stretched their legs out Saturday night in a preseason exhibition tune-up at Grand Park. The first match to kick off the season, it drew in a large crowd that left little room in the stands to watch the two teams test their lineups. Although the game ended with an empty nil-nil scoreline, the match left fans with speculations about the upcoming seasons.

THE TEAMS

Butler returns from what was not considered their finest season last year. Their 2018 season ended in an overall 4-12-2 record, a massive change from their Big East-winning 14-5-2 record in 2017. This game saw the return of a lot of players, including team captain Jared Timmer. There are also a good number of freshman on the team. If the young core meshes well with returning upperclassmen like Timmer and forward Brandon Guhl, the Bulldogs might have a rejuvenated squad in 2019.

Indy took the time in Saturday’s match to try out the trialists, starting off the game with five in the mix along with Jordan Farr, Karl Ouimette, Ayoze, Kenney Walker, Eugene Starikov and Ilija Ilic. Two of the trialists that suited up for Indy in the first half appear to be former Butler players Bennett Kim and Kieran Geldenhuys, though the team wouldn’t confirm this information since it’s official club policy not to comment on trialists.

I think two of the Indy Eleven trialists that played with the group in the first half are former Butler players Kieran Geldenhuys (right mid/right wingback) and Bennett Kim (CDM). Can anyone confirm/deny this? If you know any of the other trialists, I’m all ears.

— Kevin Johnston (@KJboxing) February 10, 2019

THE MATCH

Indy pushed their momentum going into the first half, starting off strong. Butler took a couple of minutes to warm up, put instantly on the defensive by Indy’s strong offense. Led by forwards Starikov, Ilic and a trialist, they pushed their advantage with quick passes and runs up the side.

Butler managed to recover with a few runs of their own. Butler defender Griffin DeBolt made a run up the side, pressing an attack that was ultimately turned back by Indy. Eleven left back Ayoze showed off his speed and skill with the ball, constantly pushing up with the offense. Indy began faltering in the last part of the half, however, with flow starting to waver between players and trialists. The first half ended with a finish into the Butler net by a trialist, but the effort went unrewarded with the referee disallowing the goal for a foul.

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

The second half saw Indy with an almost complete change in the lineup, save for Farr and a few trialists. Butler started the second half strong, pushing to get a quick shot off in the first five minutes that was blocked by Farr. Indy’s offense retaliated, advancing up the field only to be blocked by DeBolt knocking the ball out of the goal at the last second.

The rest of the half saw the advantage of Indy’s fresh legs, with the ball repeatedly brought up into the Butler side. Indy’s Dane Kelly, new to the team, led a number of the offensive charges. Although none of the shots on goal made it to the scoreboard, the Jamaican showed promise. Another notable player during the half was Tyler Pasher, a player out most of last season due to a concussion. He showed off his recovery ability, speed and skill with a series of runs and quick passes.

THE RECAP

The Butler team showed promise, with Timmer and his fellow midfield mates staying solid in the middle. Their defense seemed firm against the Indy offense, though they struggled at times against their speed and quick passes. They will have plenty of time to work on things, as their next game isn’t until March 2 against Bradley.

Related: Gallery: Indy Eleven, Butler battle to preseason stalemate

Indy started off strong, though their flow seemed to falter at different moments in the game. This could be partly because of new players, and it being the first game since the offseason.

“Both teams haven’t played in so long, it’s about getting the rust out,” said David Goldsmith, a former player on both teams.

More time is needed to achieve that team cohesion, which will be something to watch for in both teams’ upcoming matches. Indy next plays now-MLS side FC Cincinnati this Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Grand Park.

Follow Claire on Twitter: @ItsASchmidtThng.

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