Soccer <\/p>\n
We’re in the thick of transfer season, though not everybody’s been busy. Some teams have, however, and of that group, here are the moves that have got me thinking a little bit.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Honest to god: If it was 30 years ago, Uzuni<\/a> would be starting in the English Premier League because his qualities are the classic \u201csecond forward\u201d qualities English teams looked for in a forward running off of a target man. Work rate, speed, movement in and around the box, a knack for one-touch finishes? He\u2019s got all that, and I have little doubt it\u2019ll translate in MLS.<\/p>\n The issue is there\u2019s no longer really a natural home for that type of player at the very top of the game, as the 4-2-3-1 and the 4-3-3 have basically killed the second forward. The meta has changed, shifting in the direction of pure pitch control, which has led most teams to drop that second forward in favor of a third central midfielder (The other position greatly affected: the No. 10. There are almost no classic 10s at the very highest level anymore since \u201cindividual genius\u201d roster builds have been replaced by the press, positional play, playmaking wingers or some combination of all three).<\/p>\n Anyway, Uzuni is showing, this year in LaLiga 2, that second forward remains his best spot. He showed, last year in LaLiga, that he could still be a threat on the counter from the left in a 4-3-3 \u2013 though also that he\u2019s not going to be able to add much in the way of possession, playmaking or 1v1 ability when he\u2019s out there.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think Austin<\/a> want to be a counterattacking team; I think they want to be a possession team that generates chances with the ball. But they now have three front-line DPs who aren\u2019t really going to help a ton with the first part of that equation.<\/p>\n So now there\u2019s a ton of pressure on this midfield to control the game. That control then sets up the pre-conditions for Osman Bukari<\/a> (on the right side) or Guilherme Biro<\/a> (overlapping on the left) to find space wide and deliver final balls across the six. Those balls across the six are how Uzuni and fellow DP Brandon Vazquez<\/a> score their goals. They won\u2019t be able to add much without that kind of service.<\/p>\n Where\u2019s that leave Austin? Well, I like Owen Wolff<\/a> and Dani Pereira<\/a> a lot, and Ilie S\u00e1nchez<\/a> has always been a delight. Besard Sabovic<\/a> is more of an unknown, with scouting reports and advanced data suggesting he\u2019ll probably be more of a worker than an orchestrator. Same for Nicol\u00e1s Dubersarsky<\/a>, the young Argentine d-mid they spent a U22 Initiative slot on.<\/p>\n Which is to say they have some options, and those options could coalesce into a more functional midfield than what we\u2019ve seen from their first few years of existence.<\/p>\n But the bet, between hiring head coach Nico Est\u00e9vez and making a big splash on Uzuni and Vazquez, is the midfield will be more than functional: the bet is the midfield will control the game. So there\u2019s got to be another big signing coming here. The moves they made this winter don\u2019t make sense without it.<\/p>\n By the way, know who\u2019s almost certainly available on a non-DP number and would make a ton of sense? Eduard Atuesta. We\u2019ve seen him make this game model work in MLS both as a No. 6 and as a No. 8. He\u2019d look good this year pulling the strings in Verde & Black.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I think there are three things to consider when looking at the acquisitions of Jes\u00fas Ferreira<\/a> and Paul Arriola<\/a>:<\/p>\n 1. The Sounders<\/a> have a jam-packed schedule across numerous competitions, with intentions to win several trophies (sorry guys, but my hopes aren\u2019t super high for a FIFA Club World Cup<\/a> title). We\u2019ve got a lot of data over the past six or seven years that it is very, very hard to actually do that and not run into the \u201coveruse\u201d wall around early October.<\/p>\n So, the goal is very clearly to get as many flexible, high-floor players on the roster as possible. Ferreira and Arriola both fit that mold.<\/p>\n 2. Ferreira\u2019s a 24-year-old veteran who\u2019s coming off a tough season, but averaged about 20 goal contributions per year from 2021-23. And even in his \u201ctough\u201d 2024, he put up 13 goal contributions (5g\/8a) in about 1,500 minutes across all competitions.<\/p>\n At his best, he\u2019s about the same tier of player in this league as guys like Jordan Morris<\/a> and Albert Rusn\u00e1k<\/a>. Does another guy at that level get the Sounders back into the winner\u2019s circle? I\u2019m not sure. But I do think a guy with Ferreira\u2019s pedigree coming from one of FBRef\u2019s Next 14 Competitions<\/a> would likely have cost more than Seattle were willing to spend in the transfer market.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Adding some firepower to the attack ???? pic.twitter.com\/OAEOdM87Ho<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) January 8, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n 3. How do Ferreira and Morris fit together? Morris\u2019 numbers exploded when he was moved up top in mid-June of last year (14g\/4a in 27 games across all competitions from then on out), but his productivity is just the tip of the iceberg. Collectively, Seattle’s open-play goals and expected goals both increased, as did their total possession, as did their passes per possession, as did both their goal differential and expected goal differential. Subsequently, so did their points per game.<\/p>\n The short version is that having a major threat to run in behind starting at the No. 9 opened up space underneath for Seattle\u2019s midfield and wingers, and those midfielders and wingers put that space to good use. The Sounders became one of the league’s four or five best teams.<\/p>\n Ferreira, who has spent most of his career either as a false 9 or a second striker, isn\u2019t that kind of vertical threat by either skillset or inclination. And while he\u2019s played some on the wings, both for club and country, he\u2019s a winger more in theory than in practice.<\/p>\n So I’m guessing Ferreira gets the first crack at the No. 9 role in Brian Schmetzer\u2019s preferred 4-2-3-1, with Morris tucked in as a direct, goal-scoring winger. But if it doesn\u2019t work \u2013 if the Sounders struggle to build chances with the ball, as they did until mid-June of last year \u2013 don\u2019t be surprised if Morris goes back up top and we start the \u201cJes\u00fas Ferreira as a right winger\u201d experiment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n De la Torre<\/a> to San Diego FC<\/a> became official this week<\/a>, and thus far it\u2019s one of my favorite signings of the offseason. When de la Torre\u2019s been on the field in Spain, and before that when he was on the field in the Netherlands, he was a one-man answer to a fundamental question every team must face: How do we progress the ball through midfield and into the final third? It is his strength and he knows it:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Yeah, he tweeted himself into the USMNT<\/a> roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup with clips of ball progression. This isn\u2019t highlight bias either; he\u2019s constantly been in the 85th percentile or better in progressive carries, and around the 70th percentile in progressive passes received, no matter what league he\u2019s played in. Add in a knack for box arrivals, and you get the exact profile you\u2019re looking for from a free 8 in a possession-heavy 4-3-3. He will open the game up for DP wingers Hirving Lozano<\/a> and Anders Dreyer<\/a>.<\/p>\n Historically, expansion teams have struggled badly with midfield play. If de la Torre stays healthy, San Diego might buck that trend.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n You, a simpleton: The Quakes<\/a> got a DP No. 9<\/a> for GAM, signed another all-time great No. 9<\/a> and also brought over half of Bruce\u2019s old team<\/a> with New England<\/a>! I\u2019m excited about that!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Me, an intellectual: Bruce Arena has literally never missed on a center-back drafted in the top 20. This year, he took two center backs (Max Floriani and Reid Roberts) in the top five. I am excited about that.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) December 20, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Here\u2019s the total list, going back almost 30 years, of center backs Arena previously picked in the top 20 of the SuperDraft\/college draft:<\/p>\n Pope and Omar are all-timers. DeLaGarza retired with three Supporters\u2019 Shields, three MLS Cups and a US Open Cup<\/a> \u2013 he was a key player for all those teams. Kessler<\/a> hasn\u2019t quite been the same since Bruce left the Revs, but he\u2019s still been good enough to start for a record-setting, Shield-winning team and get capped by the USMNT. The closest thing to a miss on this list is Meyer, who was nonetheless good enough to start in the LA Galaxy<\/a>\u2019s 2012 MLS Cup win as a rookie (over DeLaGarza, it should be noted).<\/p>\n Is it a different league now? Yes, absolutely. Is it still possible to find elite players via the SuperDraft? Yes, absolutely. And we know, historically, what Bruce has done with highly-drafted center backs, so I think some excitement from Quakes folks is justifiable.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nSounders taking a different roster-building approach<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
\n
Luca de la Torre solves a typical expansion team problem<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
Bruce Arena taking two CBs in the SuperDraft<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
\n