Graphic Detail: why Greenville is League One's best

How Rick Wright has returned the Greenville Triumph to the top of the table

Last year, in what proved to be John Harkes’ final season at the helm, the Greenville Triumph were fine. The USL League One regular season was a three-horse race, and Greenville was a few lengths behind. They finished fifth in the table and sixth by expected goal (xG) margin.

Rick Wright, a former Harkes assistant and the current man in charge, hasn’t re-invented the wheel, but his subtler tweaks have taken the Triumph to the top of the table. Greenville still uses a unique back three shape and identifies as a pressing team, but they’ve become more controlled in attack and have doubled their xG margin to +0.24 per 90 minutes.

You see some of Greenville’s pressing principles and possessive rotations previewed above within the baseline 3-4-1-2 shape. That formation has prevailed this year, but there’s been variation depending on lineups, and formations are a suggestion rather than a fact anyway.

The 3-4-1-2 allows the Triumph to push their wingers up into a five-man front line in attack. Additionally, the use of an attacking midfielder between the lines facilitates a press that’s constantly able to pin opponents. Greenville’s forwards aren’t afraid to rotate wide alongside the connecting No. 10, easing the ability to trap on the sidelines.

Defensively, the returns have been modest on the advanced stat front: Greenville is giving up a below-average 1.41 xG per game. Still, they’ve only allowed four actual goals in four League One matches. Christian Garner has been good in goal (+0.16 goals saved above expected per game) but hasn’t been a crutch by any means.

There’s a certain risk acceptance that comes with the Triumph’s style. They know that a high press, but they also know that forcing turnovers is a potent way to create fast offense.

Compressing the pitch from the back is the first step to that success. Greenville tends to sit in a medium-high line and encourages their three central defenders to intervene. Indeed, their center backs have combined to average 13.0 tackles and interceptions per match this year, evidential of a unit that isn’t afraid to step up and intervene.

In the clip, you see Greenville sitting off a tad during their Open Cup bout against Knoxville, but the same shape remains and the Triumph are ready to pounce when the right trigger arises. When the Tennesseans hit the halfway line, Greenville is in a flat shape with their three center backs holding firm a few yard outside of the box. Meanwhile, both central midfielders come to the ball side in order to compress on One Knox.

Stood up in traffic without a clear outlet, Knoxville haphazardly tries to reset possession with a backpass, seemingly unaware that Ben Zakowski is lurking as the attacking mid in the 3-4-1-2. #7 intercepts, thinks about going solo on the dribble, but wisely chooses to slow things down and recycle.

Greenville’s attackers have totaled 9.5 interceptions and tackle attempts per game this season, which puts them in a virtual tie with South Georgia Tormenta for the league lead. At a nigh unmatched level, the Triumph deny opponents with defensive aggression at the back and pay off that denial with another layer of lethal traps higher upfield.

Where can things go wrong? If an opponent can get behind the midfield line and force a defensive overreaction, there can be trouble.

Above, Greenville forces a takeaway through the combined efforts of their left winger and left-sided center back. However, opposing Northern Colorado swiftly regains; there’s now a gaping hole in the channel where both Triumph players advanced. With the defensive line out of sync trying to cover that gap, the Hailstorm can march into the box for a dangerous shooting opportunity.

It’s important to recognize the versatility of Wright’s tactics. You could reasonably tell me that this team is using a 4-3-3, and I wouldn’t have a strong counterargument. That layer of granularity arises because of the situation on the left, where the winger tends to play much higher than his opposite number on the right. This dynamic informs the allowance seen above.

Tyler Polak, a former US youth international and Greenville’s first-ever signing, is tasked with covering the ground of a left back and a center back at the same time defensively. Ahead of him, Lyam MacKinnon plays as the winger more often than not, but he essentially gets into attack like a forward when the Triumph are clicking.

That shiftiness can be a possessive weapon, but it can also cause problems heading the other way. We saw what Northern Colorado could do above, and Spokane had similar opportunities in the season opener. Both the Velocity and the Hailstorm had the speed to punish the Triumph down that left channel.

Still, with risk can come reward.

Left-sided moves have predominated for Greenville in many of their games this season, as most obviously evidenced in the heatmap (shown above) from the win over Spokane. Positive results against Madison and Lexington were more balanced, but it’s clear that the ability to lean into a somewhat offset shape is key.

A few players have stepped on the right to provide defensive quality as a counterweight, one that makes the system sing. Rookie Hayden Anderson (a top-half defender by tackle win rate) and veterans pieces like Nate Shultz (86th percentile defensive actions) and Jamie Smith (who hasn’t missed a minute) have assured that Greenville stays whole down that side.

Back to attack. Here, you see a typical offensive sequence from the Triumph in their natural shape. To start, central midfielder Chapa Herrera - a legend of the El Paso Locomotive and a certified Mark Lowry guy™ - drops into the defensive line, which allows Polak to spread wider on the far left side.

With greater access to a wide passing lane, #3 can find MacKinnon (playing in that combo forward-wing back role) in a good position to pin Northern Colorado between a rock and a hard place. Because the Hailstorm full back must respect MacKinnon’s threat, there’s space for Greenville striker Zion Scarlett to dart in behind with a diagonal run.

This is par for the course for the Triumph in 2024, and it represents an important evolution within their offensive gameplan.

Last year, the Triumph went long from goal more than 60% of the time, which would lead the league in 2024. That rate is down more than 10% season-over-season. The club’s long pass share is the fourth-lowest in League One as well.

Pass lengths reflect the adjustment: Greenville had the longest average completion in 2023 at 9.0 yards per pass, while they’re now firmly midtable at an average of 7.2 yards. The numbers make it clear that the Triumph have introduced more short passing and patience into their possessive approach.

It’s certainly not tika taka, but the tweaked system does a better job at bending defenses to the Triumph’s will. We’ve seen that the press can still generate chances for this team, but there’s less of a reliance on lumping it long, swarming onto second balls, and hoping for the best.

Above, you see how that possessive control has led to interchange and movement in the attacking zone. The ball carrier in the screenshot is an advancing defender. Central midfielder Carlos Anguiano is seen stalking into the half space, pondering an underlap. Ben Zakowski lurks on the shoulder of a Lexington center back, ready to loop into the box on the move from his initial between-the-lines spot.

Greenville push into a 3-2-5 when they’re ensconced in the final third, but they’re not choosy about which players form the fivesome at any given moment. That sense of flow turned the play you see freeze-framed above into a comeback-galvanizing goal courtesy of Zakowski’s finish.

The Triumph are averaging 1.65 xG per game this year, up 17% on 2023. Yes, they’re finishing at a 20% conversion rate right now, but they’re also doing things in build to generate more chances at a higher quality. That finishing clip isn’t wholly unreasonable, either. Tormenta, Knoxville, and Central Valley are within 2% of Greenville’s mark.

No soccer team is flawless, and Greenville are so good because they recognize and limit their systemic weaknesses. Rick Wright inherited a style of play, but he knew how to evolve it in the context of an improving USL League One. Already, Wright and his club are reaping the benefits.

What makes the results all more impressive is the Triumph’s considerate recruitment strategy. Certain other green-tinted teams in the league focused on big-name stars and/or USL Championships flameouts. Clubs like Central Valley hardly seemed to have a strategy at all.

By contrast, Greenville judiciously built their squad. The back line has always been a strength, and it hasn’t changed. There have been a few Championship imports, but they’ve either been prospects who never got a shot (Christian Garner in net, Carlos Anguiano at center mid) or veterans chosen for a tactical purpose (think Chapa Herrera and Sebastian Velasquez in the midfield). Throw in league-best college scouting that’s turned up Lyam MacKinnon, Ben Zakowski, Mohamed Seye, Daniel Wu, and more, and the root of sustained success becomes clear.

Maybe the Triumph will come back down to earth in the coming weeks and months, but League One feels wide open in 2024. Greenville has earned big results against contenders already, and they’ve got the squad, the style, and the leadership to remain a threat all season long.