Laye Diop's improvement in the Detroit midfield

Breaking down the blossoming No. 6 within Le Rouge's system

Riding a three-match unbeaten run featuring two wins and a dominant draw -all against playoff teams - Detroit City has a strong feeling of momentum. Despite a stagnant start to the season in an attacking sense, Le Rouge are still on the edge of the playoff field.

Trevor James’ system and a brilliant defense are the reason why. Things start in net with Nate Steinwascher, who’s responsible for 4.8 goals saved above expectation, but the solidity James’ deep-block 5-3-2 is always remarkable even beyond Steinwascher’s brilliance. One key member of that group and an unexpected breakout of the 2023 season is Laye Diop.

Diop played for Detroit in their NPSL days before joining Atlanta United 2 for two seasons. Still only 23 years old, Diop gained maturity and took his lumps as a holding midfielder in a team that was constantly under fire in transition. He was all the better for it upon returning to the Motor City in 2022, and that improvement has carried over in a big way this year.

The numbers bear out the No. 6’s glow-up. By Goals Above Replacement, my basic model of player performance, Diop rates in the 74th percentile of all USL players, up from the 46th last season. He’s improved his standing in terms of fouls conceded and fouls drawn, and his shot attempts as compared to other midfielders have skyrocketed up to the 90th percentile.

Diop’s by-the-numbers leap partially comes from a deployment that sees him play further up the pitch, but he’s not resting on his laurels. The ex-Atlanta man had never completed double-digit crosses in a season, but he has 12 already in 2023. His positioning is better across the board; consider 15 successful interceptions already this season versus 22 all of last year.

Detroit uses a 3-1-4-2 or 3-4-1-2 shape that can feature a linking No. 10 in front of a double pivot or a lone No. 6 behind two No. 8/No. 10 hybrids. Diop is always found in the lower of the two lines, but the tape bears out how he finds opportunities to intervene.

Consider this play from a match against Tulsa a few weeks back. Diop started this one in a double pivot alongside Tommy McCabe, a fellow holding midfielder. Still, the Senegal-born man spots an opportunity.

Ben Morris and Connor Rutz have swapped roles such that Morris functions as the advanced central midfielder, drawing the attention of the opposing holder. Meanwhile Diop has advanced into the hole, and he’s first to a second ball.

Moments later, you get an absolute banging strike to put Detroit ahead.

It’s is a very simple play, but it illustrates how Diop has grown in terms of technique and confidence. This is a player that attempted 19 shots all of last year, but he’s already to 12 tries in 2023 and has the audacity to carry the ball and fire. Diop did have a bit of a tendency to pop an ill-advised bomb from range in the past, but there’s so much more intention now, and he’s learning to keep his shots lower.

Part of the advantage forged by Diop’s increasing confidence up the pitch comes without possession for Detroit. Here, the midfielder becomes the third member of a three-man high press.

#8 was charged with man marking Birmingham’s Mikey Lopez in this match, limiting how the Legion could build up the middle. In this case and a number of other instances, that responsibility took Diop far into the opposing box. Watch how he presses the goalkeeper as well - it’s wild stuff for an ostensible holding midfield player.

Oh, and guess what? Detroit wins possession when Diop’s pressure forces a long turnover.

Still, Diop is most comfortable in that classically low-lying pivot role. You see that in action here. Diop actually starts the play a step ahead of McCabe, drifting to the sideline as an outlet against San Antonio’s aggressive wide press. When a turnover occurs, however, #8 is aggressive at closing down.

When weighing for possession, Detroit is actually a top-five team in the USL in terms of pressing actions, defined tackle attempts and interceptions by midfielders and forwards. Diop is crucial to solidifying and implementing that hard-nosed approach. He actually commits a foul above, but in doing so, he halts a terrifying San Antonio side’s counterattack.

The whole-team aggression described above extends to the back three, especially through Devon Amoo-Mensah as the left-sided member of the defensive trio. #30 regularly bursts into the midfield to deny entry passes and track opposing attackers. It’s a gambit that stops transition moves against Detroit, but it can also lead to holes, especially if the left wing back is slow in his recovery.

That’s where Diop comes in. If there’s one area where he’s excelled in 2023, it’s in his ability to read space as a defender and judge when to drop low in rotation. This is the sort of quality that’s impossible to quantify. Diop is on pace for 14 clearances this year after notching 14 last year, which could’ve shown his ability to drop in. Still, any keen viewer of Detroit can appreciate what he provides in his center back coverage.

In the Charleston game where that last clip occurred, Detroit employed their most offensive-minded midfield yet, using Diop as a lone No. 6 behind Connor Rutz and Maxi Rodriguez as paired No. 10s. This is a shape that James didn’t ever break out with consistency in 2022, but Diop’s improvement lets it happen.

If there’s any sign of a public endorsement of the ex-Atlanta man, it came with the McCabe trade last week. The only other proper No. 6 on the team was dealt to Tulsa in order to bolster the left wing back spot and forward line, two positions with more options than the pivot but less solid options as compared to Diop. This isn’t to erase bright 19-year-old Dominic Gasso, but Diop is the man.

In the wake of that trade and the Battery draw, my data model has Detroit finishing with 39 points, good enough to claim the eight seed over Indy Eleven by a single point. If they’re to do so, Laye Diop and the two-way quality and solidity he provides will be crucial.