Offseason Notebook: Detroit's midfield, League One roster notes
On the new-look midfield corps for Detroit City and news from across USL League One
Welcome back to the Offseason Notebook! Before we dig in, make sure to check out Backheeled! I’m up with a breakdown of viable USL D1 markets, and I’ve got team-by-team offseason grades and a deep-dive interview piece coming soon.
Without further ado, let’s get to it.
On the new Detroit midfield
Detroit City took a leap in 2024, clocking in with a comfortable third-place finish in the East to earn home field advantage. By the end of the season, Danny Dichio had settled on a 3-4-3 framework that allowed Le Rouge to maintain their long-term defensive identity while also putting up their best-ever offensive campaign in the USL era.
Between the start of August and the end of the regular season, Detroit put up the second-most points in the entire league. At the same time, their expected goal difference was a mere +1.27, which ranked 11th in the Championship. Whether the overperformance was luck or something else is the question heading into 2025, and Detroit’s ability to remake their midfield will go a long way in determining the answer.
Detroit’s end-of-season shape had a number of facets that ought to carry over into the new year. While the look was a 5-4-1 in low block, Le Rouge was never afraid to bomb their wing backs forward into more of a “three-box-three” or 3-2-4-1 while in possession.
Connor Rutz and Laye Diop were the primary starters in the attacking midfield, but if you’re familiar with their track records, you’ll know that neither is anything close to the classic conception of “winger.” Indeed, their narrowness was a feature of the system and allowed for daring overlaps from Rhys Williams on the right and Alex Villanueva on the left. From August onward, Williams ranked second on the roster behind only Ben Morris with 3.7 xGA; Villanueva created more chances than either Diop or Rutz during that same stretch.
Maxi Rodriguez’s ability to swoop into the half spaces and forge a multi-layered sense of width was an important feature, creating wonky overloads in channels and putting an idiosyncratic pressure on unsuspecting defenses. Morris’ ability to stretch from side to side up top was equally vital. At their best, Detroit was hydra-like in the final third, with numerous players liable to charge at goal.
Could it be stodgy? More often than you’d hope, but it was still effective. With Rodriguez, James Murphy, and Ryan Williams gone, there’s a chance to enliven things around a new midfield core.
Jay Chapman, a USL vet who split time between Hartford and Charleston last season, is probably the most bankable starter among the new faces. Haruki Yamazaki, who had a stellar rookie campaign in Northern Colorado, can ably cover behind Villanueva at left wing back or serve as a shuttling No. 8. Marcello Polisi is more defensive-minded and hasn’t played in a year, but he’s got decent Canadian Premier League bona fides.
What stands out about that trio relative to Detroit’s old core is their directness in the passing game and interventionist defensive instinct. Taken as a whole, the new faces bring precise down-field passing and legitimate grit in the press that fit within Dichio’s philosophical mien.
Chapman’s ability to make a two-way impact may be the most important factor that’ll decide Le Rouge’s fate. The Canadian international spent half a decade in the Toronto FC system, overlapping with Dichio’s tenure in the same organization. That shared history makes a reunion makes sense – and that’s before you even consider the 31-year-old midfielder’s skillset.
Above, you get a taste of Jay Chapman’s creative contributions. The stellar pace with which Chapman reads the game is evident in the reel above; you see a well-weighted pass to an overlapping runner, a terrific through ball off a second touch in the channel, and a rapid give-go-switch play. The overarching theme? Bold progressivity and an ability to bring wide players into the attack.
Throw in the loan addition of Ates Diouf – and I’m not breaking news here; he’s visible in the back of training photos! – and this team suddenly has a willing secondary scorer to fill those half-space spots ahead of the pivot. Diouf contributed to 14 goals in Lexington last season while only occasionally leading the line, and he’s a stellar fit in Detroit.
While Diouf, Chapman, Yamazaki, and Polisi aren’t all-league stars, they look like game-changers in the aggregate. They’re the sort of players that will allow Detroit City to build on their progress in 2025.
League One Roundabout
Madison’s depth
Always a bridesmaid, Forward Madison finished third in League One, lost in the inaugural Jagermeister Cup final, and crashed out in the playoff semifinal last year. This team is perennially in oh-so-close territory, and they’ve re-oriented their roster in a fascinating manner to change that status quo for 2025.
Deng Xiaoping famously labeled his free market-ified version of governance as “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” In that same vein, Matt Glaeser’s bendy shape, which often blurred the lines between a classic 3-4-3 and an attacking 4-2-3-1, was “back three with Madisonian characteristics.” Yeah, the shape looked a certain way on paper, but it very much had a unique flavor in practice. With Jake Crull as the pivot point on the left side of the defensive line, Forward Madison could be chameleonic in 2024 depending on how high the Austrian defender wanted to push.
I’ve provisionally mapped Madison in a carried-over 3-4-3 above, but it would be easy to imagine a no-frills 4-2-3-1 with a center back removed and Garrett McLaughlin taking over as a No. 10. Take your pick among Derek Gebhard, Devin Boyce, and new man Chris Garcia running alongside him.
It’s the pivot group that most fascinates me at the moment. Gone is metronomic, steadying all-leaguer Jimmie Villalobos, replaced by Jackson Dietrich and Jose Carrera-Garcia. The new faces add an elevated sense of attacking verve, and they make this team even more versatile.
In Dietrich, a converted wide player with massive positional intelligence and an ability to initiate from all sorts of angles, Madison has added a more explorative option. A standout because of his subtle positioning in Northern Colorado, Dietrich was also a model of efficiency who completed 90% of his passes and 69% of his long balls while winning duels at a 90th percentile clip. He’d be a fascinating choice as a tucked-in wing back – especially as a change of pace relative to the attack-first Nico Brown.
Carrera-Garcia, who’s ranked as a 90th percentile or better xA provider in two of his last three seasons, is an excellent multi-level creator and presumptive starter. To create like he did in some dismal Central Valley teams is a marvel, but the 29-year-old also stepped up defensively in 2024 amidst an extremely end-to-end system. Carrera-Garcia can be a work horse, doing his off-ball duties before stepping up creatively.
Assuming that John Murphy can pick up the defensive slack and provide enough sideline-to-sideline coverage – a safe assumption to make for a player that won seven duels a game in 2024 – Madison ought to feel good about their new balance. Glaeser is sure to have some tricks up his sleeve, but the new core in Wisconsin is a strong one.
Brent Kallman to Omaha
Signing a player with triple-digit MLS appearances under his belt is a big deal, even if the guy happens to be 34 years old. That’s especially true when said player is a hometown kid, as is the case with Brent Kallman signing with Union Omaha.
Yes, Kallman is up there in years, but he wasn’t exactly Usain Bolt in his prime. Moreover, you’d expect the longtime Minnesota United to play the central (i.e., least taxing) role in the Omaha back three. This is a player who understands spacing, reads the game with veteran poise, and ought to do splendidly.
Adding a player like Kallman was key because of the loss of Luca Mastrantonio to AV Alta. A two-year rock in Dom Casciato’s back line, Mastrantonio barely missed a minute and was a solid organizer at the heart of the defensive unit. At the same time, he ranked in the 13th percentile for duel win percentage and 27th for aerial duel win percentage. On an efficiency basis, Omaha had room to improve.
In Kallman, they’ve seemingly done the job. Albeit in somewhat limited minutes during his first (and ultimately only) year in Nashville, Kallman was effective – see a 61% duel win rate – in the context of a moderately high workload. Moreover, the 6’2” center back rated out in the 99th percentile for expected goal contributions at his position thanks to his set piece threat.
Kallman won’t be expected to carry much of a load as an initiator, but his marks of 11.2 vertical yards per pass and 84% completion rated halfway between the numbers of Mastrantonio and Mechack Jerome from 2024. Considering that Kallman did it against MLS competition, those are promising marks.
The moral of the story? Omaha ought to feel very good about their back end. This team still needs a solid striker, but their title-defending bona fides shouldn’t be in question.
Charlotte’s Machinations
The Charlotte Independence seem to march to the beat of their own drum. They’ve been a bottom-two side in League One in terms of both possession and pressing re-gains in 2023 and 2024, and yet you can’t argue with their results. Mike Jeffries’ system isn’t “sexy” in a traditional manner, but it’s incredibly organized in low block and affords creative players the license to play with freedom when Charlotte does have the ball.
We’ve seen finishers like Khori Bennett and Juan Obregon tear the league apart at the top of Jeffries’ shape, bolstered by a delicate balance deeper in the midfield. As good as players like Miguel Ibarra (eight assists in 2023) and Luis Alvarez (nearly transferred to Spain for a historic fee) have been as multi-level creators, they’ve enjoyed the support of stalwarts like Omar Ciss and Rayan Djedje along the way.
Heading into 2025, that mix is going to change. Obregon (and winger-full back maestro Joel Johnson) are gone to Westchester. Djedje just garnered a transfer fee from the Sacramento Republic despite being an on-again, off-again starter – a fascinating move for the Republic and a boon for Charlotte.
Having split time between the No. 6 spot and central defense, Djedje was a willing servant in the Independence’s back half after having joined the club from Metz in 2023. An active defensive presence known for his surety on the ball more than his inspired incision, Djedje was the exact sort of piece that let Charlotte tick. Throw him next to an Alvarez type, and you were set to go.
With Ciss (77% tackle win rate) and Bachir Ndiaye (96th percentile duel wins) having stuck around, the Independence are still set at the No. 6 spot. The fact that they could move Djedje without taking a major roster hit is a testament to their scouting and development.
Still, how is this team going to come together further ahead? Obregon hasn’t been replaced, unless you think Jon Bakero is going to do classic striker things; his time in Phoenix and evolution as a false No. 9 in Memphis point to the contrary. A midfield featuring Bakero and Alvarez as two ball-dominant presences feels hard to swing, but we’ll see – myself and others have underestimated the Charlotte Independence at our own peril in the past.
Final Thoughts
In other news this week…
The fact that Jurgen Damm and Gedion Zelalem signed in the league on the same day last week is kind of a trip? Like, that’s a bona fide Mexican international and former USYNT “next great hope,” no matter where those players are in 2025. Kudos to Oakland and New Mexico for the swings.
Having forgotten to plug it a few weeks back, I’d implore you to read Luke Martin’s ranking of the most handsome USL League One managers. It’s the best bit of season preview content you’re going to get anywhere, in my humble opinion.
I picked up more than 100 new subscribers from the USL D1 article, and my favorite thing whenever something like that happens is the ensuing wave of unsubscribes. Deng Xiaoping references and Brent Kallman breakdowns likely won’t help the cause!
Fresh off a rewatch of Andor, I think I’m ready to say that it’s the best season of television in the last decade and the best-ever Star Wars project. Every performance from top to bottom is tremendous, Nicholas Britell is lighting the world on fire with his score, and the writing is sharp and affecting without the throat-clearing stodginess that you get with so many prestige shows. Plus, what’s a better reflection of modern politics than “incel who lives with his mom becomes a mega-fascist because he thinks it’ll make him cool?”
That’s all, folks. See you soon!
Cover Photo Credit: Detroit City FC / Twitter