Offseason Notebook: Dichio to Detroit
November 30th is the effective end to the USL year, representing the date when standard player contracts expire. We’re past that threshold now, meaning that club-by-club roster announcements - half of which are yet to be announced - ought to come hot and heavy in the days ahead.
Curious about the best free agents available? I’ll have a scouting report on the top five options at Backheeled on Monday morning. For now, enjoy a dive into Detroit’s offseason re-tool.
With Trevor James moving from the sideline to the front office after shepherding Detroit into the USL and to consecutive playoff appearances, his club announced the hiring of Danny Dichio as head coach this week. Signed to a two a two-year contract in Michigan, the 49-year-old Englishman previously enjoyed a 16-year playing career before spending a decade as a youth guru. His most recent position was as an assistant coach under Mark Briggs with the Sacramento Republic.
To get right out with it: I’m a big fan of the hire. Dichio’s youth experience and developmental nous will play well at a club without a massive budget and reliant on internal improvements. Additionally, his familiarity with Briggs’ 3-4-3 is a natural fit for a Detroit roster built to run a back three.
Those who know Dichio from the Republic are similarly bullish on the new Detroit gaffer.
Rodrigo Lopez, the star creator who worked under him for two years, is laudatory. “Dichio is a players coach - he’s very approachable and has great leadership skills,” Lopez says. “[He] reads the game well and is good at getting his points across to team, but his biggest strength is who he is as a person.”
That empathy dates back to Dichio’s time with Toronto FC. The Englishman was the club’s first-ever goalscorer, but he spent more than a decade working within their youth system post-retirement.
Working with up-and-comers requires a gentle touch and ample patience; growth is rarely a linear or easy path. By all accounts, Dichio picked up those didactic attributes in spades. His ability to form the next wave of Canadian talent won admiration within Toronto FC and eventually earned him a spot as an assistant for the Canadian national team.
The academy tenure belies ample tenure as a high-end player. Indeed, Dichio has gone through the wringer at the top rungs of the soccer ladder in Serie A and the Premier League.
“He obviously has great knowledge and experience from playing at the highest level, and the way he connects with the players and improves little areas of everyone’s game benefits the individual and the team,” says Jack Gurr, Sacramento’s star full back. “Overall, he’s a great person and coach to work with.”
That experience will be crucial for Le Rouge, who were no one’s idea of a titan in 2023. Detroit finished eighth in the East, and their offense rated as a bottom-five goalscoring unit in the history of independent USL club. They converted on just 7.5% of their shot attempts, a result of bad finishing and an inability to generate good chances.
Though City only allowed 39 concessions, the second-least in the conference, they outperformed their expected goal difference by 6.7 goals for the year. Maybe it was luck, but part of the equation was managerial excellence: James consistently pulled the rabbit of good results out of a tattered hat. Dichio must do the same to succeed
In tandem with the managerial announcement, Detroit confirmed their first set of returning players ahead of 2024. The new coach will inherit much of his predecessor’s squad, but it’s how he improves those little areas that’ll make the difference.
James had some of that capability in his bag. Late in 2023, for instance, he turned rising academy star Dominic Gasso into a bonafide defensive midfielder. In using Gasso as a lone No. 6 in a 4-1-4-1, James allowed Maxi Rodriguez and Laye Diop to play more offensive-minded roles in the center of the park. You see the effect above, where Rodriguez is free to engage in a give-and-go before scoring.
This is the core of what the new coach needs to replicate. Too often, Detroit was inflexible and unwilling to experiment in 2023. Someone with Dichio’s eye for player development, as attested to by Lopez and Gurr, will ideally be able to deploy his roster in new and maximizing ways. James, for his numerous successes and unassailable career record, was slow to make mid-year changes, even when his new-ish back four shape was at its meekest.
Beyond player-level tweaks, Detroit’s overall system and shape is an area where Dichio can make his presence felt. The Republic 3-4-3 he helped oversee landed near the top of the West two years running, and it was highly fluid in the midfield. You’d often see the wingers in the attacking line operate like narrow No. 10s, constantly interchanging with overlapping wing backs or the proper center mids in the pivot.
Moreover, the Republic back three was built upon center back ball carriage in build, something that’ll suit Devon Amoo-Mensah to perfection. His potential partnership with Brett Levis on the left went largely unexplored last year and could be a fruitful pairing.
Defensively, Sacramento would sink into a low 5-4-1 around their box, relying on a disciplined unit to get the job done. Dichio won’t have much work to do in that regard; Le Rouge have a track record of unflappability in the defensive third that he won’t want to disrupt.
With all that in mind, I’d expect Dichio to blend the discoveries James made in regard to Gasso with the style that made Sacramento tick. A 3-5-2 that defends like a 5-4-1 would leverage that new midfield balance with a modern blend of phase-based fluidity. In this case, the second striker - think Skage Simonsen - would drop into the midfield line out of possession before linking play and getting into the box with the ball.
Le Rouge have already retained 77% of their minutes from 2023, so there’s built-in depth and optionality for the season ahead. Connor Rutz could easily operate beneath Ben Morris up top. Michael Bryant, this team’s Swiss Army knife, could pop up anywhere. Want a front three? Rhys Williams can hold down the wing and track back with the best of ‘em.
Dichio will add talent, and I’d be remiss not to mention a handful of ex-Toronto and ex-Sacramento pieces. Garrett McLaughlin racked up nine goals and seven assists as a second striker in North Carolina this year, and he played under Dichio with Toronto FC II.
Zeiko Lewis is an Eastern Conference legend at the No. 10 spot dating back to his tenure in Charleston, and he could pair with Maxi Rodriguez in a Republic-esque attacking midfield. He was released by Sacramento this week. I won’t claim originality here: Nicholas Murray proposed the same thing.
Want a swing? Former Toronto academy graduate and West Ham defender Doneil Henry could make a move after a year in Halifax. Detroit doesn’t need a center back, per se, but you could envision another one coming in to let Amoo-Mensah play wing back.
Goalkeeper could be a flashpoint. Nate Steinwascher is truly elite, and he’s a legend at the club. However, he declined his player option and is in the midst of a renegotiation. I’d be shocked beyond belief if Le Rouge didn’t retain their shot-stopping CPA, but never say never. If so, keep an eye on Greg Ranjitsingh, who cut his teeth with LouCity before serving as an MLS journeyman and eventual Toronto reserve.
No matter how the exact construction ends up, 2024 will only be the start of a larger project in Detroit. Danny Dichio has the resume and reputation of someone to lead this club into the future with a real vision. Even if the year ahead ends with Le Rouge on the playoff bubble once more, I’d expect plenty of positive signs and considerate changes on the way, and we’ll only be able to judge Dichio once his philosophy is fully instilled.
Other things that caught my eye this week:
I wrote things! Here’s my take on Mark Lowry leaving Indy Eleven, plus a breakdown of rising star Matthew Corcoran.
When I think “team that will continue to exist,” I think about selling your privately-owned stadium to a third party.
I didn’t fall into trap last offseason when Hartford bought a bunch of mid old veterans, but I’m buying into the 2023-2024 rebuild. Thomas Vancaeyezeele is a great piece in the back half of the park, and they’ve got more signings on the way (plus a managerial announcement!) that are a statement of intent.