The Rematch: Lessons from the first Charleston-Phoenix game

What can we learn from a 1-1 draw on March 11th?

In week one of the USL season, no one would’ve anticipated that Charleston hosting Phoenix (linked here to view) would be a preview of a title game to come. The Battery were beginninga rebuild under Ben Pirmann after finishing second-to-last in the East. Rising boasted a few interesting signings after Juan Guerra’s first offseason, but a simple return to the postseason was the main goal.

Fast forward eight months, and these teams are fighting for silverware. What can that season-opening matchup tell us about how Phoenix and Charleston have changed, how they’ve stayed the same, and how they might get an edge on Sunday night?

Charleston’s interchange

From week one onward, the Battery were full of verve and fluidity in the middle of the park. Ben Pirmann never wavered from his favored 4-2-3-1, and he used an inverted right winger from the jump: left-footed Nick Markanich took up that role on his USL debut.

You can quibble with the designation of the shape; Andrew Booth and Emilio Ycaza almost operated like dual No. 8s ahead of Chris Allan as a proper No. 6. Still, Ycaza’s tendency to push forward and replace an inside-cutting Markanich was a sign of fruitful things to come.

In the first example above, Markanich is narrow, flashing to the edge of the box with Augustine Williams making a typical No. 9’s run. Ycaza does him one better, occupying a center back and slinking toward the opposing net. The action from Ycaza opens up Markanich for a touch.

The second play occurs in an open-field scenario with Charleston transitioning into attack. #13’s first touch takes him from the sideline towards the center circle, dragging the left side of the Phoenix midfield with him. Meanwhile, Ycaza has filled in at the right wing position again, deftly making a run towards the far post when Williams and Tristan Trager catch the attention of the Rising center backs.

This is how Charleston punishes you, and now they’ve got Arturo Rodriguez doing much of the same. This team rotates in the midfield but retains a structure and a sense of positionality. Fluidity addles a defense, and the Battery use familiar patterns to take full advantage.

Ghosts of 4-4-2 past

You may notice above that Phoenix is defending in a simple 4-4-2. They began the season using that shape without possession. Granted, this early-season look was part of a phase-based approach. When Rising regained, they’d push either Kevon Lambert or Mohammed Traore up from the wide defensive spots to end up in an attacking-minded 3-5-2.

The defensive 4-4-2 let Phoenix go man-to-man against the opposing center backs in the first example. However, note the gaping space between the lines when the hosts play a ball over the top. That Rising shape was rather flat and spreads too thin; it takes a spirited recovery from Renzo Zambrano as a central midfielder to close the gap and prevent a Battery recovery.

The second play illustrates greater aggression on Rising’s part, a sign of things to come in later iterations of their system. Jose Hernandez rises up from a midfield role to man mark a Battery centerman, but Zambrano sticks back as more of a No. 6, forming a pseudo-diamond. #26’s recovery does the job again, but that space between the lines is still a problem.

After selling Lambert to Real Salt Lake over the summer and fully moving away from the 4-4-2, Rising only allowed 12 goals in their final 14 games. There’s a bit to like, and the subtle changes Guerra clearly made throughout the prior Battery match were useful, but Phoenix has been much better off with a straightforward 3-4-3.

Torres, Traore, and a back three

With the game in the balance, Guerra threw Gabriel Torres on to the left sideline in a role halfway between 4-4-2’s winger and 3-4-3’s wing back. He and Traore, the leftmost defender, formed an instant connection, with Torres making runs upfield when his partner advanced into the offensive half.

Rising have leaned into #6 as a defender-turned-creator, and the ability of Torres to work off of him was an early seed of that reliable route to offensive zone entrance.

Torres wasn’t afraid to cut inside when Traore slid forward in the on-ball 3-5-2, but he could also hug the sideline and advance into more of a 3-4-3. In providing that range, #16 also freed up Danny Trejo to play with more freedom in attack. Trejo started as a right-sided midfielder, but he grew into a forward role by the closing moments of the showdown.

In the first clip, you see Torres hug inside, linking with a streaking Trejo and making a run to overlap him. There’s a bit of a chemistry gap that slows Phoenix down, but it’s a smart idea on all sides.

The second play changed the game and earned Rising a crucial point. Charleston, pressing in an uncharacteristically meek 4-1-2-3, doesn’t close down on the opposing central midfielder, allowing their guests to pick out a pass over the top. There, Torres had formed that aforementioned front three, weaponizing a Trejo run down the middle to equalize.

Two lessons stick out. Charleston’s press wasn’t aggressive enough despite pitching one of the deeper centerman upfield. Phoenix, by contrast, enjoyed the benefits of a functional front three. It’s a testament to the intelligence of Ben Pirmann and Juan Guerra that those takeaways have become tenets of their clubs’ systems.

Eight months are a lifetime in the context of a USL season, but the sketches of two title-worthy teams were already on display when Charleston and Phoenix drew in March. Sunday’s duel can’t end on a tie again, but I’d expect an end-to-end affair that highlights just how far the Battery and Rising have come.