The Back Four: Halfway gone

LouCity, Hope Avayevu, New England rivalries, and more from the USL Championship and USL League One

Welcome in to The Back Four!

Before we start, check out Backheeled for Jagermeister Cup breakdowns on academy standouts, Madison’s shape change, and more. You can also find This League! on the site for an audiovisual dive into the week that was.

Without further ado, let’s get to it.

Louisville’s most “Louisville” goal

What makes LouCity so effective at creating opportunities? In no particular order, three big themes come to mind – all of which are innately connected. Let’s go blow by blow.

Upfield pressure: This season, Louisville’s 3-4-3 has registered a whopping 62% of its possessive regains in the middle and final thirds. Only Sacramento has been better at keeping play away from their own zone.

LouCity isn’t interested in possessive dominance. This year, they’re 18th in the league with a 45% possession average Still, no team is better about staying in the attacking areas once they get there, a credit to Louisville’s terrific press. The front seven players in Danny Cruz’s 3-4-3 are allowed to swarm in concert, shutting opponents down in restart situations and overwhelming them after turnovers. It’s common to see the wingers and center mids collapsing into the same areas to make it all happen.

None of that success would be possible without ruthless central defensive play as a backstop. The press forces long outlet passes, and the back three (i.e., Kyle Adams, Arturo Ordonez, and Sean Totsch) clean ‘em up. It’s not an easy job. The system constantly puts the center backs into high-leverage battles. They’ve done splendidly nonetheless. Adams is currently fourth in the USL with 87 duels won; Adams, Ordonez, and Totsch are three of the top seven players in the Championship for aerial wins.

Attacking-half incision: In the average match, LouCity plays 35.1 passes into the box. That’s 10% higher than second-ranked FC Tulsa and 24% above the USL average. Less than two-thirds of those attempts are crosses, which slots Louisville in 13th place across the Championship – signifying their ability to create controlled, varied box-entry situations.

Cruz’s coaching is a major instigator for the incisiveness. Clearly, he’s instructing his players to look upfield as much as possible, but plenty of teams do that in principle. Cruz has instilled specific tendencies and zonal focuses that foster a level of fluidity – controlled chaos – unmatched across the USL.

What patterns prevail? For one, the wingers are allowed to explore, mixing bursts to the sideline and box exploration with runs halfway across the pitch. In the loss against North Carolina two weeks back, left winger Ray Serrano took 13 of his 40 touches in the central and right thirds of the pitch; that ratio was up to 23-from-51 in a win against NCFC last Sunday. Serrano’s freedom is a premier example of how Louisville benefits from wonky formational machinations.

Wingback aggression is another constant. Louisville has seven players that’ve taken 20 or more touches in the box in Championship play, and three (Manny Perez, Amadou Dia, and Aiden McFadden) have mostly appeared at wingback.

Add it all up, and you’ve got a perpetual motion machine that’s constantly hurtling forward.

Taylor Davila: Like I said, all the factors blend together. Davila is the human embodiment of that fact. He’s a central midfielder, but he leads the entire USL in possessive wins in the final and middle thirds. At the same time, Davila is uniquely active in the attacking half for a player at his position, combining the omnipresence with genuine progressivity.

Consider the top five players in the USL in terms of attacking-half completions:

1. Tommy McCabe (377)

2. Aaron Molloy (334)

3. Taylor Davila (330)

4. Talen Maples (328)

5. Florian Valot (327)

And now consider those same five players ranked by their pass attempts into the box:

1. Taylor Davila (111)

2. Florian Valot (54)

3. Tommy McCabe (32)

4. Aaron Molloy (31)

5. Talen Maples (13)

I know the roles are different, but c’mon! Davila is unbelievable in his blend of consistency and forward impetus. He’s a zone retention and box penetration machine.

So, what do all those factors look like when they come together? Louisville City’s third goal in a Wednesday rout against Loudoun United last week was a prime example – the most “Louisville” of all Louisville goals.

This play starts in a familiar position, with Serrano (again, a left winger!) in possession of the ball on the right side. He and Jansen Wilson overload the edge of the 18-yard box, bolstered by the presence of Manny Perez and midfielder Carlos Moguel.

Serrano’s cross is blocked, but that’s where the center backs come in. Sean Totsch is already in an elevated position, but it’s Josh Jones – starting in place of Ordonez – that ultimately comes away with a high-flying recovery.

Re-settled into attack, Louisville work into Davila’s feet in space. #17 has the gravity to draw multiple defenders, and that gives wingback Jake Morris room to receive and enter a one-on-one situation. By now, Serrano has started to recover toward his baseline spot, and the stage is set for a one-two between Morris and the do-everything winger.

After that give-and-go, Morris can attempt what’s the third pass into the box in a span of seconds. This time, it connects and creates a shot. Phillip Goodrum is occupying the area closer to the net, which lets Wilson cut across the middle of the 18-yard area to meet Morris’ cross and score.

This is everything you think about with LouCity. It’s fast-paced, fluid, and incisive. The center backs play a role, and everything drives through Davila as a central hub. While this specific goalscoring sequence might be exceptional in its own right, it’s indicative of the attributes that make Louisville impossibly hard to stop.

Richmond, kicking on

Let’s compare two recent restarts for the Richmond Kickers. The first, is snipped from a match in Knoxville that would eventually be called off and postponed. (League One, I love you!) The second comes from last Wednesday’s win against Union Omaha.

Yes, these are the quality of a Bigfoot photo, but bear with me. The Knoxville example sees Emiliano Terzaghi utterly isolated up top, where he’ll lose a duel and allow the hosts to break. Indeed, One Knox will slice right after dislodging Terzaghi and immediately enter the final third.

By contrast, Joshua Kirkland will contest a lofted pass in the second example, flicking it on toward Adrian Billhardt tearing up the right wing. This screenshot comes seconds before Billhardt scores, after all. Still, put aside the goal and look at the structure! Richmond is in a 4-2-1-3 built to contest second balls and promote those exact sorts of flick-on plays.

Early in the year, a healthier version of the Kickers running Darren Sawatzky’s usual 4-1-4-1 did well to break the second line of pressure, find players like Nil Seufert in the offensive half, and vary their attacking emphases. Injuries happened, opponents caught on, and now Richmond is innovating.

Going more direct and supporting that vertical passing profile with a complementary shape is part of the calculus. This season, Richmond has a 59% completion rate on passes into the final third, fourth-worst in the league; they’ve got the third-worst accuracy in the opposing half overall. Those numbers aren’t great, but they matter far less if you’re banking on incompletions and you’re counterpressing to regain in dangerous spots.

When it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. Richmond is dead last in possession wins in the defensive third, meaning that they struggle to stop opponents close to their own net. The goal is to prevent those scenarios from ever arising, which is why James Sneddon went long on 22 of his 23 passing attempts against Omaha – it’s all about averting danger.

Against Omaha, the use of a double pivot as opposed to the usual 4-1-4-1 helped the cause. Joshua Kirkland’s presence as the No. 9 did the same. Kirkland isn’t exactly the best hold-up player in the universe, but it’s useful to consider what he adds versus the alternative.

Let’s go blindly into a (predictable) comparison between forwards on a per-game basis:

• Striker #1: 3.0 duel wins, 0.5 aerial wins, 3.4 box touches, 1.2 shots on net

• Striker #2: 3.4 duel wins, 1.7 aerial wins, 5.0 box touches, 1.4 shots on net

The first player is Emiliano Terzaghi. The second is Kirkland. I’m not here to disparage Terzaghi, who’s a legend for a reason. That said, Kirkland’s physical profile and energetic style are a better fit for this version of the Richmond Kickers.

Neither started in the Jagermeister Cup against Lexington, and the Kickers couldn’t generate those over-the-top chances. The Championship side held 66% of possession, absolutely dictating where the match was played. All the control meant that Sawatzky’s side lacked restart opportunities in the first place.

Still, there was an alternative route to chances that arose in fits and starts. Richmond showed flashes in the press, turning their defensive shape into an offensive tool.

The Kickers have won the ball back in the final third 61 times in league play; no other club has broken above the 40s. While the press didn’t stop an eminently stable Lexington from doing their thing, it showed what Richmond could be at their sharpest.

Above, the basic double pivot flexes into a 4-1-4-1 with Adam Richman and Nils Seufert as the No. 8s. Rushed into an aggressive pass, the guests try to break lines but hit a brick wall when the Kickers allow one of their center backs to step into a challenge. This isn’t a final-third recovery in a strict sense, but it’s a regain that results directly from high pressure, and it sets up a through ball from Seufert to Hayden Anderson.

This is the energy that defined Richmond in the opening weeks, a team that was capable of dynamic offensive moves. Health providing, it’s enticing to think about a healthy Espinal pairing with players like Kirkland and Seufert in this wiser, more complex iteration of Sawatzky-ball. Richmond might be in a down spell, but they’re finding ways to do their thing.

Rhode Island, Portland, and phase control

Portland Hearts of Pine want to tilt the pitch with high pressure and a vertical passing style, but they might be sharper in transition. Rhode Island FC is terrific at getting into the final third and staying there, but they’ve lacked Portland’s fastbreak generation in 2025. These clubs might share territory in New England, but they’re opposite sides of a tactical coin – and that made Friday’s matchup all the richer.

Start with Portland. In the league, goalkeeper Hunter Morse has gone long on 63% of his pass attempts. That’s a high mark, and it’s indicative of Portland’s intention to tilt the pitch with a direct approach. The expansion club pins opponents into chaotic situations where they’re able to regain the ball; that intensity extends to the press, where Portland is third in League One with 4.1 pressing takeaways per match.

Outcomes in the final third have been up and down. Portland averages 16.5 dribbles per game, second-highest in the league, because of players like Ollie Wright and Masashi Wada that are terrific technicians in tight spaces and can bend defenses. Still, Hearts of Pine have generated merely 55% of their xG in the run of play (i.e., non-set piece and non-break) this year, fourth-least in their division.

The League One side is winning just 47% of their duels this year, which hints at a failure to completely tilt the pitch. Rhode Island, by contrast, has the highest duel win rate in the Championship at 53% and lives in the final third.

In the attacking zone, Rhode Island has felt stagnant. They’re good about getting into useful areas but often lack off-ball movement and feel overly compact. RIFC has crossed on just 5% of their passes in the attacking half, the fourth-lowest share in the USL. Crosses aren’t necessarily efficient, but they’re a sign of width and daring – two things this club has often lacked.

On paper, RIFC has posted 0.86 transition shots per game so far, upping an average of 0.50 from their debut campaign. However, shot quality has plummeted in those situations; Khano Smith’s side has seen their xG per shot crash by 41% year-over-year. Opta’s determination of what constitutes a “fast break” is something of a black box, but the lack of elan for RIFC has been undeniable.

What these clubs share is a need to get into “semi-transition” – shorter breaks, often sparked by the press or by quickly playing through a press, that simulate classic counterattacks but result from a more positive tactical style. Rhode Island dominated semi-transitions on Friday.

What stood out at Centreville Bank Stadium was RIFC’s tempo and varied length in possession. Smith’s side moved the ball quickly around the back, found ample opportunities to hit through balls, and took advantage of a Portland team that over-corrected in a passive 5-2-3 formation.

Personnel choices played a part in that calculus. For Rhode Island, Joe Brito started on the right wing, but Noah Fuson – used as a second striker with ample freedom of movement – could also make runs toward the right sideline to spark combination play. Jojea Kwizera provided a true-footed outlet on the left. Meanwhile, the League One side rested Ollie Wright and used Masashi Wada in a staid pivot role.

Above, you see the result of that mix. Rhode Island quickly switches the point from side to side into the feet of defender Rio Hope-Gund, and Portland’s back five loses their spatial relationship trying to cover Brito and Fuson. The press is nowhere to be seen.

Given time and making the most of it, Rhode Island generates a clever, controlled through pass into Albert Dikwa over the top. It’s a beautiful sequence that catches Hearts of Pine’s high line sleeping.

Compare that Portland press from the clip to Rhode Island’s 4-1-4-1 here. In this case, Kwizera and Maxi Rodriguez shift to the left side as their guests lackadaisically pass into a stray center back pinned against the sideline.

You can see the play develop in full here, with Portland’s molasses tempo leading to a build-from-the-back disaster. Moments after the screencap, Rhode Island will force a turnover and find Dikwa in the box to take a lead – another sterling example of how this club generated semi-transition joy.

Goalkeeper Kash Oladapo generally played long, but that’s where the aforementioned duel win percentages came into play. Often, RIFC hasn’t been able to turn recoveries into breaks; Portland, meanwhile, has been excellent about counterpressing lost duels and turning them into chances of their own.

The script flipped on Friday. In a prime 34th minute example, defender Frank Nodarse won a header off a long restart, teeing up Fuson to recover the knockdown amidst Wada and Mickey Reilly (neither a natural No. 8) near halfway. From there, a through ball from Fuson into a streaking Kwizera exemplified yet another semi-transitional masterclass.

Should we be worried about Portland? Maybe, maybe not. They’ve got the sheer talent to do the job against most League One teams. I am slightly concerned given how they struggled in the halfspaces against Antelope Valley last week in their usual 4-4-2, but I’m trusting the Bobby Murphy process.

The takeaway for Rhode Island is far brighter. We’ve seen RIFC do similar things, of course. I last wrote about them on the blog when they took Westchester to church in the Jagermeister Cup! Still, it’s tantalizing to see their full potential come to fruition. Khano Smith knows when the situations when Rhode Island is at their best, but it’s a matter of making it happen.

The case for Hope Avayevu

Hope Avayevu is the king of doin’ things. He’s an incredibly active and progressive presence in the Phoenix Rising midfield, the sort of player that’s emblematic of Pa-Modou Kah’s broader philosophy.

Per my own tracking, Avayevu is putting up bawdy numbers as compared to other USL attacking mids. In 14 league appearances, the 22-year-old ranks in the 83rd percentile or better (i.e., top sixth) for forward passing, chances created, touches, duel wins, and takeaways.

By almost any metric, Avayevu is active. I use that word with emphasis because it isn’t always a good thing. Some midfielders – including certain peers within the Rising squad – bring “headless chicken” energy that can destabilize their team’s structure. Avayevu is active, but he’s also intentional. He’s got four goals and five assists because of his vivacity, but he doesn’t take dumb risks. He’s drawn 40 fouls and been dispossessed just 10 times. Defensively, Avayevu is a wonderfully pernicious man-marker.

Rising took time to find their footing under Kah, but they’ve settled into a moderate possessive approach while maintaining a hard-nosed pressing identity. This team has generated far fewer fast breaks and shortened their average passing difference by nearly a full yard since the start of May, a sign of a more solid (and, perhaps, conservative) structure. Against those headwinds, it’s Avayevu’s something-out-of-nothing dynamism and energetic disruption that have made Phoenix sing.

Avayevu’s dribbling won’t blow you away, but he’s very good at getting separation against USL defenders. Here, #10 starts on the right side and initiates a give-and-go with an advanced JP Scearce. Doing so tees up the former MLS Next Pro standout goalside of the opposing press, where he’s able to carry the ball leftward.

Taking a heavier first touch by design, Avayevu anticipates a close-down from a rival defensive mid and works past that player. His next set of touches come in quick succession, allowing Avayevu to completely shift his momentum back to the right in order to deny yet another opposing mid. Shrugging pressure off his backside, the Rising star can curl a shot between center backs and nearly pick out a corner pocket.

Every single thing that Hope Avayevu does in this sequence allows him to create space. He’s utterly instinctive in how he can read space in the midfield. These all-encompassing moves from the halfway line into the box aren’t necessarily common, but they’re in Avayevu’s back pocket because of that signature separational skill.

More often, Avayevu makes his mark from a higher baseline position. Rising’s diverse set of forwards isn’t ripe with classical No. 9s, and Avayevu makes up the gap with his ability to creep into the box as a weak-side mover. Dariusz Formella or Ihsan Sacko drops in? The midfielder is willing to push ahead. Jearl Margaritha or Darius Johnson hugs to the sideline? Avayevu will underlap them.

The 22-year-old is equally willing to play creator. He’s excellent at scooped passes toward vertical runners, and his constant probing in zone 14 is a major distraction for opponents. The attention paid to Avayevu comes for good reason; he’s attempted 83 passes into the box this season, and the next-closest Phoenix player is Collin Smith at 41.

I’m fortunate enough to have an all-USL vote, and Hope Avayevu would make my ballot without a second thought. Not only is Avayevu extremely effective and tactically crucial, but he’s straight-up fun. Soccer is a competition, but soccer is also supposed to be entertaining. Avayevu contributes to winning soccer in the most stylish way possible.

Quick Hits

In other news this week…

• The inimitable Jamon Moore wrote a Backheeled piece about the correlation between duels, recoveries, and success in MLS, so I figured I’d echo it here. Without further ado:

  

  Note that these numbers only acknowledge league (i.e., non-Jagermeister Cup) outcomes. In any event, there are some fascinating findings. Underperformers like Westchester, Omaha, and Hartford are among their division leaders in recoveries. Successful clubs like Charlotte, New Mexico, and Loudoun are far worse off than you might expect. In any event, go read the full article.

• I broke down Greenville over at Backheeled with a Connor Evans-focused lens, but I also want to shout out Toby Sims’ performances since he signed in South Carolina. Sims played a grueling 46 matches for Harrogate Town before returning to the United States, and his initial matches came as the left-sided center back in a 3-4-3. He’s moved rightward in recent vintage, providing flawless one-on-one defending and a relentlessly positive passing profile. Though Sims only went 10-for-23 as a passer against Miami this weekend, he hit 13 passes into the final third and was the king of pitch-tilting. Greenville’s form is on the uptick, and Sims is a big reason why.

• Texoma’s loss to Phoenix was the most entertaining match of the weekend by a country mile, and I loved seeing Diego Pepi back in action. On loan from FC Dallas, Pepi was derailed by an early-season injury but showed all the verve you’d want atop Adrian Forbes’ 4-4-2. Beyond the brace he picked up, Pepi also contested eight duels and made five recoveries to help underpin the Texoma counter.

• Giovanni Troise might just be coaching his way into a permanent job in Las Vegas. His Lights shut down a Spokane team that had taken the Oakland’s scalp and run laps around League One, limiting them to just 0.56 xG. Valentin Noel and Gennaro Nigro rested, Johnny Rodriguez wasn’t in the squad, and Las Vegas’ 5-4-1 was still undeniable.

  

  At the front end, Troise used Patrick Leal and Christopher Pearson to disrupt the rhythms that typically allow the Velocity to goad defenses out. At the back, Las Vegas’ five-man line was active about stepping to fill gaps that the Leal/Pearson duo might’ve left. Nate Jones (seen forcing Shavon John-Brown into a backwards touch) and Maliek Howell were splendid from the outside center back spots, but this was a team-wide effort.

  Troise hasn’t reinvented the wheel, but the buy-in and organization at Cashman Field are night-and-day better under his command. Las Vegas looks like they’re having fun again, but they’re doing so in a highly organized and mistake-free system.

• My only pop culture note is that I can’t get “Rock Lobster” out of my brain. It’s a curse.

Cover Photo: Louisville City FC / Twitter