The Back Four: LouCity, Tulsa, League One debuts

Breaking down the big tactical developments from Week 2 in USL League One and the USL Championship

Welcome to The Back Four,¹ where I’m analyzing eye-catching tactical themes from across the USL. Before we start, be sure to check out Backheeled. As always, my team-by-team power ranking is up, and it’s got insights into the entire USL Championship.

Also, be sure to watch the new episode of This League! when it drops on YouTube later this week. It’ll be coming to a podcast player near you in the near future as well.

Without further ado, let’s get to it.

Louisville’s midfield

Louisville is at their best when they can win duels in the final third, plant their flag in a territorial sense, and keep their opponent under constant pressure. When LouCity is clicking, they’re constantly forcing you to make mistakes and taking advantage with a flurry of complementary runs in their 3-4-3.

This weekend’s draw in Birmingham was only a partial execution of that blueprint. There were spells where Danny Cruz’s side ran roughshod over the Legion, but the home side’s quicker, more direct turn ensured that the field tilt wouldn’t be be one-sided. Throw in the fact that Ray Serrano and Adrien Perez, attacking mids with an important role in establishing possession, went a combined four-for-13 on duels, and it was just enough to keep Birmingham in the game.

Still, it’s Week 2. Performances like we saw on Sunday will result in Louisville wins more often than not – especially if Zach Duncan and Taylor Davila keep up their form in the central midfield.

Consider this play, where Adrien Perez is carries the ball up the right side, composes himself, and then hits Davila toward the middle. It’s a nice moment of situational awareness from Perez, and it tees up one of LouCity’s strongest offensive aspects: their ability to quickly work from side to side into space.

Davila furthers the horizontal momentum, working toward Duncan to his left. Because this is a semi-transition play, Duncan has nothing but runway in front of him and can proceed upfield on the dribble.

Even though the Australian midfielder is corralled rightward upon receiving, he’s still blessed with multiple options. Adrien Perez is making a striker-like cut up the seam, and the Birmingham defense immediately hones in on him. However, that’s a dummy move: Manny Perez is the real threat as he makes a trailing overlap from the wingback spot.

Though this play doesn’t lead to a change in the end, it’s typical Louisville soccer. Indeed, a virtually identical sequence starring the Perezes put LouCity on the board at Protective Stadium.

You get a similar play here, albeit from the left side. Again, it’s Davila selflessly occupying the deeper set-up spot with Duncan advancing further upfield, but there’s a twist. This time around, the ball-side winger – Ray Serrano – stays steady in the halfspace as a viable receiver. In the act, Serrano pins the nearest Legion defender between a rock and a hard place.

Because Birmingham’s Enzo Martinez is forced to hesitate for that split second, Duncan can move up towards the center of the pitch as he receives on his right foot. The gap is just wide enough for the former Memphis 901 midfielder to squeeze through, find a window, and take a shot that barely misses the bottom corner.

Again, it’s the team-wide selflessness that stands out. Louisville never stops moving. Their attackers are constantly putting themselves in dangerous positions, forcing opposing fullbacks and center mids to make choices. That’s how you score goals, and nobody does it like LouCity.

Pressure and potential in Tulsa

Over the weekend, the average Championship team put up 1.32 expected goals in a given match. Across their two games to date, FC Tulsa has allowed just 1.2 xG in total, posting two clean sheets in the process. That’s a remarkably stingy record!

Tulsa’s defense was mercurial for most of 2024, but Luke Spencer has instantly improved this club’s fortunes. Spencer has successfully implemented a structured 5-4-1, but it’s the ability to bend that shape and transition between phases that’s made Tulsa so good.

In Week 1, the press stood out. Tulsa’s back line only pushed moderately high, but they let the pivot push as high as the final third to mark Phoenix’s central midfielders out of existence. A goal scored off a press-driven turnover encapsulated the strategy; this team ranks fifth in the USL for final-third takeaways for a reason.

The press stayed aggressive in Week 2, but the focus changed. Where Boubacar Diallo and Giordano Colli stirred the drink from the pivot in the opener, it was the wingbacks who provided a more muscular presence against Tampa Bay. Halfspace denial and sideline trapping defined Tulsa’s approach.

No matter the look, Spencer and his system have forced opponents to try and play over the press, not through it. That’s where a n overhauled back line has come up big. Lamar Batista and AB Cissoko are new signings; Arthur Rogers wasn’t really used as a center back in 2024. Together, though, they’ve formed a potent (if unforeseen) trio. Rogers and Batista contest 33 duels in the win over the Rowdies alone!

Those two serve as the outside members of the back three, and they’ve done splendidly to cover the wide spaces. Tulsa has posted a measly 36% possession average so far, though their defensive integrity has more than made up for it – and Rogers, in particular, gives his team a wholly unique capability on the counterattack on top of the defensive contributions.

At the start of this play, Tulsa is on the back foot. The three central defenders hold a mid-height line, and wingback Harvey St Clair is about to knock the ball loose from Tampa Bay striker Manuel Arteaga. It’s not a bad spot, but there’s potential for the Rowdies to cause trouble.

This screenshot is mainly giving you context for what’s to come, but the structure is still admirable. See that player nearest to the halfway circle, the one that looks like a hold mid? That’s actually forward Alex Dalou, dropping low to fill space. Tulsa knows how they want to line up at all moments.

As the play progresses, the ball lands at Rogers’ feet, and he’s immediately closed down by three Rowdies: Arteaga, midfielder Ollie Bassett, and wingback Blake Bodily. Still, Rogers is able to dribble past them with deceptive ease, deking the former with Bodily frozen nearer to the sideline. From there, the center back will be able to pass upfield and break the counterpress.

It’s a tidy play, and it’s classic Rogers. Though he mostly served as a fullback in 2024 before going down injured, the Englishman often played a central role in his League One Defender of the Year campaign in 2023 with Northern Colorado. Rogers, of course, finished that season with 11 assists, more than six long completions a match on elite 51% accuracy, and a strong 56% duel win rate. The Hailstorm let Rogers create from deep or push up the right channel with abandon, and he did so without ever sacrificing defensive quality.

In the wake of the second screenshot, most center backs would’ve hit the pass and returned to their station. Not Rogers. Instead, he gives and goes in combination with winger Stefan Stojanovic, advances up the sideline, and forces Tampa Bay to sacrifice their own three-at-the-back structure. You see how Rogers can carry the ball above, with Taylor Calheira slicing up the middle on the run.

Almost no one else in the USL is making that play, but Arthur Rogers provides a similar threat every time he plays. FC Tulsa looks like a playoff team because of their defensive integrity, but they’ll need to score goals to truly compete. Players like Rogers with wholly unique skillsets can make it happen.

Shutdown Sacramento

Between my “discuss new coaches” piece on Backheeled and last week’s This League! podcast, I’ve talked a lot about Sacramento’s defensive shape from their home opener. Just to make sure the dead horse is thoroughly beaten, I want to double down and spotlight Michel Benitez’s role in the Republic system.

Neill Collins deployed a 4-4-2 shape without possession last weekend, using Ryan Spaulding (and later Dominik Wanner) as the left mid and Benitez as the left back. The left wing players did what you’d expect, getting end-to-end and ultimately putting in eight duels attempts. Benitez, meanwhile, took on a less adventurous role. He essentially camped around halfway no matter the phase of play, operating like the left-central player in a back three with possession and an aggressive defensive supporter without it.

You see an example of the Mexican international’s heady positioning here, helping to make a stop while opposing New Mexico breaks through the midfield.

In the first screenshot, United starts on Sacramento’s left sideline and forces rotation in that direction. Because their pivot duo of Zico Bailey and Tomas Pondeca pivot is split high-low, the guests stress Sacramento’s midfield shape.

Spaulding closes to the ball carrier toward the sideline, but Luis Felipe – the center mid pinned by that high-low spit – has to sit deeper. A passing lane opens as a result. Bailey fills said lane, receiving on the run and immediately looking ahead towards teammate Mukwelle Akale in the second screenshot.

It’s a very fast-paced move from Dennis Sanchez’s side, and it most circumstances it would allow Akale to receive between the lines, turn toward zone 14, and likely create a chance for his side. That isn’t the case here, and it’s largely due to Benitez’s positioning.

You see that second screenshot repeated here, but with Benitez called out in red. Rather than sit low in a flat defensive line, the Republic left back steps up. clogs the halfspace, and puts a lid on the potential New Mexico passing lane.

If Bailey wants to pass toward Akale, there’s a real risk he’ll simply play into an interception. The wide option isn’t very attractive, either, given that Benitez can easily turn his hips and cover toward the sideline. Still, the latter path is New Mexico’s only safe choice.

Bailey dishes wide, Benitez and Spaulding hedge over and use the sideline as a proxy defender, and United is ultimately forced to pass backward and reset. It’s a flawless bit of rotation across the board, but it also shines the spotlight on Benitez’s unique role in matchweek one.

Sacramento was extremely strong in almost every sense. Yes, their concession came on the break when a pass beat Benitez over the top, but that was a rare instance of disharmony in what was, for my money, the single best pressing game of 2025 so far in the USL. If you’d have tipped me off that Benitez, Wanner, and Blake Willey had played in the Republic’s opener, I’d have been very worried about Sacramento’s prospects. Instead, Neill Collins knew exactly how to use the fresh faces, and he cemented his side as the West’s team to beat in the process.

Debut-nion Omaha

A glance at Wednesday’s scoreline might make you think that Union Omaha is in trouble. Losing 3-0 in your season opener is no fun in any context, but the context matters.

Even though Omaha didn’t have Rashid Nuhu in goal and shifted into a new-look 4-2-3-1, their press was excellent. Dom Casciato’s side put up an average defensive action height of 52.3 yards, the highest mark in League One so far in 2025. Greenville, who chose to get pragmatic and reaped the rewards for it, was held to just 0.71 xG nonetheless. The principles are there, even if the execution lacked in certain moments in South Carolina.

What made the press work, and how did the Triumph pick it apart? In terms of the former question, compactness and the involvement of the fullbacks stood out.

As is often the case, Greenville began the build-out phase in a proper back four before flexing into a 3-2-4-1 toward the final third. Omaha limited the Triumph’s ability to make that transition by aggressively deploying their wide players in the press with the support of fullbacks Dion Acoff and Charlie Ostrem.

Ostrem and Acoff combined to make 10 recoveries, and you see their roles laid out in the examples above and below.

Up top, Omaha is in their baseline 4-2-3-1 shape. With Greenville pushing toward Omaha’s right, the pivot is encouraged to move wide and help spring a sideline trap (denoted in red above). Still, there isn’t a release valve up the middle. If the Triumph try to break lines and work through their left channel, Acoff (circled in black) is ready to fly ahead and make a stop.

This is a more transitional counterpressing moment, with Omaha breaking toward striker Mehdi Ouamri as he drifts wide to receive. Still, the structure is everpresent. With Aaron Gomez (the right winger) and Isidro Martinez (the No. 10) in position, the visitors re-form that triangular trap and enjoy the support of a lingering Ostrem at the bottom of the frame.

To Rick Wright’s credit, he immediately recognized that playing out from the back would only play into Omaha’s hands. Greenville decided to go direct, prioritizing counterattacks and freely launching long balls. The Triumph’s average pass traveled 11.5 yards upfield. They went long 22% of the time, posted a measly 66% completion rate, and ultimately connected on just 206 passes. The remarkable thing? That numerical inefficiency was exactly what Greenville needed to cause trouble.

At no point was that more apparent than on the first Triumph goal. The sequence leading up to Leo Castro’s long-range chip began with the home side on the back foot, with Devin Benton corralling an overcooked cross at the far post.

With Omaha committed but unable to regain on the counterpress, Benton (the right back) would look upfield, spot Connor Evans (the right winger) making a breakaway run in the channel, and find him in space.

Evans’ tendency to tuck a bit narrower throughout the first half was notable, and it paid off in spades on the goal. Greenville could find the rookie in a pocket, freeze Ostrem as he stepped from left back, and thereby isolate Castro in behind. Throw in Nuhu’s absence and replacement goalkeeper Russell Shealy’s positional lapse, and you had the recipe for a fast-break opener.

Ostrem’s side was targeted again just before halftime, with Greenville using a long set piece to draw defender Blake Malone up and thereby let winger Ben Zakowski sneak in behind. Zakowski had changed sides late in the first half, and it proved to be a fortuitous move; his work rate was terrific throughout the match to the tune of two tackles and three clearances.

Obviously, Greenville is clicking. From Zakowksi to Evans to the terrific Brandon Fricke, there’s a deep understanding of roles across the board at Paladin Stadium. Fricke was particularly terrific against Omaha and barely gave debutante striker Ouamri a chance to get a look.

All that said, it’s far from panic time in Nebraska. While the chemistry in the final third didn’t come together, Omaha was constantly sending three or more runners in a trident-like assault toward the 18-yard box. The counter concessions weren’t great, but that’s the reality of your season opener. Sometimes, you can’t catch a break, and that can lead to ugly – and, dare I say, misleading – scorelines against teams as intelligent as Greenville.

Spokane and Knoxville’s cat-and-mouse opener

The Spokane lineup we saw on Sunday won’t be the lineup they roll out in the playoffs in November. Both assertions there – that the Velocity are a postseason lock and that their new signings will eventually claim starting roles – aren’t controversial.

That said, we learned something about Spokane’s strengths this weekend, just as we learned that Ian Fuller’s version of Knoxville hasn’t missed a beat defensively. Despite changing formations versus 2024 and rolling out four new faces across his lines, Fuller set his team up to stymie what the Velocity do best.

Shape-wise, One Knox rolled out a 4-1-4-1ish possession shape, but it was their willingness to flatten out in the midfield, camp at halfway, and almost go man-to-man in the central areas without the ball that proved so stingy.

You see Knoxville’s defensive philosophy play out in the screenshots above. The first example features the entire midfield line camped within the defensive half, with Spokane defender Marcelo Lage invited to try and pass his way through.

There’s more aggression in the second case. Defensive midfielder Sivert Haugli (the midfield’s “one” in the 4-1-4-1) steps from the pivot to man mark Luis Gil (circled) on the drop from the No. 10 spot, whilst Mikkel Goling and Angelo Kelly take charge against the Spokane pivot.

Knoxville’s mission? Keep Spokane in front of you. One Knox didn’t keep their back line all that high as a general rule, but compactness between the lines was a constant. The Velocity are at their best when they can engage their attacking players in the halfspaces and climb the ladder with pass-and-move progression. Fuller’s system strived to prevent those moves.

Goling and Kelly tended to stick high no matter the phase, often lending their skills as high No. 8s to provide a second ball structure in attack as well. Still, Knoxville didn’t really feel dangerous early on, nor did they dominate in a field-tilt sense. Much of that fact owed to Collin Fernandez. The veteran center mid’s ball-winning was on show for Spokane on Sunday’ he went four-for-five on tackle attempts.

That skillset on Fernandez’s part proved vital to dislodging Knoxville and allowing the Velocity to find their rhythm. How, then, did Spokane create their chances?

Lofted passes over Knoxville’s press to Shavon John-Brown or a creeping Javier Martin from right back were one option. Still, Carlos Merancio – who I’ve (rightly) criticized as a shot-stopper but excelled as a distributor on Sunday – completed 45% of his long balls in the first half alone, showing a strong sense for when to get expansive and helping Spokane to access those right-siders.

The screenshot above features Martin receiving over the wings of Knoxville’s press before it can settle into that flat midfield fivesome we highlighted earlier. This is an important example: the right back will advance up the sideline here and eventually help to earn a corner kick, one that Spokane will convert to go up 1-0.

Masango Akale’s well-timed cuts into the channels were another path to progression, more reflective of the classically ground-based Velocity style. Knoxville’s spacing wasn’t perfect in their first-ever match under Fuller, and Akale was constantly probing for gaps on the left. Akale would slink into the halfspace, someone like Fernandez would hit him between the lines, and danger would abound as soon as the winger could turn.

Above, Akale is joined by an overlapping Derek Waldeck (looped in blue) on the left while the pair of Gil and Anuar Pelaez bear down on One Knox’s center back duo. This specific instance won’t end in a great chance, but it’s indicative of how Spokane innovated and found ways to work through.

That left-sided joy, driven by Waldeck, Akale, and a diagonally running Luis Gil, teed up Spokane’s second corner kick goal as well, but it wasn’t enough to hold on. Knoxville may’ve struggled to break the Velocity down early, but they ultimately finished with a 1.24 to 0.62 xG edge because of a second-half triple substitution that brought Kempes Tekiela, Stavros Zarokostas, and Mark Doyle into the match.

Doyle’s quick passing resulted in a number of progressive one-twos; he lived in the halfspace. Fuller clearly preferred to run with inverted wingers, and Doyle was the only player in that mold to provide enough incision. It didn’t generate a golden chance in the run of play, but it was enough for One Knox grit their way over the line.

Did Spokane get too conservative? Maybe, but my big takeaway is their ability to evolve in possession, even as they integrate new players in 2025. Knoxville is no pushover, either. Under Ian Fuller, they’ve got the chance to combine strong defensive structure with a new attacking gear. These clubs are fundamentally different, but they’re both in position to make noise throughout the League One season.

Quick Hits

In other news this week…

• Go read Ryan Keefer talking about Loudoun over on District Press. Great work week in and week out, and it’s all about a team that deserves your attention. Loudoun is so, so, so fun.

• If you aren’t subscribed to The Rondo, Nicholas Murray’s twice-weekly USL newsletter, are you really a fan of the league?

• Jon Bakero was seriously all over the pitch for Charlotte in their win over Richmond on Saturday, even if he had to come off after about 30 minutes. The former Phoenix Rising star hasn’t taken a linear path to end up with the Independence, but Bakero’s ability to operate like a striker in the 4-4-2 press, doggedly drop deep to mark Nils Seufert as needed defensively, and trade spots with Luis Alvarez up the left in attack was tremendous in his League One debut.
  Alvarez and his partner, whether Bakero or Anthony Sorenson, seemed to enjoy complete freedom to interchange, and that combination play stirred the drink at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Rafael Jauregui and Clay Dimick had a moment or two up the right, but there’s a reason that 54% of Charlotte’s passes into the box came from the left. The three-man combinations between Alvarez, the left winger, and Fabrice Ngah is going to be an engine for Mike Jeffries all season – and doing it against the solid Simon Fitch/Hayden Anderson duo for the Kickers ought to be portentous.

• Antelope Valley wants to press, and they want to use their midfield to do it. After one match (a vanishingly small sample size!), they don’t seem organized enough to pull it off.

  

  Like, there’s a 4-1-4-1, and then there’s a 4-1-4-1! Brian Kleiban went all out with his Alta setup, hoping to deny the pivot-based progression that defined Tormenta in their tempestuous season opener. As you can plainly see, the aggression of that defensive system gave South Georgia the chance to do what they wanted up and down the sidelines.
  In some ways, it was a challenge to Ian Cameron. After all, the ability of Jonathan Nyandjo and Niall Reid-Stephen to get back defensively on the wings was a flashpoint in their loss to Richmond. Still, Cameron trusted the process and attacked the gaps again and again.
  Tormenta may’ve scored off a crucial Carlos Avilez goal kick error, but that play only occurred after Nyandjo tore up the sideline and created a sitter for his teammates that resulted in said restart. By the 15th minute, Reid-Stephen had received on the diagonal in a one-on-one to settle Tormenta in the final third, allowing Nyandjo to receive on the end of a side-to-side switch to put the game on ice.

  Great stuff from South Georgia, but not so much for Alta. As League One’s chief Avilez doubter, a performance where he went one-for-11 as a long distributor and was credited for an error on the first goal is proof positive that Denzil Smith ought to win the goalkeeping job at some point. For now, though, Alta needs to find structural moderation.

• San Antonio has given up 0.7 xG in two matches. That’s truly unreal. I’ll deep dive into their system soon enough, but they’re looking like a hoss right now.

• Karsen Henderlong is the truth, and I love to see him thrive in the wake of a 2024 season marked by underuse in Indy.

• If you like good movies and have a brain, go see Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag. It’s a spy thriller with a perfectly cast ensemble that’s oozing with style and tension. I’m deeply in the bag (no pun intended) for anything that Soderbergh does, and he’s very much a high-volume shooter, but this is a banger.

That’s all, folks. See you soon!

Cover Photo Credit: Louisville City (Instagram), FC Tulsa (Club Website), Charlotte Independence (Twitter)

1. We’ll see if I get shorter as the year goes on, but please take the name “Back Four” as meaning “back end of the week” rather than implying that there’ll be four topics.