The Back Four: Portland, OCSC, and more
Breaking down midfield shifts in the Championship, fierce League One systems, and other Week 10 takeaways
Welcome in to The Back Four!
Before we start, check out Backheeled for a deep dive into the USL Championship, featuring Phoenix’s rivalry statement, Monterey’s poise, and much 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.
Orange County’s new balance
In back-to-back losses against Oakland and Las Vegas in mid-April, Orange County let the game come to them. That didn’t show up in the possession numbers, given that OSCC held 61% of the ball between those two losses, but was underscored by the way that the Roots and Lights were allowed to play their games unperturbed.
Fresh off a loss to North Carolina FC last weekend, you might think it’s been more of the same in May. Not so. Orange County has taken a meaningful step forward, largely due to Danny Stone’s personnel decisions. The 4-1-4-1 press looks more organized. The forward line is more threatening. The fullback spots feel more reliable without sacrificing offensive quality.
Nico Benalcazar’s deployment as a No. 8 in the midfield has been the most visible change. Benalcazar has played the majority of his minutes in 2025 in central defense, but he served as a mid in Cincinnati last year and cameoed as a holding player back in March. What’s clear is that Benalcazar brings a needed sense of energy up the middle without sacrificing technique. Pair his abilities with the use of Lyam MacKinnon as a striker and the integration of right back Koa Santos, and you’ve got a formula for improvement without a wholesale tactical overhaul.
In the recent win over Tulsa, Stone debuted those changes, and it’s no coincidence that his side’s average defensive action came 41.0 yards upfield in that game. A week later against NCFC, that number ballooned up to 43.6 yards. Benalcazar’s four tackle attempts and six interceptions in the latter match embodied the heightened line of confrontation.
That’s seen above. As the visitors try to break up Orange County’s right and potentially cut inside, the trio of Benalcazar, Kyle Scott, and Kevin Partida pinches tight to deny such penetration. They do so splendidly, and as soon as the turnover is forced, Santos rips upfield from right back to lead the way in transition.
While the final ball is safely handled by the opposing goalkeeper, it’s still a dangerous setup. Orange County gets three forwards into the box to potentially meet a cross. Scott advances to the edge of the box as a viable cutback outlet or, potentially, a player that might recover a meek clearance. Intelligent structure supports OCSC every step of the way.
Again, that’s nothing new. Stone has sought to create these sorts of sequences all season long in a similar shape. My case is that Benalcazar’s two-way excellence and the speed of the MacKinnon-led front line gives Orange County the best tools to attain that end.
That spatial effect is unmissable above. Benalcazar and Scott have done well to forge a positional give-and-take relationship, with one popping high like a No. 10 with the other doing the dirty work in deeper positions. That’s seen here, though the way in which Cameron Dunbar, MacKinnon, and Jamison manipulate North Carolina’s back line is what really stirs the drink.
Those three players are fast and intelligent in the way they move; I devoted most of my Orange County section in Backheeled this week to Jamison’s runs. NCFC cannot help but respect the front-line trio, and it allows Scott to receive as the tip of one passing triangle and instantly turn toward an abundance of teammates.
That’s step one. The second note here is the narrowness of the forward line. Dunbar, MacKinnon, and Jamison force North Carolina deep, but they also probe within the inside channels to draw the hosts tight in a horizontal sense. As a result, Santos and left back Ryan Doghman both have acres of space to run into on the overlap.
It’s all in concert, and it’s why Orange County ultimately finished with a 1.5 to 0.4 xG edge in Cary. Even if the results are still lagging, OCSC looks better and better each time out. There’ll be questions to answer when Tristan Trager and Ethan Zubak are at full health, and there’s a case that Chris Hegardt needs to be in the team, but Danny Stone is in the enviable position of having too many good options coming his way.
High-flying Hearts of Pine
What stands out about Portland is their ability to defend with a sense of controlled chaos and spring forward as an expressive, multi-faceted attack. That shouldn’t be a surprise given Bobby Murphy’s pedigree in Omaha and St. Louis, but it’s admirable to see so early in the life of an expansion team.
Hearts of Pine mostly run a 4-4-2 without possession, a shape that many USL teams use to create a hexagonal “empty bucket” in front of their pivot to contain opponents. Portland isn’t interested in containment. They press to win the ball, as evidenced by the eight recoveries and six challenges they posted in the attacking half at Werner Park this weekend.
Indeed, Portland is fourth in League One in midfield takeaways per match and second in fouls. They intend to stop teams before they hit the halfway line and aren’t afraid to get physical to do so. Still, there are gradations and periodization within the pressing system, and that tough draw against Omaha evidenced Murphy’s ability to mix things up.
From the opening whistle this Saturday, Portland came out aggressive. Their 4-4-2 flexes high in this motivating example, with left winger Walter Varela pushing to close down on an opposing center back and effectively create a three-man front for Hearts of Pine.
Pressuring the ball is the first priority, which’ll make it difficult for Union Omaha to progress. There’s another layer to consider on top of that: Portland is also seen pushing their midfield forward to deny space between the lines.
This specific case starts with Portland backed up in mid-block, but you can still see Michel Poon-Angeron leaning forward as he starts to close the gap. Generally, Hearts of Pine want to tighten angles so that any pass beyond the first line of pressure will instantly be met by a closing defender.
This is Portland’s status quo, but it’s not their only setup. In the second half on Saturday, Hearts of Pine changed into a 4-1-4-1 with a halftime lead, tightening up in the center by using Mikey Lopez as a No. 6. The change put Portland in a somewhat more conservative posture, and it limited Omaha to just six second-half shots. Yeah, the hosts scored twice, but both goals came in dead-ball situations.
The back line participates actively within Murphy’s scheme. Nathan Messer’s contributions from left back have shone the brightest, having made 4.7 recoveries per game and posted a 100% tackle win rate so far. Messer’s efficiency comes amidst a very active role; you wouldn’t be wrong to label the most muscular version of the Portland press as a 2-4-2-2 given the heights of the fullbacks.
Of course, all the upfield aggression puts an added onus on the central defenders. Hearts’ style innately encourages opponents to skip passes over the midfield, and that requires defenders like Sean Vinberg to come up big in one-on-one situations at the back. It’s not entirely clear whether Kemali Green or Samuel Mahlamaki is the best partner for Vinberg, but the center backs have generally done a good job while learning the ropes.
At their best, Portland restrict play to the opposing half and quickly turn their defensive structure into a useful offensive blueprint. This is a team that loves to manipulate their wingers’ positioning to break opposing defenses.
In the example here against One Knox, Portland builds from the back with both members of their pivot low. Crucially, Varela (starting as the right winger in this game) decides to join them by dropping inside near the center circle.
Varela’s run draws a defender and opens space, but it ostensibly leaves the right side vacant. However, second striker Masashi Wada drifts and makes sure that Varela’s lane is filled. Because of those paired runs and the depth of the pivot, striker Azaad Liadi has the room to tuck inside and receive an entry pass at his feet.
Portland has even numbers on the break until Messer arrives, and while his foray toward the box doesn’t create a shot, this is still an exemplary Hearts move.
Wada’s run looms large, even if he doesn’t get the ball in this example. As it stands, the Japanese international is eighth in League One with 1.4 open play key passes per match. In other words, he’s one of the best players in the division at creating chances for teammates outside of set piece situations. He’s also second in the league – nestled between Anuar Pelaez and Karsen Henderlong! – with 0.47 xG per 90.
We saw Wada get a breakaway off a similar run against Omaha on Saturday, cutting back toward a trailing Liadi to nearly create a goal. He’s an offensive weapon, but he’s also a player capable of fitting the Murphy defensive system; Wada served in a staid right wing position throughout the second half in Week 10.
Portland’s potential is obvious. They have a defined identity, and the structure that makes them so gritty also lends itself to balanced attacking. In Masashi Wada, they might have an attacking star that can lead the way in the final third. We haven’t seen Hearts rip off results quite yet, but they’ve got the blueprint to take the next step.
Shifting San Antonio
It’s been an up-and-down start to 2025 in the Alamo City, but San Antonio still finds themselves on top of the Western Conference and just five points off of the Players’ Shield pace. This club lived a charmed life in Carlos Llamosa’s first few matches at the helm, but the new manager has adjusted ever since a nationally televised loss to Phoenix Rising.
With Mitchell Taintor healthy and Mohamed Omar having solidified a starting role, SAFC has increasingly preferred a back-three shape with a fascinating midfield arrangement in front of it. In a loss to Oakland this weekend, San Antonio’s formation could only be described as a “three-box-three.”
You see that alignment here, with four mids (in red) creating that “box” in the center. Nicky Hernandez and Jorge Hernandez are positioned higher, while Jimmy Medranda and Almir Soto sit lower. Meanwhile, wingbacks Nelson Flores Blanco and Luis Andres Paredes (black) linger on the outsides, ready to pounce forward.
This sort of shape, defined by four-man central overloads, relies on the wingbacks to serve as proxy attackers; think about the role of a traditional winner in a boilerplate 4-3-3. Flores Blanco and Paredes did so splendidly, combining to create five chances on 16 crosses and 40 touches in the final third.
Still, width is just one precondition for success within the three-box-three. You need to stretch defenses out, but then you need secondary runs out of the midfield to leverage that spread. In that sense, San Antonio was lacking in their loss to Oakland.
Before we break down the frame above, it’s useful to consider Jorge Hernandez’s goal, a play where the midfielder ripped into the seam off Juan Agudelo’s left side to score. That was the exception that proved the rule. When SAFC’s centermen prioritized aggressive vertical movement, they generated chances with ease and paid off their 60% possession total. When they didn’t, play felt flat.
The screenshot above sees San Antonio working from the left to the right, with Medranda having stepped forward like a No. 10 on the ball. It’s a very wise play from the versatile Colombian, who spots a big pocket of space and pushes into it.
The problem? Look at his options. Medranda could opt for a difficult through toward Juan Agudelo, dribble into the mouth of three defenders, or lay the ball off toward Paredes to continue the sideways momentum. He’ll ultimately go the latter route, but it’s clear that this moment is short of a Hernandez-esque run to support Agudelo and truly challenge the Roots.
It’s easy to look at the Oakland loss on paper and come away with a negative vibe, but the match was actually the first time all year that San Antonio was able to turn a high-possession performance into genuine attacking success. Llamosa’s side only scored once, and while I literally just finished nitpicking their movement, they generated 1.8 xG and a season-high shot total all the same.
Compare those marks to losses against Miami and Phoenix where SAFC held nearly two-thirds of the ball. In that pair of matches, San Antonio took 27 total shot attempts. Saturday’s three-box-three allowed them to get to 21 shots in a matter of 90 minutes.
The takeaway? Llamosa’s new formation is more conducive to efficient attacking.
Said shape is also conducive to effective pressure. Here, the Hernandez pair aligns in a more conventional “dual No. 10s” setup, but the box is still visible. Because of that central compression, San Antonio is able to force play toward the sideline, which is the trigger for Flores Blanco to close on the ball.
When Oakland moves wide, Nicky Hernandez wisely tucks low on the weak side to deny a pressure-relieving angle. The Roots’ only choice thereafter is to go long, where SAFC’s high back line draws an offside flag. Even if the run wasn’t overeager, you don’t fancy any player in the USL against Mitchell Taintor, the league’s foremost transition defender.
It’ll be fascinating to see whether the middling results encourage Llamosa to keep tweaking. For now, though, the three-box-three is helping San Antonio to improve and fit their best players into one functional lineup.
How do you break down One Knox?
Knoxville still hasn’t lost in the league, and they still look like a team with real potential to make a Jagermeister Cup run. That success owes to a defense which has allowed just four goals and 5.6 xG in six games, but it’s worthwhile to consider the flip side of the coin: how can you actually score against Ian Fuller’s side?
Forward Madison didn’t have all the answers on Friday night in a match where they put up just 0.8 expected goals, but they found their moments. Matt Glaeser’s side, usually the platonic ideal of patient possession, upped their average pass length from 6.2 yards to 9.5 – a 50% jump! – and ended up keeping just 44% of the ball because of it.
That directness was key. Madison also elected to shift their shape by phase (4-2-3-1 with Damia Viader as the No. 10 in block, 3-2-4-1 with Viader and Nico Brown on the left in possession) to set the table for wide overloads and gain a critical foothold against the high press at Covenant Health Park.
Knoxville is extremely good about quickly scrambling to deny space, giving ball handlers very little time to work. This team ranks in the bottom half of league one in terms of final-third recoveries per 90 minutes (i.e., takeaways in the press), but that’s a feature rather than a bug. One Knox’s opponents have underperformed their expected completion percentage by nearly 3% this season, second in League One behind only Union Omaha. In other words, the press makes it far more difficult for foes to execute their gameplan; it’s all about disruption.
You see that identity in action above against Madison. The first frame features One Knox in a semi-transitional moment as their guests move backwards. The goal is to push bodies forward and create a 4-1-2-3 pressing front.
That’s exactly what happens by the time we get to the second frame. Madison has moved toward their right, but the five advanced Knoxville pressers have pinned them in. The only choice is a switch toward Nico Brown on the left. Brown is certainly open, but hitting him with a lofted pass comes with a high degree of difficulty.
The lesson here? If you want to possess from the back against One Knox rather than merely spam long balls, you need technical quality at your base and the requisite width to work over the press in controlled fashion. Madison has both here; Brown and right wingback Ferrety Sousa are in good positions, and their back three went 67 for 77 on short passes on Friday.
That’s how you survive against the high press. Breaking down Knoxville’s 4-1-4-1 block and beating either Johan Garibay or Sean Lewis in net is another question entirely, once where the Wisconsites lacked clear answers.
Right off the bat, the tightness between lines is unmistakable. One Knox leaves virtually no room between their midfield and defensive groups, and they’re actively allowing players to bleed between those levels.
In this case, left back Stuart Ritchie has stepped toward a potential receiver at the sideline, and center back Dani Fernandez has filled for him within Knoxville’s four-at-the-back framework. By sliding over, Fernandez leaves a gap, but it doesn’t go unfilled. Instead, Abel Caputo – the holding midfielder in Ian Fuller’s shape – drops low as if he’s playing in central defense.
This is an easy play to overlook, but it explains everything about Knoxville’s stinginess. Fuller has drilled his players to understand their relationships and constantly rotate to maintain shape. That quality makes One Knox hard to break down even as they absorb pressure for long periods of time; they’re currently putting up 33.7 clearances per game, the only team in League One above the 30 mark.
Madison did manage to sneak past the low block on Friday, if only because of a Goal of the Week contender from Jake Crull. By overloading the right side, Madison was able to force One Knox out of their shell, allowing the ‘Mingos to work toward the central areas, force a Garibay mix-up, and tee up that Crull banger.
That sequence might be exceptional, but it’s representative of Forward Madison’s strong suits (wreaking havoc with one-on-one dribbling on the outside, using center backs to create overloads, etc.) and the best way to break One Knox down. If you can throw numbers up the channel and create an overzealous reaction toward one side, you’ve got a fighting chance. Few teams have got that far against Knoxville in 2025.
Quick Hits
In other news this week…
If you’re interested in more Orange County conversation, you’re in luck. There’ll be interviews with Danny Stone dropping later today (i.e., Tuesday if you’re a later reader) on both This League! and The USL Show.
Westchester is in a bit of a drought, but their first 45 minutes against Charlotte this weekend were highly promising. Finally getting Juan Sebastian Palma in the mix is huge. More on all things WSC in this week’s Tactics Show over on the socials.
Loudoun is now up to first place in the USL in final-third takeaways and touches in the opposing box. They’re also a bottom-five team by set piece xG, meaning that most of their production comes in the run of play. In live-ball situations, you could make a legit argument that Loudoun is the best team in the USL.
(I’m looking like the sickos guy as I write this, just to be clear.)
SixOneFiveSoccer has the most important story of the year so far from fellow Backheeled scribe Ben Wright, discussing the targeting of Nashville SC’s Latin-American supporters by ICE. Worth your time.
Yogi Barr is up with a very good breakdown of the Richmond Kickers’ season to date, discussing the ups and downs of their defensive youth movement as well as the numbers behind their stylistic change in 2025. Find the link here.
Drew Friberg is the king of public-facing USL data work, and you should check out his latest.
Mission: Impossible? Mission: Impossible. I just got IMAX tickets for Final Reckoning at 10:00 AM on a Friday morning two weeks from now, and I’m already amped.