Why Carlos Harvey is ready for another shot in MLS

A scouting report for the former Phoenix Rising star and newest member of Minnesota United

Phoenix Rising won a title last year for a whole lot of reasons, ranging from the scoring punch of Danny Trejo and the excellence of Rocco Rios Novo in net to the tactical adaptability of Juan Guerra and every subtle thing Panos Armenakas added after his acquisition. Still, Rising pulled it off in the postseason because of an ability to clamp down and control the midfield, and that ability centered around Carlos Harvey.

The 23-year-old Panamanian was signed by Phoenix last winter after four years in the LA Galaxy system. Harvey always showed flashes of talent, earning a handful of MLS appearances and international caps as a result. Even so, his game was defined in equal measure by deleterious outbursts and bouts of over-aggression as by that skill.

Chalk it up to the atmosphere in the Rising changing room or basic maturation, but that changed in 2023. Harvey channeled his passion into a masterful campaign, and he looks to continue that progression in the year to come as MLS has come calling anew.

Solid as a No. 6, No. 8, or even in the back line in a pinch, Harvey did it all for Phoenix in his debut campaign. Across 25 regular season starts and more than 2,000 minutes he racked up five goals, four assists, and 99 successful defensive interventions. A plus receiver and passer on either foot, Harvey tended to take his touches in the center of the pitch or in the right half space, but his motor sent him wherever he was needed.

The Panamanian ranked in the 80th percentile of central midfielders for touches per game, a high but not breathtaking total, but Harvey still garnered 2.0 successful dribbles per game. That’s a massive tally for a player tasked with initiating play from deep; few similar No. 6 types are as able to get an edge, lower a shoulder, and move past the press.

By comparison, Diego Luna - known for his tremendous carriage in tight spaces - put up 2.1 such moves per 90 minutes in 2021. All-USL center mid Taylor Davila sat at 1.2 in the season past; former Rising star Aodhan Quinn was down at 0.7. The takeaway? Harvey is truly elite when it comes to his ability to find an edge and get past opponents.

The Rising man’s game is marked by a constant impetus and a real pass-and-move mentality. You see three such examples above, each illustrating a variation on that same basic fact.

In the first instance, Harvey controls a driven ball on his left foot with two defenders pinching in, but his precise first touch lets him split between the opponents. Looking off two more Charleston Battery players with a nod towards a lateral dump-off to Renzo Zambrano, Harvey then buys a lane to advance play between the lines. All the while, #67’s upfield drive never ceases, and a sequence of give-and-go plays taken at maximum speed allow Harvey to carve between the full back and center back to nearly earn what could’ve been a hugely important penalty in the USL’s title game.

The second play sees Harvey receive near the center circle again, taking down a lofted pass with a gentle knock on his right foot. He’s already turning and preparing to shoulder off a pursuer all in the meantime, allowing him to dribble into the attacking half to draw the defense his way.

Against opponents with a more aggressive midfield line, the deep touches can serve as something of a bait-and-switch, as in the third play. The 23-year-old gets rid off the ball around halfway just as soon as he receives it, but he goads the opposing Indy Eleven up in the process.

When Danny Trejo picks up what Harvey is putting down, the newest member of Korona Kielce deftly drops low in parallel to #67, creating a passing triangle and opening a lane in behind. The midfielder can burst into an open seam as a result, capping off a lovely bit of team play.

Across the examples, you see a player in Carlos Harvey who thinks a move ahead, possesses the skills to act on that prescience, and is confident enough in both of those abilities to use them to carve through defenses and push his team into the attacking zone.

Harvey went forward on over 18% of his passes last year, a pedestrian rate by league standards but well ahead of Rising position peers like Jose Hernandez, Carlos Anguiano, and Zambrano. He also attempted long balls more often than most of his peers, and he completed such passes at a 65th percentile clip. The adventurism extends to Harvey as an initiating and risk-taking distributor.

Witness that range above, starting with a ping over the top. #67 comes roughly level with the center backs, turning his head upfield to spy a defensive line that isn’t yet set. Within moments, he’s hit a pass right into the mixer, well-placed to find Trejo.

The second example sees Harvey wall pass away around a pesky presser, with the gravity of that one-two drawing the defense in. It’s a credit to the Phoenix system yet again that Eddie Munjoma takes advantage and streaks up the sideline, but the pass from Harvey is simply staggering. A first-timed left-footed effort leads Munjoma into the final third wonderfully, albeit with just a tick of mustard missing.

The last two looks are a tandem, featuring a switch from Harvey over the defense towards the left side followed by a simpler dump-off to a near teammate. Watch the defensive reaction across the plays as a before and after: as soon as that switch is in Colorado Springs’ mind, the Switchbacks feel the need to press Harvey and thereby leave his teammates more space to operate.

Harvey has the ability to activate transition moves and dictate play from deeper positions even when he isn’t following up with aggressive bursts up the pitch. That optionally, the either-or of his creation, is a crucial reason why defenders are constantly unsure how to best contain the Rising midfielder’s game.

The impact is there no matter the phase of play. Last season, the Panamanian contributed 23 interceptions, 23 tackles, and a team-high 192 duels won; no one else on the teamsheet exceeded 150. Harvey, when he’s allowed off the leash, is a complete terror constantly taking the ball away from foes, but don’t let that aggression paint the picture of a player without a sense of space and shape.

Rising often pressed in a 4-4-2 last season, sliding the right wing back in their 3-4-3 towards the back while out of possession to create a four-man defense. Phase-based alteration of shape isn’t easy to pull off, and that made Harvey’s ability to close hard and deny penetration invaluable; see the first clip above to see how he could put a cap on the opposing bottle and turn defense into instant offense.

By contrast, Phoenix is in a deep-block 5-4-1 in the second example, where Harvey sits in front of his defense like a proper No. 6. He doesn’t immediately jump at the ball, hedging to box out and deny a showing forward. There’s real patience on show, with Harvey refusing to put in an ill-timed tackle that might leave the edge of the box unshielded. Instead, the 23-year-old waits and sticks a foot in at just the right time to swat away a pass and ignite a break.

Harvey is a stopper against the counter in the final play. Opposing Orange County advances at a clip, but Mo Traore does brilliantly to slow the ball carrier and allow for a defensive recovery. That’s where Harvey comes in, streaking back to dispossess the momentum-less foe and end the danger. Traore is the star of the play overall, but #67 does exactly what’s needed from a player in his role.

In the title game against Charleston, Rising ran with their fairly regular 4-4-2 defense. As opposed to the lead-off play above, Harvey wasn’t the more aggressive of the dual central midfielders, and he was initially charged with sitting deep while Hernandez did the dirty work in more advanced areas.

You see the look here, with Harvey serving as a safety net at the base of a diamond-esque midfield. Phoenix struggled in transition in the first half of this match, often exposed down the right with the back line forced into rotation. In each of those scenarios, Harvey did his job excellently, tracking to replace a center back and stifle the Battey.

By match’s end, #67 had picked up three tackles, three interceptions, two clearances, and a block. The numbers paint a picture, but what the midfielder did to hold the defense together in the first half paved the way for a dominant second half and an ultimate victory. That’s what Harvey brings to the table.

Early last August, with Phoenix on the brink of an un uptick in form that would lead them to silverware, the then-faltering El Paso Locomotive came to 38th and Washington and got smacked. A 5-0 win for Rising was a harbinger of things to come, and it relied on Carlos Harvey’s unique positioning as a central defender-right back hybrid within the typical formation.

El Paso played in a 5-3-2 system down the stretch, sitting in a relatively flat back line out of possession. Using three central midfielders quite narrowly in the midfield line tended to leave space in the half spaces, and Harvey took full advantage in his out-of-character deployment.

I’ve got the extended highlights in the clip above, and you can see how #67 constantly sought out space in that right channel. Harvey’s movement and carriage freed Darnell King and Panos Armenakas higher up on the same sideline, allowing them to criss-cross and challenge El Paso man-for-man. Still, the 23-year-old kept the Locomotive honest with occasional cuts inside on the dribble or with quicker one-twos that belied his typical patience.

Of course, Harvey did the job defensively as well, covering space as a good center back should and making sure El Paso couldn’t do damage with late-arriving runs at the far post. The Panamanian went 12-for-15 on duels in the match, adding a tackle and three clearances to boot.

This match was one drop in an ocean of excellent Harvey performances, but it shows what makes him a great player. Deft touches go hand in hand with bursts of stampeding ball carriage; each pass puts his team in a better position to move up the pitch. There’s an edge and aggression in every step that Harvey takes, and it makes him a force to be reckoned with.

Will Carlos Harvey excel with a new shot in the first tier with Minnesota United? Time will tell. He has the gifts to make a real impact in MLS if he can keep his head and is given a chance to shine.