We're in the thick of transfer season, though not everybody's been busy. Some teams have, however, and of that group, here are the moves that have got me thinking a little bit.
Western Conference is today, Eastern Conference was yesterday.
In we go:
Myrto Uzuni and the contours of Austin's midfield
Honest to god: If it was 30 years ago, Uzuni would be starting in the English Premier League because his qualities are the classic “second forward” qualities English teams looked for in a forward running off of a target man. Work rate, speed, movement in and around the box, a knack for one-touch finishes? He’s got all that, and I have little doubt it’ll translate in MLS.
The issue is there’s no longer really a natural home for that type of player at the very top of the game, as the 4-2-3-1 and the 4-3-3 have basically killed the second forward. The meta has changed, shifting in the direction of pure pitch control, which has led most teams to drop that second forward in favor of a third central midfielder (The other position greatly affected: the No. 10. There are almost no classic 10s at the very highest level anymore since “individual genius” roster builds have been replaced by the press, positional play, playmaking wingers or some combination of all three).
Anyway, Uzuni is showing, this year in LaLiga 2, that second forward remains his best spot. He showed, last year in LaLiga, that he could still be a threat on the counter from the left in a 4-3-3 – though also that he’s not going to be able to add much in the way of possession, playmaking or 1v1 ability when he’s out there.
I don’t think Austin want to be a counterattacking team; I think they want to be a possession team that generates chances with the ball. But they now have three front-line DPs who aren’t really going to help a ton with the first part of that equation.
So now there’s a ton of pressure on this midfield to control the game. That control then sets up the pre-conditions for Osman Bukari (on the right side) or Guilherme Biro (overlapping on the left) to find space wide and deliver final balls across the six. Those balls across the six are how Uzuni and fellow DP Brandon Vazquez score their goals. They won’t be able to add much without that kind of service.
Where’s that leave Austin? Well, I like Owen Wolff and Dani Pereira a lot, and Ilie Sánchez has always been a delight. Besard Sabovic is more of an unknown, with scouting reports and advanced data suggesting he’ll probably be more of a worker than an orchestrator. Same for Nicolás Dubersarsky, the young Argentine d-mid they spent a U22 Initiative slot on.
Which is to say they have some options, and those options could coalesce into a more functional midfield than what we’ve seen from their first few years of existence.
But the bet, between hiring head coach Nico Estévez and making a big splash on Uzuni and Vazquez, is the midfield will be more than functional: the bet is the midfield will control the game. So there’s got to be another big signing coming here. The moves they made this winter don’t make sense without it.
By the way, know who’s almost certainly available on a non-DP number and would make a ton of sense? Eduard Atuesta. We’ve seen him make this game model work in MLS both as a No. 6 and as a No. 8. He’d look good this year pulling the strings in Verde & Black.
Sounders taking a different roster-building approach
I think there are three things to consider when looking at the acquisitions of Jesús Ferreira and Paul Arriola:
1. The Sounders have a jam-packed schedule across numerous competitions, with intentions to win several trophies (sorry guys, but my hopes aren’t super high for a FIFA Club World Cup title). We’ve got a lot of data over the past six or seven years that it is very, very hard to actually do that and not run into the “overuse” wall around early October.
So, the goal is very clearly to get as many flexible, high-floor players on the roster as possible. Ferreira and Arriola both fit that mold.
2. Ferreira’s a 24-year-old veteran who’s coming off a tough season, but averaged about 20 goal contributions per year from 2021-23. And even in his “tough” 2024, he put up 13 goal contributions (5g/8a) in about 1,500 minutes across all competitions.
At his best, he’s about the same tier of player in this league as guys like Jordan Morris and Albert Rusnák. Does another guy at that level get the Sounders back into the winner’s circle? I’m not sure. But I do think a guy with Ferreira’s pedigree coming from one of FBRef’s Next 14 Competitions would likely have cost more than Seattle were willing to spend in the transfer market.
3. How do Ferreira and Morris fit together? Morris’ numbers exploded when he was moved up top in mid-June of last year (14g/4a in 27 games across all competitions from then on out), but his productivity is just the tip of the iceberg. Collectively, Seattle's open-play goals and expected goals both increased, as did their total possession, as did their passes per possession, as did both their goal differential and expected goal differential. Subsequently, so did their points per game.
The short version is that having a major threat to run in behind starting at the No. 9 opened up space underneath for Seattle’s midfield and wingers, and those midfielders and wingers put that space to good use. The Sounders became one of the league's four or five best teams.
Ferreira, who has spent most of his career either as a false 9 or a second striker, isn’t that kind of vertical threat by either skillset or inclination. And while he’s played some on the wings, both for club and country, he’s a winger more in theory than in practice.
So I'm guessing Ferreira gets the first crack at the No. 9 role in Brian Schmetzer’s preferred 4-2-3-1, with Morris tucked in as a direct, goal-scoring winger. But if it doesn’t work – if the Sounders struggle to build chances with the ball, as they did until mid-June of last year – don’t be surprised if Morris goes back up top and we start the “Jesús Ferreira as a right winger” experiment.
Luca de la Torre solves a typical expansion team problem
De la Torre to San Diego FC became official this week, and thus far it’s one of my favorite signings of the offseason. When de la Torre’s been on the field in Spain, and before that when he was on the field in the Netherlands, he was a one-man answer to a fundamental question every team must face: How do we progress the ball through midfield and into the final third? It is his strength and he knows it:
Yeah, he tweeted himself into the USMNT roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup with clips of ball progression. This isn’t highlight bias either; he’s constantly been in the 85th percentile or better in progressive carries, and around the 70th percentile in progressive passes received, no matter what league he’s played in. Add in a knack for box arrivals, and you get the exact profile you’re looking for from a free 8 in a possession-heavy 4-3-3. He will open the game up for DP wingers Hirving Lozano and Anders Dreyer.
Historically, expansion teams have struggled badly with midfield play. If de la Torre stays healthy, San Diego might buck that trend.
Bruce Arena taking two CBs in the SuperDraft
You, a simpleton: The Quakes got a DP No. 9 for GAM, signed another all-time great No. 9 and also brought over half of Bruce’s old team with New England! I’m excited about that!
Me, an intellectual: Bruce Arena has literally never missed on a center-back drafted in the top 20. This year, he took two center backs (Max Floriani and Reid Roberts) in the top five. I am excited about that.
Here’s the total list, going back almost 30 years, of center backs Arena previously picked in the top 20 of the SuperDraft/college draft:
- Henry Kessler (2020)
- Tommy Meyer (2012)
- Omar Gonzalez (2009)
- AJ DeLaGarza (2009)
- Eddie Pope (1996)
Pope and Omar are all-timers. DeLaGarza retired with three Supporters’ Shields, three MLS Cups and a US Open Cup – he was a key player for all those teams. Kessler hasn’t quite been the same since Bruce left the Revs, but he’s still been good enough to start for a record-setting, Shield-winning team and get capped by the USMNT. The closest thing to a miss on this list is Meyer, who was nonetheless good enough to start in the LA Galaxy’s 2012 MLS Cup win as a rookie (over DeLaGarza, it should be noted).
Is it a different league now? Yes, absolutely. Is it still possible to find elite players via the SuperDraft? Yes, absolutely. And we know, historically, what Bruce has done with highly-drafted center backs, so I think some excitement from Quakes folks is justifiable.
