With Wednesday’s signing of Sunny Jane, it seems reasonable to guess that Louisville City’s probably done signing new players until after the New Year. I’m often wrong about that, though, so be sure to click back here very often just in case.
Anyway, let’s take a look at how the 2019 roster’s shaped up so far:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Tim Dobrowolski, Chris Hubbard
DEFENDERS (6): Shaun Francis, Alexis Souahy, Oscar Jimenez, Pat McMahon, Taylor Peay, Sean Totsch
MIDFIELDERS (6): Richard Ballard, Jose Carranza, Paolo DelPiccolo, Napo Matsoso, Niall McCabe, Magnus Rasmussen
FORWARDS (5): George Davis IV, Sunny Jane, Lucky Mkosana, Brian Ownby, Luke Spencer
Neither Dobro nor Chris Hubbard are getting called up for international duty any time soon, so Hackworth may not be inclined to sign a third keeper. With respect to outfield defenders, I think City’s okay at centerback, though I do expect one more signing before camp in February at that position. Kyle Smith’s departure to Orlando also needs to be addressed. I have no problem with Shaun Francis starting on the left and Oscar on the right, and I’m confident that Peay, Totsch or McMahon can do a job in either position in a pinch. That said, I won’t be surprised if Hackworth’s on the lookout for a dedicated, pencil-in starter at right back so Oscar can stay on the left. I’ve heard rumors about recently unattached Tim Kubel being a candidate for Smith’s replacement, though obviously nothing from the club itself. Also, if Morgan Hackworth graduates from Akron early, don’t be surprised to see him in purple, either.
It’s interesting to me that Cuatro, Jane, and Ownby are listed in the roster as forwards. If you’re running a 4-3-3, then I can see how you label them as wide forwards, or attackers at the very least. That said, none of those three are what you would call a striker or center forward. They don’t have to be, of course, but I generally consider those three to be attacking midfielders. This is mostly semantics, anyway. My point is, I think Morados really only have two strikers and think they’re probably in the market for a third. My very biased eyes are on NCAA All-American and Hermann finalist University of Kentucky striker JJ Williams – if doesn’t return for his senior year and he’s not drafted next month into MLS, he’d be a great asset to the striker corps.
Moving back to the middle third where all the running happens is also where it gets interesting. Paolo and Niall ended up being a terrific pairing in midfield during the playoffs, and I expect that to continue in 2019. That said, I wonder if Hackworth is still looking for a true Number Six, deep holding midfielder. Watching James Sands play that role in his brief stint with City last season made me believe that’s the kind of player Hackworth really wants in front of the centerbacks. Paolo did excellent in that spot in the playoffs, of course, but he’d do just as well as a box-to-box player, too.
I also don’t know what to make of the other listed midfielders. Richard Ballard is more of a winger or attacker than a classic six, eight, or ten. He really could be classified as more of a forward if we’re saying Cuatro, Jane and Ownby are also forwards. Carranza can probably play either of the roles Niall and Paolo played last season, so he fits. MAG RAM and Matsoso seem more like central attacking playmakers than anything else, and I figure we’ll see them play the same kind of role Ilija did in 2018.
This all presupposes, of course, that Hackworth is going to continue on with a 4-2-3-1. The way the squad is constructed, though, I can definitely see a lot of these guys working well in a 4-4-2 diamond, or a 4-3-3. Here are three ideas for lineups with each formation:
Here, you can probably swap out Matsoso with Rasmussen, and Carranza can fill in for either Niall or Paolo. We’ve got options for the wide attackers, too, in Ballard and Jane. McMahon and Peay can fill in any of the back line spots.
In a diamond, Paolo’s definitely your starting defensive midfielder. Carranza could probably fill in there, or at either of the wider midfield positions. Napo or Jane could fill in at attacking midfield. How the striker partnership would work out, I’m not totally sure, but I think Ownby might be able to fill in if needed. He and Cuatro could also easily fold into the left or right midfield roles in this setup, too.
The 4-3-3 is often pretty closely related to a 4-2-3-1, where the player in the 10 role is one of the two central midfielders, just playing a little higher up the field, or sometimes one of the wingers who tucks in with possession. I personally like my central midfielders to be a bit more defensive, and with this setup, there’s no obvious depth past the starters. There’s plenty on the wings, however.
More likely: something else entirely happens and this was just navel-gazing. But that’s the offseason.
To recap: City presently has 19 players on the roster. I expect we’ll see about four more before first kick in March: a centerback, a right back, a striker, and an honest-to-god holding midfielder. Hang on to your butts!
