by PART I: Rebel Scum PART II: Forwards
ATTACKING MIDFIELD & WING
Any discussion of attacking midfielders must begin with Cyrus Saydee, through whom all things are possible.
He’s now the last man standing from City’s inaugural 2012 team, and he’s rapidly approaching Kaline/Yzerman/Isiah/Barry-esque legendary status, if he’s not there already. While he’s been a consistently excellent performer throughout his career, his play last season was on a different level.
Some of his Greatest Hits from 2017 (1:05 makes me feel feelings):
It continues to baffle me how no pro team has ever taken a chance on him. Admittedly, he’s a bit undersized (5’6”-ish), but there are countless numbers of players who’ve overcome that obstacle to carve out successful pro careers. There are 33 teams in USL, and I refuse to believe that none of them could use a player of Cyrus’s caliber. Their ignorance and stubbornness is our gain, but I digress.
A player who did have a pro foray in 2017, Danny Deakin rejoins the team after a season with Orlando City B.
Deakin spent 2016 with City, and was one of the better performers during that disappointing campaign. He and Saydee often teamed up to create quality scoring chances, only to have their efforts wasted by poor finishing or strikers not making good runs into the box.
Since Deakin and Saydee play similar roles as roaming attacking midfielders, any lineup with both of them should also include a strong defensive center midfielder to cover the space left open behind them.
Out on the wing, two familiar faces return. Roddy Green is coming off of a 3-goal rookie season in which he flashed his raw ability and potential, mostly as a right-winger.
He’s arguably City’s first “homegrown” player, having attended matches as a high schooler before joining the team, and another year of experience and physical development should serve as a springboard for 2018. He’s already off to a great start:
We see you @Official_Roddyy!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/3xc9tFkBMn
— Jaime Ventura (@jaimitoelcrack7) April 23, 2018
On the opposite side, Jeff Adkins will look to regain his outstanding 2016 form after he was hampered in 2017 by fitness/injury issues.
Adkins was my pick for Black Arrow (Team MVP) in 2016; if he’s healthy, it would go a long way toward offsetting the loss of Tyrone Mondi at left wing.
As a teammate of Rafa Mentzingen at Valparaiso, Adan Garcia had an outstanding sophomore season, putting up 9 goals and 6 assists en route to being named Second Team All-MVC. He’s nominally a right winger, and should be in a tight battle with Roddy Green for a starting role.
And although City already has several free kick specialists, it might be wise to give Garcia a crack or two.
#TrusttheProcess ⚽🎯 pic.twitter.com/IqAHgydeAp
— Adan Garcia (@adaaangarcia14) October 21, 2017
The final addition here is also the teammate of a new striker. Jakub Svehlik plays his college soccer at St. Mary’s (CA) with Jake Rudel. Like Adan Garcia, Svehlik is a junior-to-be who’s coming off of a successful fall.
From his youth highlights, he looks like a nifty winger – capable of playing on either side of the field – with excellent ball control and good passing vision.
I always have to remind myself not to show too much bias toward the new players who have quality game film online, but it’s hard not to get excited for a technically-proficient attacker who looks similar in stature and playing style to Cyrus Saydee.
One Reason to Be Excited 🙂
The talent level from top to bottom is better here than at any other position on the team. There are two players, who, in my opinion, are good enough to be playing professionally right now (Saydee and Deakin), and a couple more who may reach that level in the near future. There’s also a good bit of positional flexibility among the group, which will allow Ben Pirmann the freedom to mix and match to find the best attacking combinations.
One Reason to Worry 🙁
The depth could be a little better. Saydee, Deakin, and Green are all known commodities, but if Adkins is unable to get back to his old self, and if one or both of the new players don’t pan out, things could get a bit hairy. On the other hand, the fact that Rafa Mentzingen can play center attacking midfield and both wings should help to mitigate those issues, should they arise.
Player to Watch 😎
It will be interesting to see how Danny Deakin has progressed after spending a year in a pro system. His technical abilities were never in doubt, but I expect his speed of play, positioning, and tactical awareness to all have taken noticeable jumps forward. If Pirmann can figure out where best to play him, I could easily see him teaming up with Saydee, Mentzingen, et al., to help the club improve on last season’s mark of 2.07 goals per league match.
Header Photos: Robert Sherman/New Day Review/Sherman
