33 weeks down, one to go. The penultimate weekend of the USL season was full of major matchups, and the result is a logjam in each conference. Three clubs are left fighting for the eighth seed in the East. Meanwhile, half of the West’s bids are still unclaimed, with the five contenders separated by three total points.
How’d we get there, what went down in Week 33 to make it happen, and how did that impact the USL power rankings? Let’s dig in.
1. Louisville City
Trending: No change
Result: 0-0 draw at Orange County
Louisville is willing to cede possession, but that’s not the same thing as “absorbing pressure.” In the first case, you merely don’t have the ball. In the second, you’re under fire close to your own goal. LouCity are a special team because they manipulate a match while defending, and they continued to do so in Orange County this weekend.
Danny Cruz didn’t tweak his 5-2-3 shape on paper, but he opted to counter OCSC’s speedy right wing with personnel changes. Typical starting left wingback Amadou Dia slipped into the back three, while Jake Morris took over on the sideline. They provided a backstop, and the front end of the shape tried to make sure long switches weren’t on the menu to begin with. Both Adrien Perez and Ray Serrano put in attentive performances across the front three, honing in on deep drops from Stephen Kelly while never giving the opposing center backs – who tried 12 long passes on more than 100 attempts – room to breathe.
