Alan Soñora: USMNT’s hidden World Cup hopeful applying his trade in Argentina – scout report

Alan Soñora (171cm/5’7”, 65kg/143lbs) is an American-born central midfielder with an increasing influence at Argentinian giants Independiente. Born in New Jersey whilst his father Diego Soñora was playing in the MLS with MetroStars, now known as New York Red Bulls, Alan Soñora is eligible to represent the United States and Argentina. However, Alan is yet to play international football at any level, unlike his brother Joel Soñora, of Vélez Sarsfield, who has represented the USA at under-20 and under-17 levels. Alan has expressed interest in playing for the USMNT, potentially alongside Joel, despite never being called up. With impressive performances continuing, does the Independiente midfielder have a slim chance of entering the fray of Gregg Berhalter’s World Cup midfield selection?

Playing in the academies of Boca Juniors and Independiente, two of Argentina’s Big Five, Soñora made his professional debut for Independiente in September 2019. In his first full season of professional football, Soñora largely struggled for consistent league minutes as he collected 826 minutes in all competitions across 19 matches. 2021 was much better, playing 1,594 minutes in all competitions across 25 matches, as Soñora became a regular starter at Independiente in the second half of the year. These improvements have continued into 2022, with Alan already playing 1,449 minutes from 22 matches, with the bulk of the Primera División fixtures remaining too. Soñora played full nineties in the last four Copa Sudamericana games as Independiente attempted to chase down the flawless group leaders Ceará SC of Brazil.

In this tactical analysis in the form of a scout report, we will take a closer look at Alan Soñora’s playing style at Independiente. We will also assess his suitably for the USMNT with comparisons to other central midfielders in Berhalter’s selection pool as the 2022 World Cup edges closer.

Role at Independiente

One of Soñoras biggest strengths is his versatility in the midfield, capable of playing deeper or in advanced areas with the ability to utilise angles centrally and out wide for his more dominant left foot. This adaptability has been crucial to his consistent minute-taking in 2022, with Independiente manager Eduardo Domínguez not settling for one formation since his appointment at the start of the year. Their most used formation is a 4-2-3-1 with Soñora usually as the attacking midfielder, but this formation is only used 20% of the time. 18% of Dominguez’s tenure has set the team up in variations of a midfield diamond in a 4-4-2, with a further 15% for variations of a 4-3-3. Independiente have also used a 4-4-2 during 10% of their games in 2022.

In these formations, Soñora typically plays as the attacking midfielder or as a central midfielder. As a result, he has suitably been handed Independiente’s number ‘10’ shirt, formerly of Manchester City legend Sergio ‘Kun’ Agüero, and an iconic number in Argentinian football. However, he has also been deployed deeper in defensive midfield as well as both the left and right-wing. Soñora’s versatility will continue to be used by Independiente, with defensive midfielder Carlos Benavidez, central midfielder Domingo Blanco and attacking midfielder Andrés Roa all departing the club as free agents on the 30^th of June.

Considering Soñora is generally deployed as the most advanced midfielder in Dominguez’s system, his attacking output in the final third is fairly unimpressive but overall relatively efficient. With 1.07 touches in the opposition penalty box per 90, it is rare that he will break into the box and move into areas alongside and ahead of the striker. Scoring eight goals in the last 12 months from 4.22 xG, just two of Soñoras goals have come from inside the box.

Alongside being Independiente’s third top scorer in this period, his 1.89 shots per 90 also rank him 3^rd at the club. However, only 26.09% of his shots are on target, ranking him 15^th, which is quite baffling for a player of good ball-striking with the ability to execute different techniques.

When watching Soñora operate in the final third with shooting opportunities available, it looks like he can rush his technique to ensure getting a shot off, rather than staying composed. This is strange, considering his brilliant composure in deeper phases, but is not a rarity for players when in the final third. It must be stated that Soñora looks like a player confident in his shooting ability, and rightly so, as shown by his six goals from outside the box.

A standout attribute of Soñora is his constant movement to become a passing option, leaving him extremely tough to mark for the opposition. This can be especially influential in the final third to penetrate defensive lines. Alan tends to use these movements to penetrate more than his 1.84 dribbles per 90, despite having a good dribble success rate of 62.69%.

The figures above and below show an example of Soñora combining with Juan Cazares. Immediately after executing the pass, Soñora breaks beyond his marker to receive the return pass before dribbling into the opposition penalty box. Using his impressive ball manipulation, he has left the tracking opponent on the floor and created separation to play a cut-back to the edge of the box. The cut-back was slightly underhit, resulting in the teammates shot being promptly blocked.