We only managed to get the smallest of tastes of the new USL campaign getting underway before it was cut short due to the current situation in the world. However, we can still get excited for its return and a competitive season that will come with it.
In this tactical analysis, we will look at North Carolina FC. Under Dave Sarachan, the former United States Men’s National Team manager, the team will look to continue in a positive trend in 2020. A 9th place finish in the 2018 season that meant narrowly missing the playoffs was followed by a much improved 7th place finish last term. This campaign, the opening match had NCFC hosting Louisville City FC. In a tight encounter that NCFC came out on the losing end of a 1-0 scoreline, there were reasons for hope and high ambitions from the side out of Cary, North Carolina.
Lineup and general tactics
Throughout his time in charge, Sarachan has opted primarily for a 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 formation. The decision between the two would depend mostly on the defending needs for the team. As we will talk about in the coming sections, there are benefits and issues with North Carolina’s use of each of them.
Robert Kristof is the usual player elected to lead the lineup top. Sarachan also looks to call on Donovan Ewolo in this position at times when a player with more speed is needed, but he is normally deployed out wide instead. Manny Perez is the brightest prospect in the side and is currently with North Carolina on loan from Celtic FC. The tricky winger has a huge part to play in the tactics Sarachan uses that we will look at.
Benjamin Speas is capable of playing all throughout the midfield. Often we will see him play in a wide midfield position when the side are playing a 4-1-4-1, but when the formation is transitioned into the 4-2-3-1 he is their normal number 10. Deeper in midfield, Graham Smith is a mainstay in the team. No matter the structure being used, he is the sole pivot or part of the double pivot for North Carolina. His defensive awareness allows him to stay well-positioned in both setups and give his side structure.
