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USL Exit Report – Western Conference, Part 2

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 10/19/18, 3:56PM EDT

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What are the questions facing San Antonio, Energy FC, RGVFC and the Roughnecks?

We round out our look back at the questions facing those teams that missed out on the USL Cup Playoffs in 2018 back in the Western Conference, where in Texas and Oklahoma there could be room for optimism for San Antonio FC, OKC Energy FC, Rio Grande Valley FC, and some changes are going to be needed at Tulsa Roughnecks FC ahead of the 2019 season.

San Antonio FC

  2018 Record 2018 Finish 2018 Home 2018 Away 2017 Record 2017 Finish

14-12-8 9th  West 10-3-4 4-9-4 17-4-11 2nd  West
Lost in Conference Semifinals

Can the side regain its defensive solidity?

San Antonio’s trademark throughout the 2017 season was its impenetrable defense, which gave up a league-fewest 24 goals in the regular season and more than made up for an average attack. This season the attack remained middling – for a second consecutive season it recorded 45 regular-season goals, below the league average of 48.5 – but the defense allowed double the number of goals and posted just five clean sheets.

The departure this offseason of Sebastian Ibeagha to New York City FC clearly had some impact, as did the absence of fellow center back Stephen McCarthy due to an injury-hit campaign that saw him make just six appearances. But, were those absences all it took for opposing attacks to register 165 shots on goal, the ninth-most by any side in the league?

There are clearly some good core players here for San Antonio to rebuild around should it choose to with fullbacks Darnell King and Greg Cochrane putting in solid years statistically and Cyprian Hedrick an experienced veteran in the middle. Making that group, and whatever additions may come, a more cohesive unit with the central midfield in front of it will be a priority for Head Coach Darren Powell.

Will the side secure Lance Laing on a permanent basis?

Lance Laing’s arrival on loan from FC Cincinnati on August 23 provided a jolt of energy that lifted San Antonio’s attack for the remaining two months of the season. While it wasn’t quite enough to push the side into the postseason, it would certainly seem like a positive move to make that move permanent this offseason and get the Jamaican in for a full 2019.

Laing recorded five goals and six assists in 10 appearances for San Antonio, playing a direct role in 11 of the 17 goals SAFC scored after his arrival at the club. After the side clearly missed the influence and speed of Billy Forbes for much of the 2017 season, Laing would appear to give SAFC a cutting edge it will need to get back into the postseason next year.

Is Ethan Bryant San Antonio’s first breakout homegrown star?

Aside from the play of Laing and Ever Guzman down the stretch, maybe the most exciting development for San Antonio FC fans would have been the emergence of Ethan Bryant as a player that didn’t just see action but was put into the starting lineup regularly by Head Coach Darren Powell. The youngest goal-scorer in SAFC history aged just 17 years, one month and nine days old when he found the net in a 3-1 win against Seattle Sounders FC 2 on September 29, Bryant made 10 starts this season and could be on a solid track for the future with the club.

That makes this offseason an important one for the youngster, who also had three assists and eight key passes in his first season as a professional. If he can build his game with the guidance of SAFC’s staff and experienced midfield veterans, the goal could end up being a place on the United States U20 National Team for its next cycle ahead of the 2021 FIFA U20 World Cup. Putting together a strong sophomore season would go a long way toward that end.

OKC Energy FC

  2018 Record 2018 Finish 2018 Home 2018 Away 2017 Record 2017 Finish

12-15-7 10th  West 7-7-3 5-8-4 14-11-7 6th  West
Lost in Conference Finals

Can Energy FC avoid a third consecutive slow start to the season?

In 2017, OKC Energy FC did not get out to the best of starts to a season but was still able to use a run of eight victories after August 1 – tied for third-most in that span in the league – to find its way into the USL Cup Playoffs. This year, over that same timeframe, the side put in another solid kick to the finish with a 6-4-2 run over the final third of the regular season, but the hole it had dug for itself was too deep to emerge from.

It’s not a precise science, of course, but history has shown us that teams that get out to good starts give themselves a much greater chance of being in the postseason than those that don’t. All 16 teams in the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs had at least 10 wins and sat above .500 on Sept. 1. The three teams that also had 10 wins by that point but were below .500 – Energy FC (10-12-5), Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (10-14-4) and Ottawa Fury FC (10-13-5) – all missed out.

Finding a way to get into the black in terms of points-per-game average by the time May rolls around in 2019 could end up holding the key to replicating the club’s 2015 season when it finished second in the Western Conference.

What production should Energy FC expect from Deshorn Brown in 2019?

With its attack being the fatal flaw in terms of finding success on the field in 2018 – Energy FC recorded only 23 goals in its first 22 games of the season on a chance conversion rate of 12.17 percent – the side added Jamaican international Deshorn Brown in September on a contract that runs through the 2019 season.

The 27-year-old, who was familiar to Head Coach Steve Cooke after the two’s time together with the Colorado Rapids, scored once in his four appearances for the side since his arrival. But it certainly seems as though he could be the sort of player that could thrive with the backing that Energy FC could return to its squad, especially if Brown can form an understanding with playmaker Jose Barril.

After missing out on the production provided by Jose Angulo in 2017, the expectation should be that Brown fills that gap and offers more opportunity for Alex Dixon, who himself had a solid 2018 with 11 goals and four assists. There’s also the added motivation of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup for Brown, and the chance to represent his country once more.

What will the starting center back pairing look like to start in 2019?

The center of defense had a rotating cast for Energy FC this past season that while stabilized somewhat by the arrival of Atiba Harris midseason still leaves questions to be answered as to who the best center back pairing for the side moving into 2019 is going to be. The good news for Energy FC is that the answer may already be on the club’s roster.

While there’s a good argument for either Drew Beckie or Justin Chavez to continue to try and build chemistry with Harris in the center of defense – Beckie’s passing numbers of 85.7 accuracy on 41.6 passes per 90 minutes were among the best on the team – making the move to bring Christian Ibeagha in from right back might make the most sense in the long run. Ibeagha led all Energy FC defenders with 52 aerial duels won and did so at a 61.2 percent success rate. If he can help win possession for Energy FC in the center of the field, the side can then look to the ball-playing skills Harris has to build alongside holding midfielders like Callum Ross, put two of Kyle Hyland, Shawn McLaws or Kyle Gunderson into the fullback roles, and potentially allow Chavez to move back into his more natural midfield role.

Rio Grande Valley FC

  2018 Record 2018 Finish 2018 Home 2018 Away 2017 Record 2017 Finish

8-12-14 13th  West 6-3-8 2-9-6 9-15-8 11th  West

You’ve shown you can compete. Now, can you win?

Rio Grande Valley FC’s season was a tough one as it finished with only eight victories, tied for third-fewest in the Western Conference alongside Las Vegas Lights FC. And yet, there were signs that positive things could be set to come for the Toros as the numbers that surrounded that win total weren’t bad at all. The club finished with just a negative-six goal differential and played to 14 draws, a number that tied the league-high alongside the Charleston Battery and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

With 11 clean sheets and only 42 goals conceded, the eighth-best defensive record in the Western Conference, there’s clearly a solid foundation in place here laid by first-year Head Coach Gerson Echeverry. The question now is whether the side will build upon that foundation. Attacking pieces like 21-year-old Jesus Enriquez will need to take the next step forward in becoming consistent in front of goal in 2019.

If the Toros can start turning draws into victories at home – RGVFC drew eight of its 17 games at H-E-B Park in 2018 – it’s possible the side could be in the middle of playoff contention for the first time since its inaugural season in 2015.

What’s the plan for Jesus Enriquez in the next 12 months?

Enriquez was the breakout performer for the Toros after his offseason arrival from Xolos de Tijuana as he led the team with six goals and six assists and finished second to veteran midfielder Todd Wharton in chances created from open play with 34 to Wharton’s 35. That should have made a solid impression on the Houston Dynamo’s brass as they start planning for this offseason.

Enriquez won’t turn 22 until next August, which makes him a tantalizing prospect should the Dynamo want to add him to a solid attacking group next season while continuing to offer plenty of playing time with the Toros as he makes the transition to the top flight.

With the Dynamo also facing the added challenge of the Concacaf Champions League next spring after winning the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in September, the added depth Enriquez would provide could also be useful to the side and offer the duel-citizen California native a chance to take a big step forward in his career.

Can the Toros up their collective efficiency in front of goal in 2019?

There was certainly little reluctance to shoot from Rio Grande Valley FC in 2018 as the side sat in the middle of the pack with an average of 13 shots total per game and 4.4 shots on goal per game over the season. The problem for the side, however, lay in its chance conversion rate that sat near the bottom of the league, which resulted in often solid defensive displays going unrewarded.

The Toros finished last in the league in conversion rate on their overall shots – including blocked shots – at just 8.09 percent for the season, and even when taking blocked shots out of the equation that rate only rose to 11.15 percent, putting the side above only the Richmond Kickers, Penn FC and Tulsa Roughnecks FC.

Even Jesus Enriquez finished individually with a chance conversion rate of 18.2 percent, while as bright as players like Carlos Small (14.7 percent) and Aldo Quintanilla (13.2 percent) looked they didn’t have the consistency that the top forwards in the league possess. By the end of the season, the Toros had what looked like the makings of a good attacking group. If they keep them together, making sure more chances hit the back of the net in 2019 is imperative.

Tulsa Roughnecks FC

  2018 Record 2018 Finish 2018 Home 2018 Away 2017 Record 2017 Finish

3-19-12 17th  West 3-7-7 0-11-6 14-14-4 7th  West
Lost in Conference Quarterfinals

The brightness of 2017 is long gone. How can the Roughnecks get back there?

Given the departures during the offseason of the likes of Juan Pablo Caffa, Joey Calistri, Ian Svantesson and Collin Fernandez, it was always going to take a lot from the next batch of recruits brought in by Head Coach David Vaudreuil to fill the gaps but it was unfathomable that the Roughnecks would take such a big tumble in a season that ended with only a few bright moments.

No team in the USL’s modern history has given up more shots on goal than the Roughnecks’ 225 in the past season as Fabian Cerda almost set a record for saves in a regular season with 125. Sixty-nine of Tulsa’s 77 goals conceded came from inside the penalty area, the most in that category, as the porous nature of the club’s defense was exposed on a consistent basis throughout the year.

The most curious aspect of this was there were recognizable names in the defensive corps for the squad, including former USL Cup-winner Nemanja Vukovic, who made 26 appearances for the side but also committed two errors that led directly to opposition goals according to Opta to finish tied for the team lead. Whether the side elects to retain interim Head Coach Michael Nsien or bring in a new hire, though, fixing the defensive mess that marked this season is Job No. 1.

Will the Roughnecks hold onto Joaquin Rivas?

While almost all was doom and gloom for Tulsa fans in 2018, the brightness that came from the play of Joaquin Rivas and his 12-goal season offered at least a small respite from what was going on elsewhere on the field. Rivas’ play saw him earn call-ups to the El Salvador National Team as it looks to qualify for next year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup through the new Concacaf Nations League qualifying stage.

That makes ensuring Rivas is one of the building blocks the club can build around in 2019 and beyond Job 2 for the Roughnecks’ brass this offseason. The impact felt by the departure of Juan Pablo Caffa last offseason to Fresno was one that hit the club hard. Losing Rivas would bring a similar feel to a club looking to bring some hope to its supporters that 2019 is going to offer better.

Which Fabian Cerda are we going to see in 2019?

There’s absolutely no question that when Fabian Cerda is on his game, he can pull off spectacular saves with the best of them in the USL. The problem is that when he’s not, as was too often the case in 2018, it leads to disaster moments that affect the morale of the entire squad.

Cerda sat alongside Nemanja Vukovic in making two errors that led to goals, but on top of that, his save percentage dropped from 74.1 percent in 2017 during his first year at the club to 66.1 percent in his second. Granted, the Roughnecks’ defensive woes can’t all be pinned to the Chilean, but as a goalkeeper that suffered the ignominy of being substituted at halftime because of a defensive gaffe - as happened to Cerda this season – there’s no getting around the fact that it needed to be better.

The positive news is we’ve seen how good Cerda can be, and even during this season there were numerous saves that he produced that took your breath away with their brilliance. The question for next season, though, is can he produce the standard as well as the spectacular to help lift Tulsa back to playoff contention?

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