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Two Eastern Conference teams with high ceilings raised their floors yesterday. Let’s talk it out.
Gressel takes his talents to Inter Miami
Julian Gressel has found his fifth MLS team and rejoined his first MLS manager. Somehow, Inter Miami have gotten even more talented in attack. And it seems like Gressel will be a natural fit tactically.
On Miami’s most full-strength days, Gressel will likely play on the right side of a midfield three. That’s similar to what we saw him do in Vancouver at times last season. When Lionel Messi tucks in from the right to do Messi things and drags, presumably and correctly, five or so defenders with him, Gressel can float into the vacated space and play, presumably, one of the best crosses you’ve seen in your life to LUIS SUÁREZ AND LIONEL MESSI – among others.
They may need to work out some potential spacing issues with right back DeAndre Yedlin over there, but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Plus, if it allows Yedlin to be a bit more reserved in his positioning without having to worry about overlapping every spell of possession, a little extra defensive stability won’t be the worst thing for the Herons. Or maybe he just goes for it anyway. Tata’s game model has typically never trended toward caution.
Either way, there’s zero doubt about it. On paper, Inter Miami’s best XI is one of the most talented we’ve ever seen in MLS. Probably the most. It’s early in the morning and I’m afraid of both commitment and research right now. Anyway, the question is how often we’ll actually see their best XI together. There are some legs with a lot of miles on them here.
All things considered, the best part of signing Gressel for the Herons might be his versatility more than his place in the full-strength side. His ability to slot in at right back, midfield and right wing raises the floor for a team that can potentially win every competition they’re in this season but may need to play it safe when it comes to load management and injuries. Gressel has played over 2,000 minutes every season other than the COVID year. He should be a reliable option in almost any situation and a nightmare for defenders when the situation is ideal.
Dax lands in Atlanta
It’s no secret Atlanta United have been somewhat limited by their performances in midfield over the last few seasons. There’s a direct line between Darlington Nagbe leaving the club and Atlanta wandering in the wilderness for a few years.
But midway through 2023, we saw a shift. Tristan Muyumba came in from Ligue 2 and immediately began showcasing a combination of soccer IQ, mentality, technical ability and physical skill set that greatly outpaced anyone the Five Stripes had available. Now, they just needed a top-tier No. 6 to pair with Muyumba behind Thiago Almada and Atlanta could go from one of the least effective midfields in MLS to an elite unit.
Dax McCarty isn’t quite the guy to take them there. He’ll openly admit it. And, yesterday, he gave an open and honest description of his expectations for his time in Atlanta. He’ll be a role player set to fill in behind whatever (probably TAM-level) No. 6 comes in this transfer window. But even that is a massive step forward for the Five Stripes.
McCarty is 36 years old, but he played 1,900 quality (and sometimes excellent) minutes for Nashville last season. He and the team as a whole lost some steam after making the Leagues Cup final, but McCarty can still be a quality contributor in MLS. Having a player of McCarty’s caliber as a second-choice player is a seismic change for a group that I just don’t have many nice things to say about.
Additionally, McCarty will provide a veteran voice on the field and in the locker room for a team that isn’t quite as young and inexperienced as it used to be, but still had a clear need for folks who have won in MLS to occupy a leadership role. At this point, it feels like Atlanta are just a couple of steps away from being a true contender in 2023.
Once they get new center back Stian Gregersen officially signed, they just need that TAM-level No. 6 to solidify a deep and dynamic roster. There will still be questions defensively heading into 2023 of course, but having a midfield capable of slowing opponents down and willing to do the kind of dirty work past groups have been outright afraid of the last few seasons will go a long way. McCarty will play a real part in that.
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