We’ve written plenty about North Carolina FC this off season.
They’ve been ranked number one in our power rankings three weeks in a row. They keep outdoing themselves on new signings. And the fans in central North Carolina would say, “it’s about time.”
The club self-relegated to USL League One for the 2021 season and subsequently finished dead last that season and in 2022. But this off-season, they’ve taken advantage of what may be the last truly wild USL1 free agent market, and surgically targeted their needs.
Here we take a deep dive into 2022, and see where we see the new signings fitting in.
NCFC’s 2022 Setups
Reviewing last season, Coach John Bradford went with four setups:
| Setup | Count | Record | Points | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-4-2 | 17 | 5-9-3 | 18 | 21 | 28 | -7 |
| 4-2-3-1 | 11 | 2-6-3 | 9 | 11 | 20 | -9 |
| 4-3-3 | 1 | 1-0-0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 5-3-2 | 1 | 0-1-0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | -3 |
Bradford used 4-4-2 for the first 16 matches of the season, then switched to a mostly 4-2-3-1 formation for the rest of the season.
How the current lineup might fit into 4-4-2
The obvious goal for 2023 is to improve on goals (35 in 2022, 8th in league) and goals allowed (53, 12th in league). Oh, and win, or at least not lose so often.
Here we see how the club used a 4-4-2 setup in 2022, using players who are still with the club. The top line for each position is the one who started there the most, and the names below are others who started there. That vacant spot in the backfield is where Jordan Skelton played every single match. And we have our newcomers on the side.
This setup went 5-9-3 for 18 points and had a goal differential of -7. It’s safe to say that all positions will have to compete for a role in 2023, and nothing is guaranteed. However, we’re going to keep Oalex Anderson and Garrett McLaughlin up front in this setup, with Preston Popp, Shak Adams and Cole Frame in backup.
In the midfield, we’ll start with Rafa Mentzingen, who plays on the left side. He’d likely take over that left wing/midfield spot from Jaden Servina and Luis Arriaga, both of whom can play just as well on the right.
Mikey Maldonado takes over mid center left, with Pecka in support when there is a defensive need. Raheem Somersall in center right, with Louis Perez taking over on the right.
In the back left, we’ll keep Nelson Flores, and then add Daniel Navarro to center left back, and DJ Benton to center right back, a position he filled in Chattanooga when the need arose. Christian Young keeps his right back role.
How the current lineup might fit into 4-2-3-1
This setup went 2-6-3 for 9 points and a -11 goal differential. It was also the preferred setup for the second half of the season. Again we are only using players who are still with the club, and that vacant spot is Jordan Skelton, who started all but two matches under this setup.
We did include Nico Rincon, who is technically still with the club’s U23 organization, and may see more time on the first squad this year. He spent the most time in the center midfield under this setup, though it was sort of a revolving door. We don’t yet know if he’ll be available to start the season though, so I won’t include him on the final lineup.
I think once again, Garrett McLaughlin gets his spot in the front. But from here, it gets tricky.
Rafa Mentzingen almost exclusively plays on the left, and Oalex Anderson seems to prefer that spot, but is capable of playing center or right. So we’ll shift him to the center. Mentzingen and Perez can feed to either McLaughlin or Anderson. And Perez takes his spot on the right.
Pecka and Maldonado make up the midfield, but Somersall is available to sub for Maldonado.
Flores, Navarro, Benton and Young make up the back line.
The good thing about this bench is the utility. Multiple players are capable of subbing on or starting in place for almost all positions. The starting squad of 2022 may not have been great as starters, but they should thrive off the bench being used where needed.
That that’s a look at at North Carolina FC’s current roster, the most complete we have so far in the 2023 off-season. Looking forward to exploring other clubs once they add some more depth as well.