Welcome back to Rising Tactics Recap, a weekly column where I attempt to provide insight to Phoenix Rising fans by breaking down some strategic and tactical observations from Phoenix’s latest match.

After the final whistle blew on their most recent match, Phoenix Rising’s players and coaches huddled in the middle of the field. When asked about his message to the players in that huddle, coach Rick Schantz said, “I told them, they have to trust me.”

It should not be difficult for Phoenix’s players to see the merit in Schantz’s on-field vision for the team: Four goals and a clean sheet dissuades disbelief.

So, while the on-field difficulties that came before the recent uptick in form should not be forgotten (I wrote about them last week), it’s obvious Phoenix Rising are now executing Schantz’s desired game plan.

Schantz wants to attack, he wants to possess, he wants to defend high up the field, and he wants to transition quickly from defense to attack. Right now, all of those things combine to make Phoenix Rising’s brand of soccer some of the most aesthetically pleasing soccer in the United States.

Not in the USL. In the United States.

In his post-game media availability, Schantz mentioned Major League Soccer’s LAFC as a team that they watch and try to emulate.

Bob Bradley’s team plays pretty soccer and they lead MLS in points. They get results and look good doing it. That is exactly what Phoenix Rising have begun to do.

Even in their midweek U.S. Open Cup loss to New Mexico United, they created chances and threatened repeatedly over the course of 120 minutes. With tired legs and a heavily rotated squad on Saturday against Las Vegas, Phoenix still moved the ball well through midfield and into open space to put four goals past the Lights.

Phoenix Rising’s players have bought into Schantz’s vision. The team is excelling in the 4-3-3 and look more and more comfortable with the shape and style with each passing game.

Kyle Bjornethun made his first USLC start after being called up from FC Tucson (Aaron Blau)

Schantz is taking a holistic approach to the game. His team’s success currently relies less on individual brilliance or specific personnel than it does on team-wide positioning and cohesion. FC Tucson players Austin Ledbetter and Kyle Bjornethun stepped in and earned their first starts in a Phoenix Rising jersey. They didn’t miss a beat as the starting right and left backs against the Lights.

“Coaches make it easy for us. We have a system that we stick to,” Austin Ledbetter said after the game. “I’ve been up for a couple of weeks so Kyle [Bjornethun] and I know the way they want to defend and how they want to play. It’s easy.”

It was clear that Ledbetter had a solid understanding of his role in Schantz’s system. He played a key role in Phoenix’s first goal, carrying the ball forward into the attack and finding José Aguniaga inside the box.

This is how Schantz wants his attacks to look. He wants to push numbers forward and allow his front six (the midfielders and forwards) and his fullbacks to move into different spaces in the opposing half.

The best example of a player moving into different spots on the field within Phoenix’s 4-3-3 is Jon Bakero. Over the last three games, Bakero has played four different positions. He has played as an advanced central midfielder, winger, striker, and most recently as the deepest central midfielder for much of the game against Las Vegas.

Bakero anchored the midfield against Vegas, but still had freedom to push forward and impact the attack. Schantz actually seemed a little surprised that Bakero played as deep as he did on Saturday.

“Well, I didn’t expect it [Bakero to play so deep],” Schantz said. “We knew he’d be different than James Musa, because we thought he would play a little bit more in front of José [Aguinaga] and [Kevon] Lambert. But the idea is that there’s no 6, 8 or 10. It’s three of them working together based on the front three.”

Those last two sentences are the key: positional labels matter much less to Phoenix than proper spacing and timely rotations do.

Players have freedom to move into different areas of the field as long as they maintain spacing within the 4-3-3.

Last week against Rio Grande Valley, left back Amadou Dia tucked into central midfield.

On Saturday against Las Vegas, Bakero, José Aguinaga, and Kevon Lambert rotated into different spaces within midfield. Each player in the central midfield trio covered for the other two, which allowed Phoenix Rising to attack with different combinations and maintain defensive solidity at the same time. Though they had a set shape to fall back on against the Lights, there were no definite restrictions on which midfielder had to be where.

This sequence is a perfect example of the positional flexibility in Phoenix’s midfield. Bakero starts as the deepest midfielder, but his forward movement cues Lambert to drop. Lambert and Bakero maintain proper spacing, suck in defenders, and play through Las Vegas’ midfield line.

There are always things to improve on. Despite not allowing a shot on target, Phoenix did allow their opponents to generate a handful of dangerous goal-scoring opportunities over the course of the game.

Still, going into a game against the Real Monarchs next weekend, Phoenix Rising have every right to be confident in their manager’s vision.

The Final Third:

Solomon Asante is back, baby. His right-footed passing was a huge asset on Saturday night. I mean, just look at this pass:

Not a bad way to cap the night! @Flemmo_77 makes it 4-0 for good measure.#UpRising pic.twitter.com/lK4Jf5UxjY — Phoenix Rising FC (@PHXRisingFC) May 19, 2019

It’s a perfectly weighted, line-splitting pass that puts Junior Flemmings in on goal. Expect Adam Jahn and Flemmings’ goal scoring numbers to jump up now that Asante is back in the lineup.

Normally a wide midfielder, Joey Callistri came off the bench and played 30 solid minutes in central midfield on Saturday night. The fact that he did not look out of place is another point in favor of Schantz’s ability to communicate his tactics to his players and ensure that they are comfortable in different areas of the field.

After all of the different positions that Bakero has played in recently, I was thinking of starting a “Where will Bakero play next?” sweepstakes. But I’m wondering if I should re-name it the “What team will Bakero play for next?” sweepstakes. I have no insight into this, but with Toronto FC, Bakero’s original club, struggling in MLS and without their creative midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo because of a red card, could Bakero be recalled to Toronto? What a cheery note to end this week’s RTR!

Thanks for reading this week’s edition of Rising Tactics Recap! Check back next week for more insight and analysis.

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