Saturday’s scoreless draw against Miami FC wasn’t a defining match, but it was an informative one. Julian Bravo’s return continues to reshape the Roots’ approach, while persistent issues in the attack remained. Together, these factors shed more light on what is working and what is not.
Loved: Julian Bravo’s Changing the Defense and the Attack
Julian Bravo made his second consecutive start at center back and continued to impress.
Bravo again impressed as a distributor. He had the joint-most touches in the match with 92. He ranked second on the team with 73/84 passes (87%), marking his second consecutive week exceeding his season average. Bravo’s 3/6 long balls also tied for second and he recorded ten passes into the final third.
Bravo’s biggest impact may not have come from his passing. Although his defensive contributions dipped from last week, Bravo’s abilities altered the way the Roots defended and attacked.
Due to his presence, Keegan Tingey and Jesus de Vicente played higher up the field than in previous weeks. The duo could afford this partly because of Bravo’s recovery speed. A play in the second half illustrates this. Miami places a nicely weighted through ball that gets beyond an advanced de Vicente. Bravo is able to close down on the ball and dispossess the attacking player.
In previous weeks, the Roots had to be more selective about pushing numbers forward because of the space it left on the back line. Bravo’s pace allows them to defend those moments more comfortably and commit more players forward.
Jesus de Vicente offered his typical strong passing going forward, while Tingey had his best game as a Root. He tied for the team lead in passes into the final third, created a big chance, and served dangerous crosses into the box. This week, no one was there. That should change when Peter Wilson returns on Wednesday.
Bravo’s pace also allowed the Roots to play a higher defensive line and utilize the press more frequently. Attempting to press with Hackshaw created a structural risk because of the space it creates behind the backline. Without elite recovery pace at center back, the Roots had to be more cautious about how often they pressed. Bravo gives them greater flexibility to be aggressive. On Saturday, the Roots strategically utilized the press at moments, like this one in the second half:
As we’ve written, the Roots thrive in transition. The defensive midfield does not always excel at progressing the ball quickly through organized pressure, so the team is at its best when it can win possession in advanced areas and attack before the defense organizes.
With Bravo on the field, the Roots can press more frequently and create turnovers in the opponent’s half. That shift allows the Roots to lean into tactics that fit their identity. His athletic profile gives the Roots greater tactical flexibility while they await David Garcia.
Unsure: How Should the Roots Line Up without Peter Wilson?
In the second consecutive week without Peter Wilson in the lineup, the Roots utilized a different formation. Last week, Danny Trejo led the line. On Saturday, Florian Valot and Faysal Bettache started as forwards with Wolfgang Prentice and Bertin Jacquesson tucking inside more than usual.
As Martin said after the match, “We tried to play with almost two tens to see if we could draw their center backs out to create space in behind.”
The results were hard to decipher. The Roots did have strong attacking moments and controlled possession. They logged 22 touches in the opposition box, created two big chances, and finished with an xG of 1.39. Still, besides Wolfgang Prentice’s shot attempt in the 33rd minute, the starting lineup created little from open play. The biggest chances came from set pieces. Julian Bravo nearly scored twice on headers and Michael Edwards forced a save on a shot from a corner.
Without Wilson, the Roots have struggled with consistency. They have been shut out in two matches without him. In the other, the Roots required an Olimpico and two outstanding individual efforts from Wolfgang Prentice and Tucker Lepley to score.
Life is difficult without a Golden Boot winner. It’s difficult when that player is someone who Martin called one of the, “two best strikers in the league.”
Attacks rarely survive on a single reference point. The last two weeks reinforced that. While Wilson should return Wednesday, the Roots need contingency plans. The season is long. Four and a half months remain in the season. Injuries happen. The Roots cannot afford to be without answers in a tight Western Conference.
Martin’s willingness to experiment was encouraging, and this week showed improvement. The challenge now is finding an alternative attack that can generate chances consistently when Wilson is unavailable.
Hated: The Continued Search for a Third Goal Scorer
One of the players that Roots’ expected prior to the start of the season to be able to fill a Peter Wilson void missed a huge opportunity on Saturday. One of the Roots’ two big chances fell to Danny Trejo.
In the 68th minute, Tommy McCabe won a loose ball and played a perfectly weighted line-breaking pass between two defenders to Danny Trejo. Trejo received it, accelerated past the defenders, and found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Felipe Rodriguez made a phenomenal stop.
It marked the second consecutive week where Trejo failed to convert a major chance.Against Las Vegas, Trejo failed to put a shot on target after Florian Valot created a huge opportunity.
The miss was not frustrating not just because of the chance itself, but because it highlighted a larger issue: the Roots have still not found a reliable third scoring option behind Wolfgang Prentice and Peter Wilson.
Following the miss, Trejo slapped the ground. Five minutes later, Trejo received a yellow card after reaching for a cross in the goalkeeper’s hands and bringing him down.
The sequence suggested growing frustration. Still, for the Roots to reach their ceiling as a team, they need a third goal scorer to emerge. The most obvious candidate is Trejo.
This week continued to demonstrate the dangers of the attack resting so heavily on the shoulders of Wolfgang Prentice and Peter Wilson. When one misses, the attack stutters. When one misses, the other player receives more attention. The Roots need another consistent threat. A third into the season, their third-leading scorer remains the opponent via own goals.
Like Trejo, Wilson also was in a scoring drought earlier this season. Like Trejo, Wilson also went consecutive weeks where he could not score on huge opportunities. Unlike Trejo, Wilson broke the drought with a hat trick against Las Vegas and never looked back.
The Roots can only hope that Trejo will follow suit in that manner as well.