The Orange wrapped up their slate of spring games with a return to the SU Soccer Stadium
Although you may not have heard much about it, the Syracuse Orange men’s soccer team has had a busy spring season after welcoming a slew of new transfers to the ranks. The team rounded out their spring campaign on April 21 at the SU Soccer Stadium against Rutgers, securing a 2-0 win on an overcast spring day in Central New York.
Important to note is that the 20 members of the spring squad will be joined by over ten freshmen in the fall who will fill out the Cuse roster. As is the case with the Cuse squad year after year, the Orange roster had plenty of new faces starting the match.
Gabriel Threadgold featured for Cuse in the wide right position and looked excellent, scoring the opening goal. Burly forward Daniel Burko, who came from DII Lincoln Memorial University, scored in the last five minutes to secure the win for Syracuse. Carlos Zambrano, Ernest Bawa, Elton Chifamba, Ben Rosenblatt, Nathan Scott, and Michael Acquah were the other new faces making their debut at SU Soccer Stadium.
Just based on what transpired in this spring matchup, here are five key takeaways from the game concerning what you can look forward to when the team embarks on its 2024 campaign come August.
1. The 3-5-2 is back (again)
As with the last few seasons, new faces have not seen a massive shift in tactics by SU Head Coach Ian McIntyre. Despite the re-tooled squad, you can expect SU to line up in a similar fashion as the last few years. McIntyre’s team typically takes a defensive-first approach. You can’t lose if you don’t concede, right?
This mindset of solidity-first certainly appeared to be the goal again on Sunday. The Orange were consistently dogged in defense and mitigated Rutgers’ chances. They did have some struggles in creating on the offensive end, but we can expect the connections to come with time and practice between the teammates.
The team will apparently line up some sort of 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 formation, as they did in the last few seasons, including their National Championship campaign. This formation features three out-and-out defenders who will be responsible for patrolling the back line. It also features a pair of forwards who take on large amounts of the offensive burden. This game plan is what McIntyre and the established players are most comfortable with, so you can expect them to proceed in this manner in the fall.
2. The Orange need some new Center-Backs
To start their match against Rutgers, the Orange featured Ben Rosenblatt, Sam Layton, and Andre Cutler-DeJesus as the trio of center backs. Of course, over the last two seasons, the Orange have lost a plethora of their elite defenders including Buster Sjoberg, Josh Belluz, Gabi Mikina, Abdi Salim, and Olu Oyegunle. Gavin Wigg, the Orange’s most experienced defender, also missed the match, possibly through injury.
Although Rosenblatt, Layton, and DeJesus were all very solid on the day, it felt that the Orange were slightly lacking in the out-and-out defensive mindsets that defined the center backs of the last few seasons. Most of Rosenblatt’s experience at Elon came as a wide midfielder or defender. Similarly, Layton and DeJesus’ previous experience primarily came in defensive midfielder roles rather than at center-back.
Over the last few seasons, the Orange have heavily relied on the height and physicality of their center-backs, such as Sjoberg, Belluz, and Mikina. Their height and aerial ability proved critical for Cuse over this span, as the team was almost always dominant in the air.
Particularly on set pieces, the Orange were out-matched in the air against Rutgers, as Layton, the tallest of the center-backs, is 6’2’’. This was not a problem last season as Mikina was a monster in the air on both ends, scoring five goals. Belluz at 6’6’’ also provided an impactful presence with his height and physicality. This security in the air and the accompanying defensive awareness will be something the Orange need next season against elite teams.
Luckily for McIntyre, his recruiting squad has done a great job in bringing in some high-potential center-backs that meet these criteria of defense-first, aerial dominance, and physicality. Chimere Omeze is a big talent in Canada with his size and defensive instincts. Dominic Bell is another talent who fits this criteria. Kelvin Da Costa and Garrett Holman are also coming in as center-backs. Based on talent and size, one of those two could possibly feature for the Orange from the jump next year. The bottom line is to expect to see a freshman or even two playing at center-back regularly for Cuse next season to provide size and aerial prowess. The other spots will be taken up by Wigg, DeJesus, and possibly Layton.
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— Syracuse Men’s Soccer (@CuseMSOC) April 19, 2024
3. Nick Kaloukian will decide the Orange’s offensive output
Taking the #9 shirt for the Orange this year, Nicholas Kaloukian certainly looked like a key player on the day. Tied as the leading scorer for Cuse last season with six goals, Kaloukian will probably have to score at least ten next season for the Orange if they want to replicate last season’s form. If they want to get up to National Championship level, he will have to be putting up Opoku-like numbers with 15 or so goals.
While only playing 20 minutes in the first half, everything good the Orange created on offense went through the forward. After playing for the Armenian U-21’s in the offseason, Kaloukian looks much stronger on the ball and even more confident in his abilities.
His hold up play on the day was spectacular, and he was a great target for the Orange on long balls, throwing his weight around and proving a nuisance for Rutgers’ hefty center-backs.
In his 20 minutes in the first half, Kaloukian generated three or four great efforts with both his head and feet. If the Orange want to have a successful campaign next year, Kaloukian will have to fulfill his roles as hold-up man in the center of attack, as well as chipping in with as many goals as possible. If we see the same physicality, aerial ability, quality, and effort that Kaloukian showed, he could be the most impactful player next season for Cuse.
4. Widman, Chifamba look a great duo in Midfield
Sophomore Ezra Widman looked very solid on the day for the Orange as the young midfielder showed tremendous pace and endurance, being one of the only players in the side to complete over 75 minutes.
Alongside Widman, Elton Chifamba, who won two national Championships with Clemson before transferring to Syracuse, was probably the outstanding player on the day.
As a partnership in midfield, the two serve as a great complement to each other. Widman, who featured primarily as a striker last year, showed his ability to contribute to the attack using his ridiculous pace and offensive awareness. Widman’s tenacity and work ethic were also on full display on the defensive end as he got stuck in and made a few critical tackles.
Chifamba’s stamina was also showcased as he was one of four players (and the only non-defender) to play all 90 minutes. The Junior is a technical marvel in midfield with an amazing first touch. Although the stats are not available, he might not have placed a pass wrong the entire afternoon.
Chifamba also reads the game brilliantly, acting as a metronome for the Orange who can weasel his way out of any dangerous situation to keep the passes ticking. He never stops scanning the pitch both in and out of possession. Chifamba also never puts his teammates in trouble with risky passes and provides a great sense of security in possession. His set-piece-taking ability was also on full display, whipping in a few perfect corners for the Orange that greatly challenged the Rutgers defense.
With Jeo Kocevski’s number eight on his back, Chifamba might thrive even more than he did in this game playing in a slightly more advanced role where his passing and composure can impact the offense. For this reason, it might be advantageous for the Orange to line up with a midfield three that features a defensive, destructive midfielder behind a more mobile Widman and technical Chifamba.
One thing you can say for sure is that these two will be integral for the Orange’s midfield unit next season.
5. Widemen are too offensive
In Coach McIntyre’s 3-5-2, a large emphasis is placed on the wide midfielders to track back on defense as well as providing the width on offense. For the majority of the game, Syracuse played with new transfers, Gabe Threadgold and Ernest Bawa, as the wide right and wide left players respectively.
This role is not one that the two are particularly used to playing. At UNC, Bawa featured as an attacking winger or even striker at times. Similarly, Threadgold often had a defensive fullback behind him to cover his back at Washington.
Although both Threadgold and Bawa looked amazing on the offensive end for Cuse, their lack of defensive experience also showed. Due to their attacking tendencies, they are both prone to getting stuck upfield and not tracking back on defense. They also lacked the willingness to put in a hard-nosed tackle in a few instances.
This lack of discipline, motor, and willingness to get stuck into tackles for the team showed in this game as most Rutgers attacks came from beating or getting in behind one of the wing-backs. As a possible solution, the Orange could be to feature a more defensive wideman on one side to counteract this issue.
It looks like we will have to wait until the regular season to see how Coach McIntyre looks to counteract this potential problem that could rear its head against elite offensive teams.
Stars of the Day / Players to Watch
Andre Cutler-DeJesus:
Although he only played one match for the Orange last season, DeJesus looked like a veteran against Rutgers and was the Orange’s most outstanding defender. DeJesus was everywhere, putting in multiple timely challenges and winning the majority of his aerial duels. DeJesus was also the vocal leader for the Orange on the day, guiding and instructing teammates from the back line. Based on how he played in this match, expect the Junior to get many more opportunities next season.
Elton Chifamba:
Probably the best player on the field for this match, we already highlighted Chifamba’s outstanding technical ability and game reading above. Chifamba’s motor and well-rounded game should see him start every game next season for the Orange.
Gabriel Threadgold:
The scorer of the first goal, Threadgold was able to showcase all of his abilities from his wide role for Cuse. Brilliant delivery for crosses and set pieces are hallmarks of Threadgold’s game, and these talents were on full display against Rutgers. Threadgold’s offensive awareness also shone in the attacking third as he challenged the defense, popped up in the right places at the right times, and can do a bit of everything. Threadgold also showed some wicked pace to beat a few defenders down the right-hand side. Expect him to play a key role for the Orange next year.
Michael Acquah:
Acquah did not play much of the game and clearly has a long way to go to develop his game, but the raw talent is most certainly there. Acquah is still technically a true Freshman after transferring from JUCO College Lindsey Wilson (the same school that Nathan Opoku arrived from).
With the time he has to develop, Acquah looks like he could turn into a true star. The Ghanain-born forward has a natural nose for goal, almost scoring a 25-yard screamer if not for a fingertip save from the Rutgers keeper. Although he didn’t put it all together in this match, his tricky feet, pace, and natural ability give him all the tools to be a top-level forward in the coming years.
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Overall, Syracuse’s concluding spring match gave plenty of reasons to look forward to the 2024 campaign as we saw new faces alongside some improved old ones. Even more time as a team should see the roster further improve and mesh in the coming few months. Stay tuned for more updates on Syracuse men’s soccer as we count down the days to the 2024 season.