The next wave of signings for Nashville SC’s inaugural season has been announced: two midfielders and two defenders.
Justin DavisDavis is the big-name signing of the bunch, a 29-year old coming from MLS side Minnesota United. He spent the previous six seasons with the NASL team that was disbanded with the arrival of the MLS franchise.
He’s a pure left fullback, and will likely be the starter at that spot, with Taylor Washington providing a bit of depth (and with the versatility to contribute in other roles). He made only eight appearances for the Loons last year with five starts – this is a move down in level back to one that’s probably more suitable for his skill level. His 492 minutes equals about 61.5 per appearance. He’s known as a hard tackler in defense, evidenced by a 2014 highlight reel of mostly his tackles:
…he gets forward in the offense to serve left-footed crosses, as well, but got precious little opportunity to do that in MLS. Let’s go back to NASL for a fuller statistical picture (and a better indicator of the level he’ll be playing at in NASL). He started every game for Minnesota United in 2016, and was almost exactly 90 minutes clear of the next-most used player. He had one goal and one assist – so probably not as involved in the attack as you might think, based on what’s been written about him. He was actually a forward in college at New Mexico, so more opportunity to get involved in the attack could see him blossom a bit.
“He brings a tough, no nonsense, defending attitude, great athletic ability and a cannon of a left foot,” Gary Smith said. “I expect his experience and strong character to be a big influence on our back line.”
He was named to the league’s Best XI squad during his team’s final three year in NASL, and was joined by a fellow defender in 2014 and 2015. It would stand to reason that the Loons had good defenses in both those years, and indeed they did, with the second- and third-best goals against averages in those two seasons (it dropped off in 2016 to 37 goals, sixth-best in a 12-team league).
Michael DeGraffenreidtDeGraffenreidt is a fellow defender, though a right-sided guy who Gary Smith mentioned as either a central player or fullback – though it sounds like his long-term future is on the outside. A younger guy at just 23, he’s likely to be the backup to Kosuke Kimura, learning from the seasoned veteran for a year or two, with the possibility of making the MLS roster down the line.
“A young, athletic and competitive right-side defender, Michael has the ability to play outside back or centre back and has the potential to make a big impact in our group,” Smith said. “He reminds me very much of Marvel Wynne, pacy and very competitive.”
He’s been out of the game for a year, having suffered a knee injury last pre-season. He was, however, on an MLS side at the time, with New York City FC having selected him in the third round of the Draft out of Louisville. Top Drawer Soccer had Louisville No. 6 nationally in DeGraffenreidt’s senior year, No. 14 his sophomore season, and No. 23 when he was a freshman.
He played in 18 of 22 games as a senior, most of them at center back (but again, a 5-10 guy is probably not there long-term professionally). He started every game the previous two years, so I wouldn’t worry about an injury history in the long-term. His lone offensive production for the Cardinals came in the form of one assist as a junior and four shots – two on goal – during his senior year.
The highlights from his senior year:
That’s a hard tackler who takes some risks leaving his feet. He’s not afraid to play a physical game despite a lack of size, and he sees the game pretty well to both anticipate incoming opponent passes and get the ball out when he takes possession. His skill on the ball is just OK but he has good leaping ability and maybe I’m talking myself into him being a viable center back after all.
He also has a twin brother, Jeremy, who redshirted at Louisville in 2013, played alongside Michael in 2014, and transferred to Cal State-Northridge after that. DeGraffenreidt joins Tucker Hume as NSC twins (Hume’s twin, Walker, plays for FC Dallas).
Bolu AkinyodeA midfielder, Akinyode is another younger guy and potentially a long-term development project who could stick around on an MLS side. The Nigerian played for his native country’s U-14 side, but came up through the Red Bulls youth system, and has also represented the United States with a U-20 camp call-up a few years back.
He’s primarily known for being a defensive-minded guy (not unlike teammate Matt LaGrassa), and Nashville SC will be his fourth team in four professional seasons: he initially signed with New York Red Bulls II, played with Bethlehem Steel the following season, and last year made the switch to NASL to play with North Carolina FC. Here’s the self-produced highlight of his 2016 in Bethlehem:
He’s a long-strider with outstanding vision to pick out passes up the field (and I wrote that even before getting to the “long passing” section of the video!). He’s very comfortable on the ball, but doesn’t seem to be particularly quick (despite solid handles) or have that top-end speed. He’s comfortable shooting from long range with a nice left foot. He’s decent defensively, with a willingness to go to ground, but the lack of quickness sometimes means he has to win with brute strength – which he can do at 6-2, 190.
“Bolu is a genuine defensive midfielder and with his physical size and strength, he performs the role very well,” Smith said. “Don’t think that this lad is all brawn though, he has very good ability for a big guy and looks comfortable with the ball at his feet.”
That 2016 Steel team was kinda bad, with 28 points in 30 matches. Akinyode played in 26 of them, took 18 shots and scored three goals, and committed 18 fouls on the year (unfortunately, the in-depth stats typically available on the USL website don’t include players who weren’t in the league in 2017).
He played 22 games for North Carolina FC last year as they finished fifth in the spring season and third in the Fall, with the second-best goal differential behind Miami FC, who ran away with both seasons. In that time, he made 14 clearances, blocked four shots, and intercepted 17 passes. He also won 35/46 tackles (very good, especially for a midfielder rather than defender), and was decent with better than 50% on aerial and ground duels. Most impressively – especially when you look at his tendency to try for long passes – he completed 88.2% of his passing attempts (74.3% of the long ones), and recorded one assist on the year. Only one of his six shots was on-target, and he didn’t score.
Akinyode is turning 24 this year, so another younger guy. With his good skills and limited athleticism, I almost wonder if he could be a center back in the long-term (i.e. develop into that for an MLS side) rather than stick at defensive midfield. That’s especially possible in odd-man backlines.
Josh HughesThe final of today’s signings, Hughes is another midfielder, though he seems more like a box-to-box No. 8 than a true holding mid. Here’s what the gaffer has to say:
“Josh is an all-action centre midfielder,” said Smith. “In all my coaching years in soccer, I have seen few players with a more dedicated and genuine attitude. Expect energy, tackles, great team play … and more energy.”
So: energetic. Hughes played for Smith with the NASL Atlanta Silverbacks in 2015, with the USL Harrisburg City Islanders in 2016, and last year in something called Major Arena Soccer League with the Baltimore Blast. They’ve played in all sorts of different leagues over the years (the owner seems to be an NASL-esque “don’t get what you want? start a competing league and sue your old one!” type of guy), but play the indoor soccer – on a turfed hockey rink – that we know and love. He played in only eight games and notched two goals and an assist.
Going back to the last time he played full-field soccer, he played in 22 games for the Islanders in that 2016 campaign, with one assist and seven shots (two on goal). He committed 19 fouls. Like Akinyode, he has a limited statistical profile on the USL website because he didn’t play there this Summer. Here are the highlights:
The energy is certainly apparent there (sometimes coming off as frantic, even). What appears to be wasted movement also actually works as a way to set up fakes, giving him more danger with the ball at his feet than perhaps the pure foot skills would grant him. He’s another player with good vision and decent ability to hit long passes. Weirdly for a guy whose primary asset is “energy,” his highlight doesn’t show any long runs, so his speed is anyone’s guess.
At 26 and not having played in an 11v11 scenario in almost two years by the time he suits up for NSC, he’s probably more an energy guy for the now, and the type who seems likely to be a USL player not in the long-term plans for MLS.
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