Part 2: Odd Man Out

Welcome back, Rhode Island FC fans and Tide Talk faithful.

Last week, in Part 1 of this “Best Eleven” series, we broke down our options at the forward position. Now, we shift our focus to the midfield trio, a position group that proved to be a major strength for the team last season. This week, in Part 2 of this series, we’ll analyze who should make up that midfield trio and how each key player can contribute to the team’s success. While there are plenty of combinations to consider, we’re honing in on the top four midfield options at Coach Khano’s disposal: last season’s unquestioned starters – Clay Holstad, Zachary Herivaux, and Marc Ybarra – along with our first (and biggest) signing of the offseason, Maxi Rodriguez.

Before diving in, let’s cover some ground rules for this discussion.

1. While we’re focusing on these four players, RIFC’s midfield is the deepest unit on the roster. Coach Khano has plenty of options, including the possibility of dropping Noah Fuson into midfield or giving minutes to emerging talents like a healthy Amos Shapiro-Thompson or newly signed college standout Taimu Okiyoshi. Covering every possible lineup combination would be impossible, so we’re narrowing our focus to the most likely candidates to start.
2. We’re operating under the assumption that Khano will stick with the 3-5-2 formation that defined the final stretch of last season and the playoffs, which heavily relied on a midfield trio.
3. We’re also assuming that Maxi Rodriguez will be a default starter. You don’t bring in a 2024 USL Championship All-League 1st Team player to be a super sub.
4. This analysis is based on what we know today. It won’t account for potential new signings, preseason injuries (hopefully none), or unexpected roster developments.
5. Each writer will present their case, even if it’s not their personal pick for the best starting lineup.

Now, let’s introduce the contributors behind this week’s debate:

• Ryan will argue why the best midfield trio doesn’t include Marc Ybarra.
• Timmy is going back-to-back in the “Best Eleven” series to make the case that Zachary Herivaux should be on the outside looking in.
• Matt Hands, the legend himself, will do his best to convince me (err, us all) that Clay Holstad should be left out of the starting lineup.

Join us as we continue our deep dive into the squad with the 2025 season fast approaching. Follow along, share your thoughts, and as always… Up The Tide!

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Lead the way, Ryan. Tell us why Ybarra is the odd man out.

One of the catalysts for Rhode Island FC’s scorching form down the stretch and through the playoffs was a change to how Khano Smith deployed his midfield. Coming off an uneven run of two draws, two losses and two wins, Coach Khano made a tweak to his midfield ahead of the match against San Antonio on September 28th. While this match is remembered mostly for the asinine refereeing performance from star of the show Sergei, this was the first time that we saw the trio of Ybarra, Holstad and Herivaux deployed in the midfield. 

From that day on, the trio, affectionately known as the Adult Midfield™️, started the final nine games of the season with RIFC winning six, drawing two and losing just one match which happened to be the USL Championship Final. Over these nine games, RIFC outscored their opponents by thirteen goals (shoutout to Miami), had an average expected goal difference three times higher than when the trio wasn’t together and gave up 32% less big chances. 

But, what if I could give you the Adult Midfield™️ and make it even more Adult? 

First, why the hell did I come up with this nickname? The trio of Ybarra, Holstad and Herivaux was incredibly hard working, could cover the entire pitch and could interchange fluidly with each other throughout a match. They gave the team a sense of control and composure that previously was missing, leading to sloppy play and often silly goals conceded. The trio also gave players like Jojea Kwizera, Noah Fuson and JJ Williams a platform to shine, making RIFC a more deadly team scoring 72% more goals per game with the Adult Midfield starting. 

How do you top that? Enter, none other than USL Championship First Team All League Player Maxi Rodriguez. Adding Maxi into this mix allows the team to further bolster the attack (Maxi ranked 14th in XG+XA of any midfielder in the league last season), while continuing the ability to control the game on and off the ball (Rodriguez won over 5 duels per match, 20th in the league compared to all midfielders).

Who are Maxi’s partners? The way that the Adult Midfield was deployed, we saw Herivaux and Holstad operate as box to box players, covering a ton of ground while being incredibly aggressive in the press. This left Ybarra to control the game and move possession from defense to attack. 

With Maxi in the mix, he brings a more attacking focus to one of these rolls. Rather than playing as an all around box to box player, to best utilize his skillset, he should be looked at as more of a #10 who is contributing in the attacking space. 

For our next midfielder, I’m going to move to the base of the midfield. We’ll need someone who can play the pivot that controls the ball, can win their duels and cover ground in transitions. 

Of the trio, Herivaux is number one in pass accuracy, number one in duels won and showcased his athleticism to cover ground throughout his time on the team. His experience, leadership and familiarity with Coach Khano’s game plan will also align well to this role as he can operate as that coach on the field in the middle of the pitch. 

For our final midfielder, we’ll need a box to box demon who can cover ground, recover the ball, win his duels to break up attacks and who can contribute offensively. Of our final two candidates, who do we pick? 

While Ybarra showcases well in terms of chances created, he lagged behind Holstad in duels won, recoveries and the pure athleticism we saw Clay showcase throughout the entire season. It would also be asinine to remove the howitzers that Holstad has for feet out of the midfield. 

So there you have it. Adult Midfield 2.0 aka Rodriguez, Holstad and Herivaux. 

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These arguments are tough to beat in my eyes, but let’s see what Timmy can tell us about why Herivaux should be on the outside looking in.

Rhode Island FC’s best starting midfield trio uses Marc Ybarra as the deep-lying number 6, with Maxi Rodriguez and Clay Holstad playing in the more progressive midfield roles ahead of him. My argument is: John Morrissey agrees with me. Do I need to say much more?

Zachary Herivaux, for as much as I love him, is most valuable to Rhode Island FC as the first midfield sub off the bench. He is cursed by his versatility as it allows him to comfortably sub in for any of these three starting midfielders depending on the game state. He can play all of the roles competently, but doesn’t have the same ceiling as their determined starters. 

Ryan graciously made the argument for Herivaux starting at the 6, indicating that he is perfectly capable of playing that role – but personally I don’t believe it’s warranted for him to displace Ybarra. The two players were within a couple percent of each other for % of tackles won and ground duels won in the 2024 season. Ybarra did – unsurprisingly, given his role – edge Herivaux on Ball Recoveries with 4.24 per 90 minutes compared to Herivaux’s 3.44 per 90. If this is simply the result of positioning and tactics, then explain this to me: 

Ybarra also topped Herivaux in Possession Won in the Final 3rd; 0.57 times per 90 minutes, compared to 0.43 from Herivaux (even playing in a more advanced position).

Comparing Herivaux to Clay Holstad – a more like-for-life comparison – the gap is more apparent. Holstad bested Herivaux in many stats per 90 minutes over the course of the season. Unless Clay is playing outside of the midfield three (as Matt Hands is suggesting), there is little argument for Herivaux displacing him.

Again, their duel and tackle win rates are comparable within a few percent, but Herivaux was dribbled past AND dispossessed more frequently than Clay – two crucial parts of the number 8 / box-to-box midfield role.

Which finally brings us to Maxi Rodriguez. We’re talking about a 2024 All-League First Team midfielder who had 15 goal contributions for Detroit City FC. Maxi has the potential to walk up to Tidewater and be the best player on a team that made it to the USL Championship Finals last season. He’s starting, and that’s that. 

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Compelling arguments, as always, from Timmy. And using John Morrissey to defend your view is about as forceful an argument one can make.  But here comes Matt Hands to tell us why the guys above are wrong.

Look, I know we all love Clay Holstad.  By all accounts a great guy off the field.  And on the field, he scores bangers.  He was 1/3 of our Adult Midfield that carried us to the final last season.  But with the addition of Maxi Rodriguez this offseason, I think Clay is the one to miss out in our 3 man midfield.    

It all starts with what you want out of a midfield 3.  When you’re playing that way, I think it’s important to have the right balance.  You want one of your midfielders to play further back defensively, one to be box to box, and the other to be a playmaker who joins in the attack.  I think it’s pretty straightforward to have Marc Ybarra as your defensive player.  He played in that position all season last year and was a steady, calming influence.  I think he’s the perfect player in that spot to keep the ball moving and connect the defense to the midfield.  As for the playmaker spot, clearly that goes to Maxi.  He was one of the best players in the league last season and contributed 10 goals and 5 assists for his former club.  So it really comes down to who takes the box to box role between Zach Herivaux and Clay Holstad.

This is where I think it gets pretty difficult, but for me the biggest deciding factor is Clay’s versatility.  Trust me, I know we’ve been down this road before.  We were all frustrated (massive understatement) with seeing Clay in the back line and at wing back at times last season.  We screamed about his best position being in the midfield.  And I still agree that that is his best spot.  However, I’m much more ok with moving him out of midfield this season with Maxi in the squad.  I think it’s the right move that will benefit the team the most.  So if not in our midfield 3, where does Clay fit in?

If Clay starts, he can fit in at RWB.  With the departure of Stephen Turnbull, that position is still up for grabs.  We’ve seen Frank Nordarse play there but he may be needed in the back line.  New signing Dani Rovira can play there too but it remains to be seen if he is going to be a nailed on starter.  So at least to start the season, it looks like it’s going to be RWB by committee.  Now, I know we all love a good Clay banger.  What if I told you that he scored one from RWB last season?  It came against his new teammate Maxi’s former club Detroit City FC and rescued us a point.  Clay cut in on his left foot and fired a patented rocket into the top corner.  He’s more than capable of playing in that position as well as pretty much anywhere else on the field. 

But circling back to midfield, I think Clay’s energy off the bench could also be a game changer late in games.  If we’re behind and need to chase a game, his constant running and pressing could create the kind of quick transition moments that we thrived in last season.  And if we’re trying to hold a lead, he could spell any of our 3 starters.

So again, this all comes back to that one word: versatility.  I look at Clay’s versatility as a luxury for us.  Last season, that wasn’t really the case.  Khano Smith was forced to put Clay in the back 3 or at wingback primarily due to injuries in the squad.  Bringing in Maxi Rodriguez has afforded us the ability to utilize Clay in a variety of roles out of choice rather than necessity.  And I think that shows the growth in the squad from year one to year two.  So as difficult of a choice as it may be, I would go with a midfield of Ybarra, Herivaux and Rodriguez.

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And there we have it. Three cases all expertly laid out. For me personally, I think Ybarra should be the odd man out. But Timmy and Matt’s arguments are extremely valid and firmly in the realm of possibility. We may end up seeing no entrenched trio until later in the year once the team gets into the flow of their season, but for now it’s fun to debate who should be the starters in that midfield.

Thank you to our fantastic contributors this week. Especially Timmy for returning round two. Next week we’ll bring you the next and final installment in our “Best Eleven: series discussing our defensive line, inclusive of the wingback positions. There are several possibilities there, but which back 5 will serve the team best? 

Stay tuned to read more about this, and much more, here at Tide Talk.

Up The Tide!