3 reasons why Nashville SC will win the MLS Cup
By Alex Miller
3. Leal and Muyl
As wingers, Randall Leal and Alex Muyl would traditionally have some attacking pressure on their shoulders. But in Gary Smith’s system they are used almost like no. 8’s. They tuck inside at times to help an older Dax McCarty, they invert in the final third to take shots across the penalty area, and they help defend the wide areas when the back line is forced to compress.
All that is to say that the utilitarian use of these players gives them a unique responsibility in the squad, and makes it even more difficult for opposing managers to prepare tactically.