Injuries Hounded Pompeu & Alm in 2024. Will a New Formation Unlock Them in 2025?

While the attacking prowess of Cello & Cedi was the biggest CITY storyline from the second-half of 2024, the biggest (positive) story from the first half of the season was the breakout from Celio Pompeu.

Shortened by a broken leg just 19 minutes into an early June match against Dallas FC, Pompeu tallied six goal contributions (3G+3A) in 1, 243 minutes following his 1 goal in 975 minutes in CITY’s inaugural campaign.

Pompeu’s breakout 2024 happened mainly out wide on the left, with freedom to dribble and attack in that flank space. (His heatmap from the 2024 regular is picture below) We’ve seen a lot of positional malleability in the preseason; the CMs (Hartel, Vassilev, Celio, Alm) get out wide and attack in channels & in space, but that has been far from their primary duties. Will Pompeu be able to duplicate his shortened ‘24 campaign while operating more centrally, and in a position that has more defensive/pressing responsibilities?

Celio’s foil on the right side of this formational question is CITY’s Swedish swinger Rasmus Alm. He operated out wide throughout both of his first two injury-shortened seasons in St. Louis, producing 9 total goal contributions (5G+4A) in just over 2,000 minutes. Unlike Pompeu, Alm’s use as CITY’s most aggressive presser projects to transfer well inside, placing him even closer to the goalkeepers & defenders he loves to harass. But, as you can see from his positioning throughout 2024, he hasn’t played much outside the right flank while in the MLS.