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Analysis — Nashville SC

Analysis: Scouting Nashville SC trialist Matthew Corcoran

,   and  Jeff Remlinger
6 min read
Courtesy Birmingham Legion

Not every preseason trialist will get a scouting report, but Matthew Corcoran is a name you should know during the preseason.

Coming out of the FC Dallas academy, Corcoran moved to Birmingham Legion in the summer of 2022, where he made 50 appearances for the USL Championship club. Corcoran has been a regular for the USYNT, appearing in the u17 World Cup in 2023, and was part of the recent January camp that faced Nashville SC down in Florida not too long ago.

Statistical Breakdown

Let’s examine his radar chart and the numbers side of his game.

Looking in the lower left quadrant of the radar, outlined in green, you can see he reads the game well and creates a lot of high-quality chances for his team. The specific category in blue means that every shot coming from a Corcoran pass averages 0.16 xG produced, which was in the top 10% for midfielders in USLC.

But moving towards the top, outlined in red, is where problems start to arise. He’s only completing around 50% of his long passes and 17% of his Smart Passes. Via Wyscout, a Smart Pass is defined as “a creative and penetrative pass that attempts to break the opposition's defensive lines to gain a significant advantage in attack.” He’s lacking consistency. He can spot the run and isn’t afraid to play the ball, but he must complete the pass more often.

Some of his numbers are also hurt by the fact he plays for Birmingham. When he moves to Nashville, targets like Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar, who can better control long, aggressive passes, will help Corcoran more than his current teammates.

His defensive numbers are a little suspect. Corcoran doesn’t get involved as much defensively, but he is a good duel winner. Via Wyscout, Corcoran wins 54% of his duels, 63% of his defensive duels but only 35% of his aerial duels.

Those first two categories are above average and close to what we saw out of Dax McCarty in 2023, but the Aerial Duel win rate is poor. Corcoran was 5’10” and only 17 years old when this stat was recorded. Moving to a more physical league won’t help him in that area, but as he grows and matures, there’s plenty of room for natural improvement.

 

 

His heatmap shows that his game is similar to what we’ve seen from Aníbal Godoy. Corcoran won’t do much in either box, but he’ll sit in the midfield and pick passes to more forward-thinking players.

Film Room

The below clip perfectly encapsulates Matthew Corcoran’s game going forward. In the first highlight, the ball drops to him, and he can spot the run and make a beautiful first-touch pass.  This is one of the times I previously mentioned where an MLS quality forward would help him out. Four minutes later, he receives the ball from a center back, turns, and plays another beautiful ball over the top, resulting in a Birmingham goal. Outside of his passing range I want to draw your attention to the decision making. Corcoran can spot the run and should have created two chances off of just four touches.

As Backheeled's John Morrissey points out here, Corcoran’s ability to win the ball at the top of the box keeps Birmingham in possession and in the attacking phase while denying a potential counterattack, but you’d like to see him keep full control. In Callaghan’s possession system, there will be minutes available for a midfielder who can keep the ball in the attacking third like that.

In the first clip, Corcoran is playing more as a No. 8 and getting forward into the attack. It’s not his primary position and he needs some work in the opposing box, but it’s a role he occasionally played for the Legion. He isn’t the most athletic player either, but this clip shows some of his versatility.

Another strength of Corcoran is his set-piece delivery. It’s not often you see a teenager taking set pieces for their club, but it shows how highly he’s regarded in Birmingham.

Views from around the league

“I can tell you that Matthew is going to be a legit super star. He was a regular starter for Birmingham as a 16/17 year old. He is physical on the ball, but his passing ability is great as well. He is the ideal 6/8 for a double pivot, but can sit in deep as the 6. He is also a dead ball specialist. As a 17 year old, he took over all the set pieces for shootable free kicks and corners. Honestly, as he gets older, he’s going to be the best player on the pitch in almost any MLS match. He might be a bit overmatched immediately, but give him a year and he’ll seriously be a super star. I still believe he is going to end up in Europe, and Nashville is a perfect next step for him before that move.”

– Kaylor Hodges of Hammering Down Pod

"I think on a mental level and as a passer, he’s 100% ready [for MLS]. You worry about the physical aspect, and he’s traditionally been a little bit reliant on his right foot, but that stuff is improving. I think he’s already good enough to make an MLS bench, and that’s the experience he needs unless Nashville intends to sign him and immediately loan him back to Birmingham."

– John Morrissey of Backheeled and The USL Show

Signing Corcoran would be a sign of change in Nashville. There is a potential upside that Nashville have so far been unable to reach with any of their previous young signings.

Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but if all goes well, 18 year olds can improve exponentially in just a few years, and Corcoran can take the top off an Nashville ceiling that has been painfully low over the past few seasons. 

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