The Phoenix-El Paso final in the West looks to be a really fun matchup of two well-drilled sides. You can see the stats below, which highlight some of the stylistic differences at play.

PHX will come out in their loose 4-3-3, countering the same formation from ELP. The Rising will settle into a 4-1-4-1 in their own half, and the Locomotive high press will sink into a diamond in defense.

The midfield battle will be huge here. Kevon Lambert will need to shepherd the ball past Mares and the press, and Herrera and Rebellón have to be active defenders to prevent breaks and track drops.

To that end, Bakero and Stanton will be huge for Phoenix. If they can pick up the ball deep to feed Asante and Dadasov, PHX will be in good shape. The Rising fullbacks may also tuck in to facilitate buildup.

How possession shakes out will be important. Phoenix is better at bunkering down and countering, but El Paso could find space against an occasionally disorganized Rising defense if they choose to sit back.

Logan Ketterer also has to come up big here. He’s in the 92nd percentile for save percentage and the 75th for GSAA, and he’ll need to stand on his head if Phoenix is on their game. His penalty shootout heroics bode well in this regard.

Phoenix is probably the favorite here, but sleep on El Paso at your own peril. This is a defensively stout side that can break teams down, and this should be a tight matchup.