Alonso Coello - Scout Report
The MLS rookie was the brightest spark of Toronto FC's abysmal season - he is ready to take the next step in 2024.
Player Information
Name: Alonso Coello
Club: Toronto FC
Nationality: Spain
Age: 24 (Born 1999)
Position: Centre-midfielder, centre-defensive-midfielder
Preferred foot: Right
Height: 1.85m
Toronto FC finished at the bottom of the table in the 2023 edition of Major League Soccer. Despite heavy investment in the squad, they were never able to get going and had one of the worst seasons in franchise history. Under the guidance of Bob Bradley, the team looked unsettled defensively and devoid of ideas in attack. There was one bright spark, however. The integration of MLS rookie Alonso Coello was seamless - he instantly brought a sense of security and a high level of technical ability to Toronto’s midfield three. The former Toronto FC II captain quickly established himself as one of the better passers in Major League Soccer.
In the three games I watched (NYCFC (H), Philadelphia (H), NYRB (A)), Toronto lined up in a 4-3-3 and a 3-5-2. Regardless of formation, Coello was always in the middle of the three midfielders, playing the role of director from central areas. Despite their lacklustre attack, TFC’s intention was to keep the ball and play out of the back whenever possible. Coello’s composure and passing ability made it easier for Toronto to do so, but their attacks would eventually fall apart in the second and third phases of play. Their attacking play was heavily reliant on individual brilliance from the Italians, Insigne and Bernardeschi, but they were hardly able to gain any consistency due to the constant lack of support in wide areas.
Technical:
The Rayo Vallecano Academy graduate is a highly technical player. So much so that his ability stands out despite playing with seasoned veterans like the Italians, Michael Bradley, and club legend Jonathan Osorio. He brings a sense of security to Toronto’s play, always trying his best to keep the ball moving.
First Touch:
Coello has a great first touch. It is important to note that most of, if not all the passes he was receiving were short ground passes, meaning his first touch was not often tested, he was not usually asked to try to control the ball with different parts of his body. His touch with the inside of his foot hardly ever gets stuck under his feet. His first touch always places the ball about a foot in front of him (on the half-turn as well), which makes it easier for him to step into his next action, which is usually a pass. When possible, he likes to play first-time passes out to his teammates. These are often weighted properly without any bobble, making it easier for his teammates to control. Even when the ball is slightly bouncing when it arrives at his feet, he does well to get his foot and body over the ball to kill the bounce and ensure his first-time passes are not going astray.
Close Control/Dribbling:
Coello has a pass-first instinct - he almost always opts to get rid of the ball in a few touches and find a teammate in a more advanced position. Also, due to TFC wanting to dominate the ball, there are hardly any opportunities for him to carry the ball forward aside from attacking transitions. When he does choose to carry, his slow long strides take him up the pitch at a medium pace. He constantly has his head up in these situations, again looking for a teammate he can release with a lofted pass or a driven through ball. There are some occasions when he over-dribbles and ends up being swarmed by the opposition, who force a turnover from him.
When faced with oncoming pressure, Coello often tries a variety of clever turns and touches to evade the oncoming defender, using the defender’s momentum against them. They are not always successful - when they are, however, he uses his frame to put his body in between the ball and the defender, protecting the ball well while he has it at his feet.
Passing:
Coello’s passing ability is what makes him stand out on the pitch. His footballing education is evident - he was in both Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano’s academies as a youth player, which shows in his technical ability and understanding of the game. Despite not having played at the professional level before the 2023 season, Coello quickly became Toronto’s metronome in midfield. His short passes are always properly weighted, hardly going astray - he also has a top-tier sense of technical empathy. Not only are his passes weighted properly but he is constantly finding his teammate’s back foot - making it easier for them to turn and have the play in front of them when they receive. When Coello makes a pass, you will hardly ever see a teammate checking their run or having to adjust their body positioning to receive properly. The same can be said for his switches and aerial passes - both with the inside of his foot or his laces. His 71.5% long pass accuracy is enough to get him into the 75th percentile among MLS midfielders.
Coello has the technical ability to pick players through a crowd. Whether he is the one under direct pressure or he has to thread a pass through a few opponents, he remains composed and executes his passes well. In 2023, he became TFC’s main source of progression - constantly finding outlets in between lines or wingers/midfielders making runs into space. He has a good idea of how to set the tempo of play - when it is necessary to play faster by switching the play, for example, something he does extremely well, or when he should take a few extra touches to ‘suck the air’ out of the game.
Defending and Tackling:
Standing at 6’1, Coello has a large upper body frame that he uses well in his defensive duels. When defending an opponent with his back to goal, he is very physical - constantly leaning into the opponent, trying to unsettle them and force them to turn the ball over or play it backwards.
As he does this, he ‘snaps’ at the ball with his legs, trying to win it back. The length of his legs means he is occasionally able to reach around an opponent and poke the ball away. When closing down wide areas, Coello is a really smart defender, using the touchline to his advantage. He likes to cut off the opponent’s option to cut in, forcing them down the line. This allows him to shuffle with the opponent as they are dribbling and stick a leg out to nudge the ball out of play or win it back for Toronto. Similar principles apply to his defending in tight spaces - he takes advantage of the fact that the opponents don’t have much space to work with.
Alonso times his lunging stand tackles very well - waiting for a sloppy touch from the opponent so he can use his long legs to pounce on the ball and poke it away. He very rarely commits a foul as a result of a mistimed tackle. If an opponent takes a loose touch, he does an excellent job of getting his body in between ball and opponent, effectively protecting the ball and regaining possession for TFC. Where he does occasionally struggle is when defending 1v1s in space - his lack of mobility hinders him here and allows opponents to breeze past him with sharp turns.
Tactical:
Coello averaged 81 touches per 90 minutes in 2023, placing him in the 96th percentile of midfielders in the MLS. This highlights not only his importance to Toronto’s play but the trust given to him by his teammates and managers - keep in mind 2023 was his first season at the professional level. His passing and reading of the game quickly made him indispensable to TFC’s midfield.
Movement and Positioning:
Starting from the first phase, Coello will usually be found splitting his centrebacks, the 1 in a 2-1 shape. If the ball gets to one of the centrebacks when they are narrow, he sits in between the first and second lines of opponent pressure, waiting to receive and either turn or send a sweeping pass out to the wings. When the fullbacks have the ball in the first phase, he likes to shift ball-side and create a triangle with either the fullback + centreback or fullback + winger. When TFC progress into the second and final thirds of the pitch, Coello becomes Toronto’s ‘reset’ option. He is constantly shadowing the play from a deeper position, ensuring that his teammates have someone to recycle the ball to if they are under pressure - Coello usually takes care of the rest and executes a well-weighted switch or lays it off to another midfielder or defender around him. This deeper role masks his physical flaws well - since he is not the fastest, he sometimes struggles to recover in time when the ball has already gone past him, especially in transition. Starting further back gives him a head start and ensures that he is not in ahead of the ball when it is turned over.
Coello’s movement after the pass and creation of passing lanes can be improved. After he plays a pass he is occasionally slow to react to move into space to drag a defender/receive in space. This occasionally places his teammates under pressure, especially in scenarios where the ideal action would be to execute a 1-2. As the ‘recycle’ option in the midfield, he should be trying to be available to receive as much as possible. This is applicable in all phases of play - he is often hesitant to make a penetrative run past the opponent’s midfield line, even when there is space. I believe his passing ability could harm teams should he choose to venture further forward. The introduction of Franco Ibarra next to Alonso late into the season allowed for these sorts of runs, and he showed moments of potential in these areas.
When his teammates are under pressure he is occasionally guilty of staying within the pressing player’s cover shadow - making it extremely difficult to get the ball into his feet. This is fixed by simply taking a few steps in the necessary direction so that a pass to him would be just out of the reach of the pressing player.
Scanning:
Coello can always be seen scanning the pitch when TFC are in possession. From his ensuing actions, it is clear that he is processing a lot of information as he is scanning. When receiving a pass, he usually scans both shoulders and bases his action on what he sees when he scans. As a result, he hardly ever turns into direct pressure or takes extra touches when they are not necessary.
The speed of his actions shows how effective his scanning is - he always seems to know where his next pass is going to be. After playing a pass, he is constantly seen directing his teammates as to where the ball should go next before his teammate receives the ball at his feet. He is always thinking one or two passes ahead - the information he gathers from his scanning is what allows him to do this. Where he doesn’t scan as consistently is out of possession - he occasionally struggles against blindside runners, which he finds difficult to catch up to due to his speed.
Out-Of-Possession (Anticipation) :
Alonso is constantly working hard out of possession. He can read the game extremely well and uses his intelligence to make up for his lack of mobility out of possession. He is usually tasked with shadowing the opposing #10 or interiors trying to operate between lines.
He does this well - he is there often and early, making sure the pass isn’t played - and if it is, it usually goes backwards as he swarms the opponent and does not allow him to turn. He is very good at reading opponents’ intentions which allows him to occasionally step in and intercept passes.
Physical:
At 1.85m (6’1) and 82kg (181 lbs), Coello has a big frame that he uses well in different situations, but also somewhat hinders him in terms of speed and mobility.
Speed/Acceleration:
Coello’s initial burst of speed over 3-5 yards is quick - over long distances, however, he does not hit a high top speed. Rather, he maintains the same pace after the initial burst and is bypassed by extremely quick opponents.
Leap:
Alonso has a good vertical leap and a good timing of his jump. He combines both of these elements to effectively contest second balls and long balls coming from the opponent.
Psychological:
Coello is a player who clearly has a high-level understanding of the game. He is very vocal and is always trying to direct teammates out of pressure and guide them to making the right decision - captain’s material
He is confident in his ability - it is evident that the staff and players at TFC are too. He is trusted to be on the ball as much as he can and he has the confidence to try ‘risky’ passes such as lofted through balls and line-breaking passes through crowds of players.
Areas of Improvement:
Use of weak foot
Alonso is very obviously reliant on his right foot. He has a decent outside of the boot pass in his locker, but the use of only his right foot has the potential to cut off angles, making it easier to pressure him and force a turnover
Movement after pass + forward movement
Coello is sometimes slow to react following his own pass - as the main passing hub of the team, he should always be looking to take up a position to receive the ball. Waiting to move following a pass sometimes leaves his teammates (especially the ones playing in wide areas) isolated, which forces them to go long or to give the ball away
Demanding the ball
Occasionally, Coello is in a great position to receive the ball but seems to be passive in his asking for the ball. This is tough to tell over a screen - but there are scenarios where I feel like he could grab his teammates’ attention better so he ensures he receives the ball in good areas
Defensive scanning
Alonso can sometimes get exposed by blindside runners - if he checks his shoulder more often defensively, it would help him spot these runners and use his cover shadow to ensure that the pass into the blindside runner does not happen
Player Comparison and Outlook:
Alonso Coello first stood out to me while I was at TFC’s match against NYCFC in at BMO Field in April. His technical floor was evidently levels above most of the players on the pitch, occasionally even better than Bernardeschi and Insigne, the veteran Italian internationals. He is already a great tempo-controlling midfielder and should only improve with consistent starts under new manager John Herdman. His game reminds me of the best #6 of all time - fellow MLS midfielder Sergio Busquets. He is not at the level of Busquets, and he still has quite a way to go if he is to ever get to that level, but his composure under pressure combined with his excellent passing are similar.
Given how raw he is as a professional footballer, there have not been many rumours linking Coello away from Toronto. If he improves at the same rate under TFC’s new management, I could envision him becoming one of the better midfielders in Major League Soccer. Alonso is still young - he turns 25 in October - and if he has a good campaign in 2024, I would not rule out a move to a Conference League or even Europa League club in January 2025.
Thank you for reading! If you want to get a look at my per-match findings, I have attached my three match reports below: