Roman Davis: performance report at the South American U-17 Championship

 

One peculiarity of the Venezuelan U-17 squad in 2023 was the instability in the right-back options. In the South American Championship, Ricardo Valiño was caught between two players, while in the World Cup he resorted to using and improvising with a center-back.

This was a problem the 2025 generation never faced. Roman Uriel Davis Moreno, a player from UCV Football Club, represented both the A and B options at right-back in the four-man backline implemented by Oswaldo Vizcarrondo´s team.

Because of this and more, he was the second Venezuelan player with the most minutes played during the South American U-17 Championship. This is proof of his vitality, but before going any further, I will break down the most relevant characteristics he displayed in the tournament.

Technical ability

This is his area with the most room for improvement. He makes good decisions when linking up with teammates, creating triangles and operating in tight spaces. This ability can lead to sustained periods of possession, essential to Oswaldo Vizcarrondo's system.

However, his passing accuracy was among the lowest in the squad (68%), mainly because he tends to hesitate and is slow to release the ball at the right moment.

Paradoxically, this isn't seen when executing long passes. From the first third of the pitch, he tends to play directly to the striker or winger on his flank, aiming to find the space and the back of the opposing defender.

He connects well with the touchline, so his long passes are quite vertical and rarely go out of play for the opposition's throw-ins. In fact, he was the second Venezuelan player who completed the most long passes, averaging 2.2 per game.

His first-touch ability is adequate. He's able to quickly control and direct difficult passes, whether they're along the ground or at different heights.

He needs to improve his ball control once he's dribbling at full speed. The power of his touch sometimes doesn't match his run, causing the ball to get behind his feet and ruining his dribbling.

Offensive vocation

Roman Davis fulfilled his role as the deepest full-back in Oswaldo Vizcarrondo's system. He possesses excellent vision for overlapping and attacking the weak side of the opposing defense in order to exploit the space (in zone 18) and create numerical superiority or similarity with the winger on his flank.

Comparison of the heat map of Roman Davis (top image) with the heat map of his teammate and left-back, Ricardo Rincones (bottom image).

It was common to see him covering the right flank, especially when the winger cut inside. Therefore, in most of their attacks, the right side was the most heavily loaded for the Venezuelan team.

He's a threat in defensive-to-offensive transitions. As described, he's explosive, he has the physical conditions and doesn't hesitate to make long runs and getting past opponents (1.5 dribbles per game/75% success rate) and reaching the final third.

That said, he doesn't need much space or to be stationary to deliver crosses into the box, as he excels in a skill that most Venezuelan full-backs lack and historically have lacked: the cross on the run.

Roman Davis spots the space on the right flank. He creates a passing option and proceeds to make a self-pass to get past the defender and continue his run.

After these grueling runs, he doesn't lose his composure. Instead, he's able to deliver powerful and high crosses that bypass the height of opposing center-backs and are perfectly directed to the receiver's run.

Davis was Venezuela's best crosser in the South American Championship, achieving the highest number of successful crosses (1.3 per game) along with the highest accuracy at an impressive 40%.

Once again, Roman Davis detects the space and decides to offer himself and project to verticalize.

Finally, he drives to the end of zone 18 and delivers a cross into the heart of the area that is both high and precise.

Likewise, his crosses on the run aren't limited to aerial threats. He can also deliver them along the ground, setting up teammates in the heart of the penalty area.

These attacking abilities also make him a great wing-back. In the third-place match against Chile, Oswaldo Vizcarrondo made some changes, most notably switching to a 3-4-3 formation and including Juan Boyer, a left-back who pushes forward much further than Ricardo Rincones.

Roman played as the right wing-back in a system that favored his attacking instincts and adaptability. He achieved his highest number of key passes (4), providing his only assist of the South American Championship and contributing to the second goal in the 3-0 victory.

Physical power

Standing at 1.78 meters tall, weighing 77 kilograms and possessing a well-defined physique, he has a remarkable build for his age (17), which explains very well his nickname, "The Rock."

There's no doubt that Roman Davis's most outstanding feature is his physical prowess and this is the primary source of his defensive skills.

He could win more duels (7.7 per game, 43%), but he tends to be dribbled past by deception. However, his size allows him to come out on top in tackles and/or when shielding the ball as it crosses his body. Furthermore, his drive and skill in guarding the receiver allow him to win possession in fast breaks.

Above all, thanks to the effective use of his physical attributes, he averaged 7.2 recoveries and 9.93 successful defensive plays per game in the competition.

Roman Davis reacts quickly to the team's loss of possession in midfield. He reads the passing lane, uses his speed to gain control and regains possession.

Beyond his speed, the power of his lower body, combined with his excellent positioning and timing in the air, makes him a reliable asset in aerial duels. He won 1.5 aerial duels per game with a 60% success rate and was only outperformed by the team's two center-backs, Eider Barrios and Marcos Maitan.

In certain situations, he doesn't need to jump to win a 50/50 aerial duel. Instead, he tends to destabilize, containing and pressuring his marker to disrupt his rhythm and force him into errors when controlling the ball.

His aerobic capacity is impressive. The long runs described earlier are consistent and don't show any signs of slowness or noticeable fatigue when making the back-and-forth runs. It's no wonder he played 495 of the 540 minutes allowed in the South American Championship.

In short, Roman Davis is a very interesting right-back. He possesses outstanding physical attributes for his age, efficient tactical awareness and sharp technical skills with plenty of time to refine them.

He made his professional debut on July 30th in the first leg of the Copa Venezuela Round of 16. He played 86 minutes in the 1-0 victory against Barquisimeto Sport Club.

He's at an institution that increasingly produces more young talent. Proof of this lies in the numerous players from the institution who are included in the Venezuelan youth national teams.

For example, there are his two teammates on the U-17 team, Yimvert Berroterán and Williander Muñoz. Meanwhile, on the U-20 team, names like the defender Sebastián Hernández and the goalkeeper Diego Ochoa stand out.

It's beneficial for Roman Davis to learn and compete for a place on the first team with, in my opinion, the best right-back in the Liga FUTVE, Kendrys Silva.