Team Guides 

The Legion used a thin squad in 2022, earning a home playoff match on the strength of Enzo Martinez's false-nine play and Jonny Dean's pace at right back. Dean is out but replaced by winger Tyler Pasher (10 goals in 15 matches with Indy in 2020) and striker Neco Brett. Teenager Matthew Corcoran could step into pivot minutes, and Marshall alum Gabriel Alves will be a breakout at left back.

Still, the depth question remains an issue within a high-pressing 4-2-4 system. One also wonders how an Agudelo/Brett/Martinez/Pasher/Kasim group makes sense up front. On talent alone, however, Birmingham is a title contender. Anderson Asiedu, Phanuel Kavita, and Alex Crognale provide the safety net that'll allow for attacking experimentation. Food for thought: what about Alves as the left centerback in an all-out 3-5-2?

Conor Casey was a failure in his lone season with the Battery, so 2022 Coach of the Year Ben Pirmann was hired and liberated to reset and retool. 20 players exited, and somewhere between six and eight new faces are likely to start for Charleston. Though Pirmann preferred a 4-2-3-1 with controlled build and inverted wingers in Memphis, this roster and assistant Leigh Veidman - a back-three maestro in OKC - lend themselves to a 3-5-2.

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Double-digit scorer Augustine Williams ought to pair up top with rising star Tristan Trager. They'll depend on Deklan Wynne (eight assists) and Emilio Ycaza (five goals, four assists) to create from the midfield line. Meanwhile, the defense has been remade with Charleston stalwarts (Paterson, Archer), USL stars (Cochran), and interesting imports (Palma). This ought to be a playoff side; my only question is how high Pirmann can vault in his first year in South Carolina.

After a third-place finish and first-round playoff win, the Switchbacks bolstered the USL's image as a selling league this offseason but created question marks in the process. Nine new faces all project as contributors, and they must learn on the fly from Stephen Hogan. His longstanding relationship with former manager Brendan Burke hints at tactical continuity in a 4-3-3 built on fluidity; it'll just be narrow and lower-tempo.

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Patrick Seagrist, near all-league at left back, will be a sure hit, and Speedy Williams' no. 8 abilities should last a few more years. Still, the searing pace and moments of magic are gone from this squad. The 2023 roster is full of replacement-level players from rival sides - think Musa, Foster, Kuzminsky, and Lacroix - that hint at competence and bubble status rather than improvement. If Hogan pulls this off, it speaks to a n embedded system in the Rockies as well as the new gaffer's talents as technical director.

Detroit's debut campaign in the USL was as good as any expansion year in recent memory, and Le Rouge has kept their entire defensive core in maintaining that momentum. Devon Amoo-Mensah's eventual return from injury will be a boon at left centerback in their 3-4-1-2. That system is defense-first, sinking into a five before springing forth direct down the flanks.

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Maxi Rodriguez is back to run the midfield, but losing Deklan Wynne and Antoine Hoppenot hurts immensely. Who creates and scores in this team? Adrian Billhardt (94th percentile xA in League One) and Skage Simonsen (eight assists with Loudoun) are strong talents that don't present neat fits into Trevor James' system. Barring a Yazeed Matthews blow-up, this team will need too many 1-0 results to sell me on playoff surety. Hey, maybe Ben Morris proves me wrong!

For a second straight season, the Locomotive will undergo a coaching change, but this one forebears a bigger cultural and tactical overhaul. With Sweden's GIF Sundsvall, Brian Clarhaut was a tactical chameleon with a slight leaning towards a 3-5-2; his current roster is an awkward-ish fit for such a system. Still, the press-and-possess Lowry/Hutchinson days are gone for good in favor of pragmatism.

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Lucho Solignac and Aaron Gomez (35 goal contributions last year) are unassailable up top, but Eric Calvillo feels mighty isolated in the midfield amidst a slew of average pieces. Eder Borelli and Nick Hinds are solid on the left flank, but Marc Navarro - a La Liga talent - headlines an otherwise-questionable defensive unit. El Paso is a team that could return to contender form or miss the playoffs in disfunction, and I wouldn't be shocked either way.

Tulsa would've qualified for the playoffs if eight teams made it last year, and they've only lost oft-missing centerback Ronald Rodriguez and ever-aging creator Lebo Moloto. In their stead, new coach Blair Gavin, he of Columbus and Phoenix breeding, has acquired a fascinating cast of characters. His side zagged and recruited heavily from college, MLS NEXT Pro, and the Canadian Premiership.

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Who stands out? Rodrigo Da Costa (13 goal contributions last year) and Marcus Epps star in attack, and Bradley Bourgeois provide a reliable spine. They're joined by former wunderkind Siad Haji on the wing, veteran Collin Fernandez in the pivot, and CPL stud Brett Levis at left back. Consider star prospects Luca Sowinski and Christopher Pearson, and you've got a talented team that mixes upside and quality to an enticing degree. Expect aggression on the wings and a more conservative central spine. My bold take? Playoff lock.

Hartford ended last season as a high-scoring, oft-conceding patchwork in Tab Ramos' nascent days, and a fuller vision has emerged this offseason. The losses - Joel Johnson chief amongst them - have largely come on the wing, but Ramos has rebuilt the attack and defense admirably. Hartford is simply better by a mile than at this point in 2022.

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Antoine Hoppenot, reigning USL assist king, stands out as a roving wide maestro, and striker Elvis Amoh (24 goals in two years) is a long-sought finisher. Veteran Matt Sheldon and slick-passing Niall Logue fill out the back line with able passers. However, depth is an issue at almost every spot on the roster, and goalkeeper Richard Sanchez is an uninspiring Ramos favorite. Hartford is a playoff contender, and that's progress. A sure thing they are not. Do anticipate fireworks in a dual-no. 10 midfield.

On name value alone, Indy Eleven won the offseason. Aodhan Quinn, Cam Lindley, and Jack Blake combine all-USL nods and title-game appearances to create a juggernaut midfield, and no one scored more goals in the USL than Sebastian Guenzatti between 2019 and 2021. Question the age, but the quality is undeniable. 

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Still, Indy has no depth, and an especially thin defense means that any injury would be major. There's also a question of destruction and pace in the midfield; a pure no. 6 would go a long way. Still, Mark Lowry is highly considered for good reason, and I'm drinking the Kool-Aid on the Eleven. Do they go diamond with Fjeldberg or Robledo at the midfield's tip? Or is a 4-3-3 designed to open central space more viable?

In ending their affiliation with Los Angeles FC, Las Vegas lost their manager and the brunt of their roster in one fell swoop. The first batch of new names was semi-promising, but this team sorely lacks for top-end quality and any proven names for depth. We collectively underrate that the Lights nearly made the playoffs last year, but the galvanizing forces beyond that charge are long gone.

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Pato Botello's eight-goal second-division debut portends a good season as the no. 9, and I'm a Justin Ingram partisan in the midfield. Issa Rayyan and Azriel Gonzalez's Tacoma years translate to solidity in a high-tempo pressing game; ditto Preston Tabortetaka, a speedy journeyman. They're dead last in the USL with a bullet, though they might be a fun watch thanks to high tempo and regular defensive ineptitude.

With the Attain Sports & Entertainment acquisition, Loudoun is rapidly headed towards a post-DC United reality. Their squad is full of fascinating college prospects and high-upside League One and MLS NEXT Pro additions alongside a few mystery men. Ryan Martin's managerial excellence assures a well-drilled pressing system and some clever counterattacking. He can orchestrate a back four or three pending matchups as well. I'm the patron saint of #PlayoffLoudoun, but there are a lot of questions here.

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Who's in the spotlight? Kwame Awuah has been a Canadian Premiership star and id well with St. Louis City, and Koa Santos excelled in League One; that's both fullback spots settled. I like Philadelphia product Cole Turner at the no. 6 role, and there's enough pedigree in a comically deep attacking group to come up with something semi-useful. At the end of the day, this Loudoun team won't be a pushover, and they'll benefit from roster continuity as opposed to random loans.

You finish first in your conference, barely lose the championship game, and return a legendary striker after an injury-addled season. Rest on your laurels? Not so. Louisville added Dylan Mares and his 34 goal contributions in three years; no no. 10 is as effective in transition and lethal in late-arriving runs at goal. His experience as a hard-pressing midfielder in El Paso is utterly unfair within the Cruz system.

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If there's a question, it's how you balance so much talent while keeping everyone happy. That's, uh, the best possible problem to have in a league with a busy calendar and tons of travel. LouCity is two-deep at every single position, from Rasmus Thellufsen and Enoch Mushagalusa on the left wing to Manny Perez and Ray Serrano at right back. Assuming chemistry builds by the playoffs, this team is a heavy favorite.

Losing Ben Pirmann as manager is a hard knock for Memphis, and Stephen Glass has been a mixed bag of a coach in Atlanta and Aberdeen. He's a possession guy, but I can never discern much defensive nous outside of a back-four lean. Still, this roster is top-end. Aaron Molloy's 18 goal contributions and Phillip Goodrum's 20-plus strikers hammer home the quality on display; adding Bruno Lapa from rival Birmingham is icing on the cake. With Jeremy Kelly back on the left, the attacking depth is wild.

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Furthermore, the re-worked defense is eminently trustworthy. Akeem Ward at left back is a personal favorite, and Jelani Peters and Carson Vom Steeg were above-average starters in last year's East at centerback. Another forward and fullback would pay dividends, but the playoffs ought to be a foregone conclusion on Beale Street.

There's nary a disconnect between talent and results more stark than that of Miami. Anthony Pulis did well in year one, but his team always felt a step behind their potential. Sixth place is fine! However, Kyle Murphy never quite got his Memphis service, and Mark Segbers was never as free to do Segbers things. A wonky back three-turned-four was stout but never wholly fruitful.

The vision feels more precise in 2023. Moises Hernandez offers truer left-back play in a putative 4-3-3, and Michael Salazar's off-striker threat will open space. He'll liberate Murphy to feast as a poacher. Meanwhile, Gabriel Cabral's League One numbers (98th percentile Goals Above Replacement!) paint him as a more-than-capable dynamo as a no. 8. Will the best-case pan out, or is this just a one-and-done playoff team? 

Once Cardinale Stadium opened up, Monterey ran at a near-playoff pace. Their whole roster is back - mostly on multi-year deals - and projects as a defensively stout, counter-heavy 4-4-1-1 grinder. My data model is rather high on the club in their second season, but have they done enough?

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Alex Dixon's 69 goal contributions in the last six year are staggering for a quasi-wingback, and his excellence on either flank will pay off handsomely over the course of 2023. Alex Lara, too, is an astute pickup at the core of a defense dependent on Kai Greene and Hugh Roberts to stay healthy. There's a question at striker and a reliance on year-on-year goalkeeping consistency, but I'm bullish.

In bringing back Santi Moar after a Phoenix sojourn, New Mexico decided to play the old hits to a certain extent. Still, one season of poor finishing luck doesn't undermine his MVP-level history. Fellow Rising purchase Greg Hurst (13 goals with Omaha in 2021) is also tantalizing at striker; ditto St. Louis' Josh Dolling. Both forwards are more traditional than last year's roving no. 9s.

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Where do those two fit? Zach Prince couldn't quite choose between a narrow diamond and a 3-4-3 with loads of CMs and CBs out of position last year, and the logically possession-focused 4-2-3-1 isn't guaranteed for 2023. This is another team that feels like a playoff lock, but they could've gone a whole lot further to mark out an identity and make a leap in the table. In any event, you ought to watch this team for Christian Nava.

Noah Delgado led Oakland to the playoffs on the back of a late surge during his late-season debut, but a winter of loan losses and out-of-left-field transfers has left some question marks. Delgado feels likely to persist with last season's 3-4-3, one that relied on technical passing from back and goalscoring from the wingbacks in an in-possession 3-2-5. The high back line was often bailed out by Paul Blanchette, and he should be excellent again.

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Besides poaching two youth internationals from San Jose, the Roots picked up striker Anuar Peleaz (15 goals in his last 25 games in Venezuela) and international left back Kevin Wright. Heady box-to-box man Koze Donasiyano and versatile no. 6 Napo Matsoso project as the pivot pair, but they encapsulate an industrious but unspectacular side. Does the back three stick after a Delgado preseason? How big is veteran international Bryan Tamacas on the right? Oakland is high-variance.

Few title defenses have gone as poorly as Orange County's 2022, lease victory over LA Galaxy II notwithstanding. Patrick Rakovsky cratered and Ronaldo Damus was sold; Milan Iloski's Golden Boot was a lone year-long bright spot. The youth movement led by Korede Osundina was a late boon, and this winter turned that momentum into legitimate hope.

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Owen Lambe, an intelligent fullback signifies the shift, as does ball-ready centerback Andrew Fox. No longer will this be a punt-and-hope side; I'd look for much more controlled entry. Elsewhere, full preseasons for Brian Iloski and Dillon Powers are big, and I like the McNulty-Amang no. 9 platoon. Moving on from Rakovsky in net was wise if difficult. I anticipate that a renewed OCSC reaches the playoffs, but they'll remain a sterling example of youth progression even if the season goes sour again.

Losing Aodhan Quinn, Santi Moar, Ben Lundt, and Joey Farrell in one offseason would be a death knell for most, so why do I have Phoenix hosting a playoff match? Danny Trejo's 14 goals and full-field dribbles and the return of vets like Darnell King and Kevon Lambert go a long way. Still, the tantalizing talents that fill out Juan Guerra's 3-4-3 are more exciting yet. 

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Fede Varela projects as a world-class passer by the numbers from his European stints; Erickson Gallardo and Renzo Zambrano have MLS and South American bonafides; Daniel Kuntzen was one of the CPL's best defenders. The goalkeeping platoon is a big question mark, and the midfield could underwhelm if left stranded by aggressive wingbacks, but fully-realized Phoenix could go the distance on high-octane talent alone.

The Riverhounds return just 49% of their minutes played, bottom-ten in the USL and second-bottom amongst playoff teams. Still, they've only added one surefire star, former all-leaguer and native Pennsylvanian in Joey Farrell. 

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Why buy in? Bob Lilley turned six late-coming college kids into rotation players of varying quality in 2022; many are expected to step up as legit starters, and a new set is surely on the way. This is just what Lilley does! Kenardo Forbes, down a step at 34, is still the all-time assist leader, Albert Dikwa wrecking-balled his way to 11 goals last year, and Robbie Mertz is implacable across the midfield. Nevertheless, there's little proven production in this squad, and I'm hovering over the panic button. Still, Lilley has the voodoo.

The Toros often leave their business late, so a 12-man retention announcement by New Year's Day and a further slate of signings sent a positive message. Wilmer Cabrera has built a two-year playoff run on a shoestring, but this RGV team feels wholly different.

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Christian Pinzon's 10 goal contributions in less than 12 total games while on loan were the first big re-signing, followed by right back Jonathan Ricketts and underdiscussed all-league defender Wahab Ackwei. The side's hard-nosed press - built from four storming forwards and two side-to-side no. 8s - will improve with new faces like winger Christiano Francois and left back Gabriel Benitez, and true tactical continuity in the 4-2-4 that should lead to the postseason yet again.

An Open Cup title-game run and top-four conference finish were a breath of fresh air for Sacramento, and Mark Briggs' flash rebuild has been fine-tuned this winter. Dan Casey exited as right centerback, so veterans Shane Wiedt and Jared Timmer entered as similarly technical replacements. Russell Cicerone's 29 goals since 2021 may solve the striker problem for a team that tried four players there last season. Two South American recruits bolster the pointy end of the 3-4-3.

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You can question the level of panache in the pivot, and Cicerone always plays at his best working off another no. 9, but this team was defense-first anyway. Sit deep in a back five, let the ageless Rodrigo Lopez cook, and you're no worse off than last year. If the new faces hit, bigger things are on the horizon, and Sacramento has a track record of grinding out results in a cup format.

San Antonio romped to a 77-point season and returns enough talent to feasibly start a full lineup of returners; 71% of minutes played were retained, and 75% of the roster in total was here last year. The league's best goalkeeper, Jordan Farr, and defender, Connor Maloney or Mitchell Taintor depending on the mood, are back. 23-year-old dynamo Cristian Parano rounds out the attack after an end-of-campaign loan.

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Losing Samuel Adeniran and Santiago Patino stings, but strong adds have supplemented the 3-4-3. Niko Hansen and Kimarni Smith are flashy wide-forwards; Juan Azocar scored 10 times in Oakland. All the names add panache atop the back five. There is a worrying lack of depth in the pivot pending Jacori Hayes, but the first XI is near-invincible.

Nate Miller technically counts as a new manager, but he set San Diego's tactics for the last three years. Typically using a 4-4-2 without possession and a 3-5-2 with it, Miller returns more than 15 players, only losing gravitational striker Kyle Vassell and wry creator Jack Blake. Both have been replaced ably in the form of subtly skillful forward Elliot Collier and former USMNT midfielder Joe Corona, a local. There's upside in Blake Bodily out wide as well.

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The Loyal are stacked in central midfield; I'm salivating over those late-arriving runs. What's more, Evan Conway has been a preseason darling at the no. 9 spot. I do have qualms in the back pending an Ackon or Vegas glow-up; San Diego shipped more goals than any playoff team last year. Even so, the Loyal ooze potential and are the main threat to shake up the West.

Neill Collins orchestrates a defense with the best of 'em while letting his attacking pieces run free, and that formula led Tampa Bay to a millionth-straight conference final last season. A soft reset full of big names ensued. Premier strikers in Cal Jennings and JJ Williams, former Defender of the Year Forrest Lasso, goalkeeper extraordinaire Connor Sparrow, and a slew of technical central midfielders have given the Rowdies a new sheen.

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I suspect that Collins will employ his tried-and-true back three in more of a 3-4-3 alignment. Leo Fernandes will run free behind the two strikers after an MVP season, though he can fill in on the left in a pinch. I do worry about a surprisingly thin wingback corps here, and I'd trade a no. 8 for another centerback without blinking, but there might not be a more talented team in the league heading into 2023.