There are twenty-seven teams in the USL, I've ranked them all, and I have no creativity: thus, a column name was born. These are my mostly-weekly power rankings featuring write-ups and snide remarks on whichever clubs capture my sprit. If you want more, make sure to check out:
The USL Show, as always. We're live on Tuesdays at 9:00 Eastern and in your podcast feeds shortly thereafter. The USL Tactics show is there as well.
Backheeled, a new site covering American soccer where I'll be contributing on all things USL. Subscribe to the Monday newsletter and watch for my Wednesday Q&A!
But without further ado...
Title Contenders
1.) LOUISVILLE: At the midweek, Louisville did exactly what you need to do to stay atop these rankings in smacking Atlanta. The result was never really in question, but I was still impressed by Tyler Gibson's staid control in the eye of the chaotic Atlanta storm, and I liked that Niall McCabe got some run. Everyone is worried about the striker situation when Cameron Lancaster comes back, but I'm curious about the left wing right now; Jorge Gonzalez and Enoch Mushagalusa seem to be happy splitting time, but who's in the eleven when push comes to shove?
2.) COLORADO SPRINGS: Despite a shaky performance, Colorado Springs held on to get the full three points after being outplayed by an opponent in a back three driving offense through its wingers. If you're curious, that statement equally applies to the Oakland and Rio Grande Valley games. The Switchbacks have a slight width problem given how high Malik Johnson and Isaiah Foster get, and it's something to watch. That said, we might have hit the Elvis Amoh event horizon; he was a physical monster in that 3-2 win.
3.) PITTSBURGH: The 'Hounds moved back to a 4-2-3-1 shape and used Danny Griffin in a novel fashion at the #10 spot. Griffin is more of a holding midfielder traditionally, but he showed a ton of nous as a mover in the hole when in possession. More importantly, his league-leading intelligence as a defensive presence cut off Anderson Asiedu in the pivot and let Pittsburgh control the game through the press. Bob Lilley, huh? Check out Backheeled for a deeper dive on this, also.
4.) SAN ANTONIO: San Antonio finally looked a step off the pace in the Valley. They didn't lack for chances, and that Collier/Dhillon pairing has massive potential down the stretch, but midtable xG allowance numbers finally gave way to, well, actual goals allowed. The first two for the Rising saw quick, purposeful movement break the strong San Antonio shape and free up players in and around the box. I'm on the record saying that the xG data underrates Alen Marcina's defense systematically, but I think we were due for this.
5.) PHOENIX: Now that was the Phoenix Rising I saw coming in the offseason. Santi Moar provided planet-level gravity on the left, Greg Hurst took every chance within a five-mile radius of him, and the defense did enough to hold off a rampant San Antonio counter. How about the no-nonsense fullback positioning from Baboucarr Njie and sans Darnell King? The thing I didn't see coming in this game and in general was the impact of Luis Seijas. His counterpressure was key to keeping the attacking zone and creating the space for Rising's looks. He's just immense.
Playoff Locks
6.) SAN DIEGO: Against a New Mexico team debuting an entirely unexpected back four, San Diego shithoused their way to a cozy draw. Every start that Jack Blake makes brings me joy, but it was the side's solidity packing eight into the box and Kyle Vassell's monstrousness that impressed. The red card threw a wrench into things, and I still worry about the occasional defensive lapse, but this kind of grimy result says something about the Loyal's character.
7.) SACRAMENTO: I pointed it out against Las Vegas last weekend, but Sacramento fully adopted a back three at midweek. For a side that's most effective when it can bomb its fullbacks up and interchange in attack, the change made sense, especially against a New Mexico team in a similar system. The cross-coastal away game saw a depleted squad look truly pedestrian in that same back three, although the LaGrassa-Luis Felipe pair in the middle was really dominant. This side, despite the injuries is sliding into "prove it" territory.
8.) EL PASO: I refuse to enter the red card discourse, but I do want to espouse the value of Eder Borelli once again. He was game-changing against Tulsa compared to Nick Hinds' impact as a starter in Virginia last weekend. And how about Christiano Francois as well? Sonupe's been sharp on the right, but Francois is a proven all-league kind of guy in the USL. He proved it midweek and looked even better against Los Angeles, stretching their fluid back line. This team is getting there.
9.) DETROIT: Detroit finally gave in and rotated their forward line, and they looked rather disconnected in attack as a byproduct. Billy Forbes had moment in transition, but he and the attacking front just couldn't find consistent looks. Meanwhile, high pressure for Detroit was uniquely vulnerable to Tulsa's high-flying wing play, and it let Joaquin Rivas find space in behind on Tulsa's tallies. Still, this felt aberrative and is only natural over the course of a long season.
10.) TAMPA: After suffering the league's worst fixture congestion, Tampa has the weekend off. Read my piece on their defense if you're desperate for Rowdies content.
On the Bubble
11.) MIAMI: Miami looked a shade feckless against a defensively underrated Birmingham team in terms of creation, and I'm left wondering how they can get things going. The Akinyode-Williams pivot is undroppable but doesn't give you progressivity. Maybe commit harder to unbalanced fullback play between Aedan Stanley at left and the marauding Mark Segbers at right? There's a bonafide playoff bubble shaping up in the East, and Miami won't just coast to the top of it.
12.) MEMPHIS: Another week, another clean performance for a Memphis team that's still in quite good form after winning five out of seven. The note from the Charleston game was the forward/wing rotation featuring Luiz Fernando on the right and Laurent Kissiedou as the fluid, deeper forward. Kissiedou had a very "Enzo in Birmingham" effect as a creative cog atop the Memphis attacking shape, and unlocking him and Fernando can only boost Jeremy Kelly on the opposite side.
13.) LAS VEGAS: Finger crossed that the Danny Trejo knock isn't anything serious; that would be genuinely crippling for this Las Vegas side. Even so, they looked wildly fickle against a usually-poor Monterey. New stadium bounce for the opponents? Maybe, but Las Vegas didn't respond well to fierce central pressure and relatively reckless and free fullback play. In some ways, it was the Lights looking mediocre against a taste of their own medicine.
14.) INDY: Bye week for the Eleven, and man do I want a Solomon Asante debut next time out for this team. I wrote up his potential impact a few weeks back.
15.) BIRMINGHAM: Mikey Lopez is such an asset for the Legion. He's variously cropped up as a holding midfielder, right back, and left back, dutifully and intelligently performing at every spot. Still, he was limited along with the rest of his team against Pittsburgh's press. Zach Herivaux was deployed high upfield, and Enzo Martinez formed an effective front two with Juan Agudelo at times. Don't let "effective" fool you; the Legion struggled mightily to attack through that duo, and they're feeling more and more like a team on the playoff bubble.
16.) TULSA: The El Paso game didn't go well for Tulsa amidst the Yuma red card controversy, but the defense finally looked coherent for the first half hour with Ronald Rodriguez and Adrian Diz starting alongside one another for just the second time since May. Rodriguez slid to right back at the weekend and dominated the channel against a rotated Detroit, but it was the Joaquin Rivas explosion that really caught my eye. Tulsa's goals were all a result of his dynamism; his penchant for finding the tightest gaps was fully on display.
17.) ORANGE COUNTY: What started as a resurgent performance for Orange County featuring a lineup integrating the team's best three attackers - Okoli and Torres up top, Iloski on the left - collapsed into disappointment as the match wore on. Oakland is up-and-down in terms of the resistance they offer, but Orange County's early solidity and shape gave way to the endless with and overlapping of the guests. It's never a full ninety for this team, and that's the issue right now.
18.) NEW MEXICO: This was a brutal schedule week for New Mexico with San Antonio, Sacramento, and San Diego on the slate, but the side performed admirably with Cristian Nava and Raddy Ovuoka eating real minutes. The move to a back four against the Loyal was mildly revolutionary, but I did like Austin Yearwood at left back. I'm a broken record about it at this point, but I still need more offense. It's too early to be this bold, but Nava could be a big part of the answer.
19.) LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles stuck with the new-ish back three, and it really did an effective job of letting them push forward with numbers. The defensive 4-4-2 turns into a hellish 3-2-6 in essence, full of verve and interchange. Still, there are kinks, and they let Francois' searing pace for El Paso wreak havoc in transitional sequences. In fact, they kind of got played off the pitch there. Mercurial, eh?
20.) OAKLAND: Tough sledding yet again for the Roots. I've been praiseful of the 5-4-1 or 3-4-3 or whatever you want to call it, but rubber has to hit the road soon. I like the attack, and I think Karlsson is fine at striker in a hold-up sense, but he doesn't give you anything in the box. Maybe put Charlie Dennis or Dariusz Formella at striker and slide Rito up? Maybe swap out someone in the mistake prone back-line? I know Johnsen looked good late too, but he feels more like a band-aid than a talisman. Yeah, Oakland got a draw, but a hot El Paso, a solid Las Vegas, and the specter of RGV and Orange County mean that this team needs real wins. Check out this week's Tactics Show for more.
21.) RIO GRANDE VALLEY: Wilmer Cabrera's club looked strong facing down Colorado Springs, but where do the goals come from in the run of play when this team needs to rotate Frank Lopez? Ricky Ruiz and Dylan Borczak are creators more than finishers. Two set piece goals tightened things in the midweek game, but I hope Rio Grande Valley is on the market. Maybe swing for a physical free agent a la, like, Jeremy Bokila?
Down Bad
22.) HARTFORD: Corey Hertzog got his side off of the points schneid in tremendously classic fashion, holding up possession and drawing a slew of defenders to free up a teammate and get himself a hockey assist. The assister in question, of course, was early-season Joel Johnson. He's not been used as anything higher than a wingback historically, but Harry Watling's best move all season has been to deploy the ex-Independence man in a full-blown attacking spot.
23.) NEW YORK: Cameron Harper, on loan from the proper Red Bulls, looked sharp as the right wingback in lieu of Jason Pendant. More importantly, I have transportation complaints. This is a "New York" team, yeah? Here I am in the East Village of Manhattan, thinking that I'll make my way out to watch the Sunday matinee against Sacramento on a whim. My choices are:
Take public transportation, change trains multiple times, and get there in a little more than two hours.
Use Uber or some other rideshare, and get there in about forty minutes if you're lucky. Oh, and that'll cost $95.
Eat shit and enjoy ESPN+ like a plebeian loser.
Not great.
24.) CHARLESTON: My issue with the Battery as of this week is how *disinterested* they look. The past few weeks didn't yield results, but the team looked like they cared, and that didn't apply versus Memphis. Matt Sheldon in particular looked like he couldn't be bothered, and it doomed the team at the back on both goals. Tough stuff for the Casey regime.
25.) MONTEREY: Monterey broke out a much more fluid, unbalanced attacking look to pair with a gorgeous stadium, and both debutantes impressed. Grant Robinson served as a left back in block and a centerback in build, allowing Morey Doner to move up the right as Walmer Martinez tucked in and interchanged with Chase Boone. Altogether, the fluidity did well to overload the Lights' thin midfield and make this Monterey side look competent.
26.) LOUDOUN: Loudoun's bad. Like, bad bad. It breaks my heart to see that early-season dynamism collapse into disorganization and stasis, but the sloppiness is omnipresent for Ryan Martin's side right now. Maybe it's a symptom of an increasingly up-and-down roster? Hey, at least they might get to enjoy the bright lights of Baltimore in MLS Next Pro in 2023!
27.) ATLANTA: Jack Collison's use of Aiden McFadden is my favorite vexation every time Atlanta publishes a lineup. He's hit up both flanks as a winger and fullback, and this week he debuted as a #10 against Louisville. Tyler Gibson kept McFadden in his back pocket, and the Atlanta man is in the 51st percentile for xA amongst fullbacks this year. Yikes. Still, if you want a good time, watch this side's centerback's aimlessly burst into the midfield against counterattacks; it's a riot.
Rookie of the Year?
Given the international nature of soccer and the scarcity of a typically American college-to-pro pipeline, a "Young Player of the Year" award makes entirely more sense than a classic "Rookie of the Year" designation. That didn't stop me. Here, I want to offer up four players in their first professional season who have really left a mark.
Morten Bjorshol, the right back for the league's best surprise team in Las Vegas, has been a rock. He won't wow you on the overlap or with insane skill, but his early-season performance man-marking Santi Moar into oblivion says it all. Bjorshol is a heady defender with a huge future ahead of him after a storied lower-tier college career.
I talk about Dylan Borczak way too much, but just watch the dude play. Coming out of Oakland, he's been wildly explosive at the front of the Rio Grande Valley system. He's capable on the wing, spicy in a strike pair, and so fun and inventive with the ball at his feet.
Indy, who I had as the last playoff team in the East, has been another surprise force, and that's largely due to Justin Ingram's stabilizing midfield presence. He's held down every vertex of the midfield diamond to the tune of 92nd percentile defensive actions and 86th percentile passing progressivity. So good.
Isaiah Foster is just eighteen years old, but you'd never know it watching him on the left side for Colorado Springs. He's in the top third at his position for aerial wins and xG alike; meanwhile, he can operate as a defensive-minded left back in a back four or a marauding shadow winger ahead of Tristan Hodge in his team's back three.
Personally, I'm going for Ingram or Borczak, but all four candidates are awesome. I feel bad for omitting a slew of Riverhounds (love ya, Arturo Ordonez) here, but, hey, gotta cut it off at some point. Moral of the story: play the kids!
I'll be off next weekend because I'm graduating from college and going to my twin brother's graduation to boot. In the meantime, you'll be getting the big one this week. Cheers.
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