In a trial for an ongoing power ranking and recap format, I give you "The Twenty-Seven." There are twenty-seven teams in the USL, I've ranked them all, and I have no creativity: thus, the name was born. I basically want to present my power rankings and express some team-by-team thoughts. I won't hit every club every time, but that's preferable to me making up ill-informed takes. Without further ado...
Title Contenders
1.) Louisville: Can you argue against this team as the number one right now? They've generated more shots than anyone, haven't conceded, and easily switched between a three-at-the-back and traditional back four to match Miami's wing-centric 4-4-2. All that happened without Cameron Lancaster and with a teenager starting at centerback. Everything about this Louisville team feels unstoppable right now.
3.) San Diego: If anyone in the league is solely responsible for their team's improvement, it's Kyle Vassell up top for the Loyal. His 0.4 xG per 90 would've put him near the top third of last year's USL, and his physicality as a hold-up forward has changed everything for a traditionally ground-based San Diego side. You can lump anything up to Vassell and have a damn good chance of winning possession, all while Alejandro Guido and Tumi Moshobane tear past you for the knock-on. This is the best-looking team in the West to date.
4.) Phoenix: I think the Las Vegas loss is a bit of an apparition, and this team is still top three in shot and shot-on-target creation, but the early defensive returns against lackluster opponents aren't the greatest. Manuel Madrid and Baboucarr Njie in particular haven't quite found their fits yet. Going the other way, this team misses the instant magic of Solomon Asante and Jon Bakero; Arturo Rodriguez is really close to being that guy.
5.) Pittsburgh: Dane Kelly is putting up 90th percentile xG numbers already, Robby Dambrot is tearing up the left flank, and Arturo Ordonez has been a revelation in the back three while putting up top-twenty defensive actions per 90. Bob Lilley knows how to build a roster; I'd love to see it play against eleven men for a full match.
Playoff Locks
6.) Sacramento: I still think this team is a title threat, but such an overhauled roster is going to take time to gel, and power rankings need to be reactive. Can we just recognize how great Rodrigo Lopez has been? He basically played as a winger against El Paso and served as a striker in a 4-4-2 defense against San Diego; this is all coming from a natural central midfield player. The dude is a fine wine at age thirty-four.
7.) Colorado Springs: I was somewhat flummoxed over the offseason by the spate of potential lineups the Switchbacks could use, but this 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 look with Hadji Barry roving in the #10 role is a great compromise. He has an underrated work rate in tracking back, albeit one devoid of tackling technique, but his drops open up so much space for the lightning-quick Michee Ngalina and Malik Johnson to own the flanks. Also, Colorado Springs just kinda uses four centerbacks and gets away with it? Someone with wide pace is going to burn them eventually.
8.) Tulsa: This defense is absolutely for real. Week one wasn't legitimate with Ronald Rodriguez covering as a Band-Aid at right back, but the week-two look with Rodriguez and Diz central and Bradley Bourgeois hugging the touchline was super hard to break down. Meanwhile, Petar Cuic might be one of the best pickups of the year in the middle.
9.) Birmingham: The Legion seem like they're feeling things out. I still want a striker here, but Marlon deserves an extended audition for the role to learn how to play off of Enzo Martinez, Bruno Lapa, and Prosper Kasim at the inside forward spots. At the back, I'm in awe of how high this team pushes the wide centerbacks in their back three; for Premier League people, it's reminiscent of post-promotion Sheffield United.
11.) El Paso: Don't panic. Emmanuel Sonupe is wildly great, and they're top half in shot creation metrics while putting up fine-ish defensive stats. John Hutchinson has already broken the code for integrating Dylan Mares, Diego Luna, and Sebastian Velasquez into one lineup, but I want Eric Calvillo to get more involved (shocking from me, I know) in some manner.
12.) Miami: The 4-4-2 is exactly what I predicted with the Pulis hire, but I didn't quite expect Romeo Parkes to be such a stalwart. I think Miami is way too aggressive on the wings right now, but you can afford that with Speedy Williams, Bolu Akinyode, Mark Segbers, and Paco Craig cleaning up your messes. Things will change, but I think I feel confident about my assertion that this team moved laterally over the offseason; the upside is still there, though.
On the Bubble
14.) Loudoun: Could I possibly be more excited about Loudoun right now? Their system has created more shots on target than anyone in the league and needed just four saves going the other way, albeit against poor opponents. Sami Guediri is all-league right now at the left wingback slot; he's in that Cuic-esque pickup-of-the-offseason conversation. Meanwhile, Kimarni Smith is here at striker, generating shot volumes reminiscent of Hadji Barry from last season. Long live Ryan Martin's 3-4-3.
15.) Orange County: Ronaldo Damus is gone, but I'm weirdly convincing myself that this team is in the hunt. I think I'm the league's biggest believer in Sean Okoli, and I was heartened to see him get the winner late on against Rio Grande Valley to complete a brace. I'm also happy to see Milan Iloski immediately become a nailed starter. The back three-ish look still needs work, but this team's in the mix.
18.) Detroit: How about the way this Detroit side grew into the game against Charleston? They were competitive against San Antonio, but they hardly gave up a thing against the Battery. The illusion of dominance falls partially on the guests, but City just feels wholly competent right now, and that's no small feat. Deklan Wynne is neat at fullback, Maxi Rodriguez has shown hints of Lebo Moloto-style game dictation, and I adored Connor Rutz's cameo against the Battery. I think this is a playoff contender, but I need to see more.
19.) Oakland: Week one didn't treat the Roots kindly, and week two was no different. I hate what they're doing at back; why hasn't the core of Paul Blanchette (88th percentile GAR), Emrah Klimenta (85th), and Tarek Morad (84th percentile defensive actions) remained the standard? Why on earth are you not riding the Memo Diaz and Akeem Ward combo at fullback? On the bright side, Ottar Karlsson, vanguard of the Venetian viking loan contingent, looks solid as the hold-up forward this team so desperately needs, and Lindo Mfeka drove play nicely as a second striker late against Memphis.
Down Bad
20.) Indy: Talk about a slow start, huh? Mark Lowry has his diamond in place, but the pieces don't fit. Briggs and Pinho lack the bite and hustle to press from the forward role, Timmer and Powder the gravity at fullback to free up the middle. Meanwhile, Neveal Hackshaw hasn't shown Richie Ryan's El Paso nous as the holder, dragging Nicky Law too deep to be effectual as a result. I absolutely believe in this regime, but it's tough to watch the Eleven right now.
22.) Charleston: ...but if you really want a tough watch, try Charleston on for size. Aidan Apodaca is rolling, Augustine Williams has a goal, and Matt Sheldon is still a beast on the right, yet the Battery insist on playing a suicidally narrow system predicated on hopeful long balls. Put Dom Oduro, Andrew Booth, and Apodaca in a central three with any of this team's legion wingers, and you have a competent and possessive unit. What they're doing now has generated two shots on goal in two games.
24.) New York: Sam Williams looks so bright as a do-it-all box-to-box central man, and he can barely drive; paired with Steven Sserwadda against Atlanta, he put on a masterclass of progressive passing and complementary midfield positioning. The red against Loudoun and some genuinely shocking defending on the right from O'Vonte Mullings and Christopher Cragwell invited a crushing scoreline, but this team can give you a game.
25.) Las Vegas: Morten Bjorshol is the real deal at right back, Danny Trejo is living up to my Young Player Week hype as a winger, and Cal Jennings is still screaming for a move to somewhere competitive. The Phoenix match embodied the heart and two-way energy that can make this team a wildly annoying matchup.
26.) Monterey: If you love watching a club that shoots itself in the foot on the regular, look no further than Monterey. Yeah, Phoenix and Colorado Springs are a uniquely devious and press-heavy one-two punch to start the year, but Frank Yallop's side has made an identity of hilarious turnovers and ill-advised passes from defense. I get the impetus to build from the back, but this team doesn't even have useful progressors in the middle. Oakland had the blueprint last year: boot it long!
27.) Atlanta: Well, uh, United is really, really bad. At the same time, the average age of their roster right now is barely eighteen. Caleb Wiley and Aiden McFadden flirting with first-team time dooms their competitiveness, and that youthful roster is going to struggle to execute a somewhat cerebral pressing system. Poor Robbie Mertz.
That's all folks. I'll be back soon enough with something more in the vein of a match or player spotlight piece, and I'll have some form of power rankings up again in two weeks. Cheers.
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