There are twenty-seven teams in the USL, they're all ranked here, 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 queues shortly thereafter. The USL Tactics Show is there as well.
Backheeled, a site covering American soccer where I contribute on all things USL. Subscribe to the Weekly Recap, and submit questions for my Wednesday Q&A.
But without further ado...
Title Contenders
1.) SAN ANTONIO: Keeping with that three-striker team selection and folding Carter Manley back into the team, I was excited to see what San Antonio would bring to the table in a Texas tumble. As always, the defense was firm for Alen Marcina, but it took on a much different aspect with four centerbacks in play. Saad Abdul-Salaam and Manley were conservative at right, but Connor Maloney bombed into attack as always on the opposite side. San Antonio still got their usual abundance of transitional attacking looks, and the choice to prioritize the left took advantage of Christiano Francois' attacking tendencies for the opposition. It was the usual formula: nab a goal or two, stay firm, and continue to be the unassailable best team in the Championship. Congrats on the Copa Tejas win!
2.) TAMPA BAY: On Thursday, the Rowdies dealt Juan Tejada to Indy for Nicky Law, a veteran midfielder. Tejada is obviously a stalwart for the Rowdies, but he was going to struggle for minutes behind six other capable forwards; Lucky Mkosana seemingly beat him out for those "break glass in case of emergency" stints. In Law, Tampa Bay gets a player that rated in the 95th percentile for pass completions and 62nd for expected assists last year. The Scotsman looks a step slower in 2022, and the numbers back that up, but he can be a poor man's Lewis Hilton or a latter-day Zach Steinberger.
In terms of the Atlanta match, the first goal was a result of Tampa Bay's territorial dominance. Leo Fernandes took a small knock, the side lost the ball in attack, and the speed of the youthful opposition won them a clean look on goal. You optimally have someone eat a yellow and end the break, but the overriding cause - Tampa Bay's insane attacking fluidity - leads to these sorts of moments. Steevan Dos Santos got a goal to tie things up, and he looked wonderfully light on his feet and skillful on the ball. He's always a tank, but these post-injury moments when the striker finds technical confidence are a nightmare for the opposition. Law debuted as well and looked clean, and the Rowdies got a second goal to seal a win. They're coasting at this point in the season.
3.) LOUISVILLE: In a much-ballyhooed showcase match against Phoenix, Danny Cruz gave Manny Perez the start at right back and swapped Wes Charpie to the left. Amadou Dia's absence was a motivation, but tactical considerations influenced the swap. Phoenix's left has been deplorably poor this year, so inserting Perez (86th percentile xA) over Charpie (17th) was a choice made to challenge that weakness. Still, Perez was forced to sit deep against the speedy wingers for the opposing side, nullifying that edge more often than not. Phoenix bizarrely gave up the pace edge at half, and Corben Bone's possessive incisiveness paired with Wilson Harris' in-box gravity to put Louisville in the driver's seat. In front of 10,000 at Lynn Family Stadium, Danny Cruz deserved the full three points.
Also, welcome back to Elijah Wynder after a loan stint in Tucson. He rated in the 22nd percentile for Goals Above Replacement in League One, but I'm fully on the "Wonder-Wynd powers, activate!" train here. In all seriousness, he probably won't play a ton, and I'd rather see Carlos Moguel in the mix, but having a slew of bright young'uns is a good problem to have.
4.) SAN DIEGO: In a positively weird game on Monday against the Switchbacks, San Diego ran rampant. Thomas Amang was everywhere, floating across the breadth of the pitch to find pockets in a sloppy and formless opposing shape, and the Jack Blake-Alejandro Guido right-sided tandem fed him with aplomb. I just love watching this team attack, and watching Guido operate against a formless opponent is nigh pornographic. Defensively, the 4-4-2 was impenetrable. Colorado Springs is a great attacking unit, but players like Blake and Collin Martin were impressive in their instant closing to cut out transition. When the counter slowed, the Loyal found their shape and didn't allow a thing.
The lineup was rotated for Saturday, but that gorgeous style of soccer remained. Thomas Amang did everything as a hold-up forward and mover, opening space and linking play for guys like Evan Conway. The 4-4-2 in defense absorbed pressure nicely, facing a spate of crosses from Rio Grande Valley; Elijah Martin played noticeably narrow to stay active against those lofted passes, and he did wonderfully to address them. The Toros scraped one back, but the aforementioned Conway made an unstoppable run on a set piece to gain the lead back for good. He put up an 85th percentile Goals Above Replacement campaign in League One last year, and his four goals for the Loyal show why the ex-Omaha man got his Championship shot.
5.) PITTSBURGH: I'm trying not to get ahead of myself, but the Robbie Mertz re-acquisition feels like a really big deal for the Riverhounds. With Atlanta, he rated in the 98th percentile for total value, pairing that with ranks in the:
84th percentile for expected assists
76th percentile for fouls drawn
68th percentile for successful tackles per foul conceded
75th percentile for shot attempts
Essentially, Mertz carries possession from box to box, sprays creative passes, and recovers to stop transitions on defense. He's exactly what Bob Lilley needs to link defense and attack in 2022.
Mertz began on the bench as the 'Hounds took on Hartford, and Luke Biasi started with Marc Ybarra in a somewhat changed side. They tore into attack despite being on the road, with members of the front three regularly dropping in to overwhelm the 4-4-2ish opponent. Of course, Hartford got the opener against the run of play, furthering the fact that this Pittsburgh side is slightly cursed. Still, the underlying performance level is high, the position in the table is cozy, and full actualization hasn't happened yet by my reckoning. We might not be far from that point. When Mertz came on, he linked with Alex Dixon in the half space, as in the tying sequence where the returnee put in the cross to tie it. At the death, the 'Hounds got a late winner through Kenardo Forbes' brilliance and a Shane Wiedt banger. Hartford is Hartford, but Pittsburgh looked sharp.
Playoff Likelies
6.) MEMPHIS: 901 FC went into Indianapolis with a mostly unchanged lineup on paper, though Derek Dodson's left-wing start and Jeremy Kelly's move to left back were notable given red-card suspensions from the Louisville game. The side conceded early and struggled with balls over the top for the first 20 minutes or so. You can blame the defensive rotation for sure, but Rece Buckmaster seemed a step slow. There were fluid moments in attack as always, but the 3-4-3 diamond or thereabouts from the Eleven denied Aaron Molloy better than any opposition has in 2022; when Molloy dropped in and got more involved, Memphis was able to target the slow left flank for Indy and ate up.
I love it when this team gets rolling in build. They're 5th in expected goals per 90, and that success is driven by clean, intentional passing. The central midfielders are always mobile and seek to create passing lanes, and the wingers vary their heights and widths to keep the momentum going. Pair that with Phillip Goodrum's gorgeous movement to drag defenders out in the heart of the opposition, and you've got a stew cooking; that's what we got for a lot of this game, and Memphis likely should've got the full three points.
7.) BIRMINGHAM: I'll have a smidge more on Enzo Martinez this week, but I just love everything he does on defense. When a winger drops low or chases a man too far from his base defensive position, Martinez always fills in. He's not a spirited chaser in the press, but he picks his moments and always takes the right approach angles. As soon as a turnover happens, the fun begins. Still, a turnover ultimately saw that lovely Legion back line beaten, marking a rare instance when Birmingham was unshielded. The central midfielders closed aggressively whenever Tulsa penetrated, and they weren't ready to mark a late-ish Lebo Moloto run to open the scoring. A red later on doomed the comeback, and this wasn't bad for the Legion, but you can't help but be a tinge disappointed to see the recent attacking momentum die out.
8.) SACRAMENTO: Deshorn Brown is a smart player to bring in given Sacramento's striker problems, and I'll have plenty more on the overarching situation and Brown's fit in the USL Tactics Show this week. Suffice to say that he rated in the 95th percentile for Goals Above Replacement in his last year with OKC Energy and dropped 15 goals. He didn't figure in for a heavily, heavily rotated team at midweek. A four-man back line with three substitutes in the mix is, uh, no one's idea of an optimal eleven, and more teens were littered across the pitch in front of that defense against Phoenix. Open Cup, here we come!
Zeiko Lewis started as well, which makes me a bit sad. He just hasn't quite settled or won the hearts of this staff in 2022. That said, I think Lewis is simply brilliant, and his Battery years proved it. He was in the 95th percentile for expected assists last year; that's down to the 19th this year as he hasn't ever received a consistent runout. There's a scenario where Lewis could be a difference-maker, but I'd like to see him get a move.
9.) DETROIT: Billy Forbes, we hardly knew ye. If there's an area where Detroit is deep on this roster, it's at forward, but I'm curious as to why you let Forbes go - and really never give him a chance - when you're constantly moving players out of position to cover in defense and the midfield. In terms of Saturday's match, Le Rouge struggled to hold onto possession and find their usual balls over the top. This isn't a ball-dominant side or one that picks you apart like a surgeon, but their passing patterns are designed to buy time for direct play into the forwards. New Mexico denied that with a 3-4-3 press that put a man in the face of most DCFC men. Detroit found chances by breaking with control and tempo through their wingbacks, and Deklan Wynne shone. He and Rhys Williams could dribble past the defense, and the guests had to sit back a step as a result. That, in turn, gave players like Maxi Rodriguez chances to spray over the top. I think a draw was probably fair, but Detroit well could've earned all three points against a good New Mexico team.
10.) COLORADO SPRINGS: The Switchbacks put everyone in the USL in an uncomfortable spot with a statement on Monday night . Coming just hours before a spotlight game against San Diego, it seemed like something of a white flag. When the side's lineup came out featuring Duncan Jarvie, who I'm still convinced is a FIFA create-a-player, I gained a bit of sympathy, especially given the club's spate of Monday-Friday matchweeks. There aren't easy answers here, but the USL can't have teams doing this in the middle of the year.
As far as the San Diego game went, the performance was deeply subpar. Yeah, it was a one-man bench and there was an academy lad in the lineup, but the Barry-Ngalina-Amoh trio was intact with Cam Lindley in support. 10 out of 11 starters were regulars, yet the side looked lost in terms of shape in positioning in something between a 3-3-4, 4-2-3-1, and 4-3-3. The lack of shape and identity doomed Colorado Springs, but there was more at play.
I hate to say it, but the exact same scenario played out on Friday against a much worse Battery side, albeit one that offers a similar back-three, high-wingback approach. The Switchbacks were regularly drawn high in defense, isolating their back line and proving vulnerable. Watch the build-up to the tying free kick for Charleston; the high fullback is played past on Colorado Springs' right, the guests work it central, and a foul is conceded. Still, Jairo Henriquez was a influential presence off the bench as a right-sider. When he signed, I hyped the Salvadoran as a "deep-lying progressor," and that descriptor fit the bill. Henriquez provided much more impetus on the dribble than I anticipated, but he also did little to shield the defense. I'll be curios to see how he gets minutes relative to Zach Zandi or, heaven forbid, Macauley King.
11.) NEW MEXICO: Zach Prince's 3-4-3 started well against Detroit, back to that classic setup with Sam Hamilton and Chris Wehan variously joining the front line in the press to create havoc. That setup matched the hosts man-for-man and negated build; Hamilton in particular was exceptionally energetic. Still, that ability to hang on and stay firm never comes consistently for New Mexico. Detroit earned a penalty by beating the pressure with high-tempo ball carriage, and they got other looks through no-nonsense sprays over the back line. Overlapping in a wingback-on-wingback duel saw Deklan Wynne dominate the wide areas that New Mexico so values. Whenever this team gets week-to-week momentum and settles into a real system, they come with a performance that plants doubts in my mind.
12.) LAS VEGAS: I think it's safe to say that there isn't a grindier team in the USL than these Lights. Get thoroughly outplayed and outplanned by Oakland? No problem. Las Vegas always gives it their all and bears the brunt of whatever pressure comes their way, keeping that narrow 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 and trusting the process. The Roots famously push their wingbacks up as proxy forwards and rely on the back three to address transition, so a red card opened up Las Vegas, and the usual Danny Trejo-Cal Jennings pair did the rest. It's almost predictable at this point for Enrique Duran's never-say-die side.
On the Bubble
13.) EL PASO: Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse for the Locomotive’s roster woes, Seriously Loco broke the news of the Richie Ryan fiasco. There’re a whole lot of bad signs here in term of how Ryan was isolated and treated, and the desire of the club to undermine his contract is fairly repugnant. Pair that with Sebastian Velasquez's exit - albeit under friendlier terms - and it seems that things are rotten in the state of Texas. Where do the Locomotive go from here? A central midfield signing is an absolute must, even beyond Liam Rose. You can't let Dylan Mares and Eric Calvillo run themselves ragged carrying a herd of teenagers. Beyond that, the club needs to consider what got them to this point. Is John Hutchinson a vile man manager? Was there simply not enough depth signed before the season? This still might be a playoff team, but everything for the Locomotive seems like a mess right now.
Still, Hutchinson can throw together an eleven that's competitive with any group in the USL. Powered by blonde-dyed Eric Calvillo, El Paso often tried to beat San Antonio by going long, and Christiano Francois' pace was a typical target. The tact didn't quite come off fluidly on the ball, but the Locomotive weren't entirely without chances, especially when Aaron Gomez dropped deeper to facilitate and provide a pressure release against that San Antonio press. Rose looked solid enough in Ryan's stead all the while. Nevertheless, a loss is a loss, and the next few weeks are going to be fascinating.
14.) TULSA: Bradley Bourgeois has slotted naturally into a centerback role after excelling as a fullback to start the year, and that deployment allowed both Noah Powder and Sean McFarlane to start against the Legion. Still, this was a Lebo Moloto game if there ever was one. Floating between the front and midfield lines, he forced the opposing centermen to mark his every move. It didn't quite turn into beautiful breakouts in build, but Moloto's intelligence was on display. That same quality let the South African make a late run behind Brian Brown to get Tulsa's opening tally off a turnover; who needs slow build-up anyway? Beyond that, Bourgeois was a treat in leading Tulsa to a clean sheet. This unit is night-and-day better under Donovan Ricketts; their defensive rotations look effortful and composed.
15.) LOS ANGELES: Yoann Damet's side jumped down Orange County's throats very early in a lovely bit of team build, and there were a few moments centered around quick breaks and technical, grounded passing that completely addled the opposing shape. Remi Cabral, someone who deserves more attention, was key in transition; on the year, he's in the top quarter of midfielders for key passes per forward pass, illustrating his efficient creation.
Still, the back three-to-back four transition for Los Angeles wasn't clicking with Liam Doyle out of the lineup, and Orange County was able to answer back. I so, so want the Galaxy to look like a playoff side, but they lack the consistency and can be beaten when their centerbacks lose the plot. Doyle's absence buys a bit of leniency for me with the Orange County result, but even Owen Lambe looked uncomfortable against the Orange County back three as it marauded up the pitch.
16.) MIAMI: A weather delay in Virginia threw Miami off the mark in a return to a back four, and Ben Ofeimu's early exit with an injury didn't help. Loudoun matched that back-four shape and adopted a switch-heavy, swashbuckling style meant to catch the fullbacks out, and Anthony Pulis' side quickly conceded. There are a few teams in the Championship that seem to be underperforming their talent, and Miami is chief among that group. A goal difference around zero and an inability to generate offense - they're 19th in expected goals per 90 - with this roster is shocking. I don't know what the quick solution is, but Kyle Murphy needs more service. Yeah, Miami got the win against Loudoun, but you need to be better than scraping out extra-time free kicks against one of the worst sides in the USL.
17.) OAKLAND: The Roots started very nicely against Las Vegas, using their width and pace to play past a narrow foe. Juan Carlos Azocar was lovely in that context, stretching the Lights and providing an outlet whenever they compacted on Ottar Karlsson. Azocar, nominally a wingback, attacks with wild aggression, and it's paid off to the tune of six goals, 94th percentile xG per 90, 94th percentile shots per 90, and a 90th percentile value-add.
The red changed the game shortly before half, and Las Vegas struck soon after the break with a sweeping move beyond the shorthanded Roots. It's a shame, because Juan Guerra's system was so well-suited to rip the Lights to shreds, but that's the sport sometimes. I don't want to play coroner, but Oakland might be out of it. They're two points back of seventh-place Sacramento with four extra games played, and the rest of the conference is so darn competitive.
18.) MONTEREY: I'm a bit sad the Robbie Crawford experiment didn't work out. His deployment was a tad bit odd and sparce; remember that game where he played fullback? I dream of Crawford's diagonals landing softly at Chase Boone's golden feet, but alas.
Still, who needs Crawford when Adrian Rebollar is finally getting assists? His cross into Simon Dawkins opened the scoring for Monterey as they returned to a back four against New York. I was chuffed to see one of the league's best defensive forwards rewarded with an assist for his tireless efforts. Morey Doner was vital as well, carving behind the Baby Bulls' high fullbacks and choosing his moments to track back and solidify. Yeah, New York is bad, but the side-to-side, solid-tracking style that Monterey provided on Saturday was a breath of fresh air. Interesting to see Hunter Gorskie play as more of a holding midfielder than a member of a back three as well.
19.) ORANGE COUNTY: As Cubo Torres hit his ninth goal of the season and continues to produce upwards of 90th percentile value, it's time I eat crow and recognize that he's legitimately awesome. The work rate could be better, and he and Milan Iloski clearly can't carry the side, but there's joy in that tandem up top.
At back, Orange County's back-three-ish shape was sloppy early against Los Angeles. This is one of the slower defenses and midfields in the league when you think about that spine (Rocha, Orozco, etc.), and the Galaxy were able to work through and goad Alex Villanueva woefully out of shape. The difference in defensive quality from last season never fails to amaze me. Still, good win for Richard Chaplow. This wasn't Los Angeles' best defensive line, but we haven't seen Orange County as coherent as they looked in ages. I'd be watching replays of the second half all day, salivating over the Iloski-Torres tandem.
20.) RIO GRANDE VALLEY: So I was traveling for work this week and enjoyed a nice seven-hour nightmare at the hellscape of the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, but I happened to run into the Toros as they made their way to San Diego during that stretch. Akeem Ward is still the best human, and he did well once his team reached Southern California. To my eye, Rio Grande Valley sat noticeably deeper than usual, preferring to maintain a structure rather than simply be beaten by San Diego's wonderful passing. The strategy didn't quite work as the Loyal continued to run rampant, but the idea from Wilmer Cabrera was undoubtedly the right one. The usual high pressure - which still appeared in certain moments, mind you - would've been suicidal for 90 minutes.
21.) PHOENIX: From a certain point of view, the choice to start Richmond Antwi and Lamin Jawneh over Marcus Epps and Santi Moar was brave and inspired. From another, you're benching your best two attackers for the sake of change and nothing more. Still, the two new faces were bright and pacey, and Jawneh especially spaced Louisville out and pinned their aggressive right back deep in his own half. Rick Schantz substituted the entire front line at half, decided to press into more of a 4-2-4, and immediately lost control. Yeah, Jawneh and Antwi weren't threatening in settled possession, but the Moar-Epps-Repetto line wasn't threatening at all, and a brilliant Ben Lundt night saved Phoenix for a draw.
The 4-3-3 came back against a wildly rotated Sacramento side, but the Rising couldn't take advantage. Jawneh was less effective at home, and Schantz was still trigger-happy with his substitutions. I feel bad for Aodhan Quinn at this point. He's in the 99th percentile for Goals Above Replcament and expected assists, ranks in the top fifth for expected goals and all passing progressivity metric, and often seems like the only Phoenix man who cares. He deserves better.
22.) CHARLESTON: Robbie Crawford is back in South Carolina, and that's a boon for the Battery and the player himself. Charleston has variously lacked for attacking verve and defensive steel in their midfield. Andrew Booth gives you both, but everyone else in that spot presents a clear attack-defense trade-off. Crawford can be the missing link, smart enough to serve as a holder while spraying balls to Matt Sheldon and Carlos Asensio all the same. Charleston is one of those sides that I'd have loved to have seen healthy and fully-formed from week one, especially with the Scotsman's return.
The returnee got a cameo on the road against Colorado Springs, and his technique helped keep possession in the final third leading up to Robbie Crawford's tremendous free kick. The Battery were under fire more often than not, but the front three in the still-new 3-4-3 was wonderfully adept at moving and shaking to get Augustine Williams his chances. On the first goal, I was highly impressed with Enock Kwakwa's movement to pin a wingback on the right of that attacking trio. Complemented by Williams' back-shoulder running, the Battery were able to find Geobel Perez cutting in from the left for a go-ahead strike. We haven't seen that sort of technique and control from this team in 2022, period, so the change is nice.
Down Bad
23.) ATLANTA: When Two-nited got run over by a 5-0 margin against San Antonio last weekend, my overriding thought was "huh, so this is how Atlanta looks without Robbie Mertz in the lineup." Well, uh, welcome to your new reality! When Atlanta's been good in 2022, Mertz has been at the center of that success. He's a one-man press break, capable of liberating your Raimars or Darwin Matheuses and thus providing hockey assists for Jackson Conway. In a team that can never maintain a defensive structure, his staid, measured defensive presence was the closest thing to a dam against the flood of opposing counters. Maybe Ajani Fortune steps up, but this side might be in trouble.
The Tampa Bay game seemed to hint as match, although a rapid-fire counter powered Atlanta to an early lead. Still, the side looked spineless down the middle an missed a Mertz-like presence to addle opposing moves. The normal 3-4-3 looked more like a deep-pinned 5-2-3 for much of the evening, a setup that clipped the wings of Jack Collison's dynamic wingbacks.
24.) HARTFORD: Ray Reid's side looked a step off the pace for a lot of their home matchup against Pittsburgh, but no one mentioned that to Conor McGlynn. His banging goal made the difference against the run of play, and a great stretch of team defending carried Hartford to a lead well past the 70th minute; Modou Jadama was especially good. Still, Pittsburgh eventually broke through, and deservedly so. At the same time, the collapse shows how this Hartford side just can't do it for ninety minutes.
Tactically, the 4-4-2 with a deep defensive line gave Pittsburgh entirely too much space all evening long, but you can't deny the heart that let Hartford hold for two-thirds of the game. The aggression of Younes Boudadi, Logan Gdula, and Joel Johnson in the wide areas, as effective as it can be, might be an albatross around the neck of this club's defense at times. I'd like to see a full-time coach get in soon, if only so he or she can experiment and figure out who stays from this roster.
25.) INDY: With the Nicky Law trade, Mark Lowry seems to want a bit of extra spirit and effort in the press with Juan Tejada coming in from Florida in return. The Panamanian forward is a manic, effective presser, a real dynamo packed into a stout package. He's not the most most natural goalscorer, but he moves well and pairs pretty naturally with a poacher in the mold of Stefano Pinho. Still, are you benching Manuel Arteaga for that? A front three is interesting, but that leaves Solomon Asante out in the cold. Is that a choice you would make right now?
Tejada slotted right into the lineup with Sean Lewis in net. He brought his trademarked levels of energy and annoyingness as a presser, and the Indy shape was essentially a front four against Memphis build as Raul Aguilera and Asante pushed high from behind the forwards. In the ninth minute, Tejada's late burst off a long ball maintained a horizontal move, allowing Asante to find a window and break a five-match scoreless streak. What a relief for the ex-Rising man, Tejada, and Mark Lowry most of all. There was still slow, positionally confused defending on that Ayoze-powered left, and Memphis controlled the run of play, but a draw feels like a salve for Indy at the moment.
26.) LOUDOUN: With one win in five, Ryan Martin moved to a back four this weekend. Rio Hope-Gund continued to be studly as he adopted the left-back role, spraying bombs to Abdoul Zanne on the opposite flank and tucking narrow to drive build. The shape gave Loudoun an extra bit of oomph to pin back Miami's dangerous fullbacks, and it liberated Hope-Gund and Jacob Greene in a bit of an unbalanced look to great effect. When Miami settled into possession and engaged their entire front six into attack, the Virginians couldn't hold. Still, the positives are clear to see, and I'd love it if Wayne Rooney gave guys like Hope-Gund an MLS chance.
27.) NEW YORK: Can it get more Red Bulls in 2022 than looking absolutely hopeless against ten-man Monterey? Jeremy Rafanello had a few first-half moments, O'Vonte Mullings was bright, and yet no one on the pitch had a coherent idea all night long. New York generated just a single shot on target, and that’s with veterans like Wikelman Carmona and Hassan Ndam on the pitch. There were signs of life in that Indy win, but the pulse went dead on the road against the expansion side.
Comments