Offseason Notebook: Big Board, Part II & League One performance review
Ranking the USL Championship's attacking free agents, plus a look at the League One graduating class of 2024
Welcome back to the Offseason Notebook! Before we dig in, make sure to check out Backheeled, where I’ve got 10 big predictions for the New Year and a USL Championship stadium deep-dive on the way.
Without further ado, let’s get to it.
Free Agent Big Board: Part II
Once again, I’m here to assess the unsigned (or yet-to-be announced) free agents at each position. The focus this week is on the midfield and attacking spots. There’s flexibility here: the barrier between forward, winger, and attacking mid is permeable.
Each section will list the teams with a glaring need at a given spot, the ranking table, and a player spotlight. The table, powered by my player value calculations, provides a rough guide to the talent on offer; my goal is to hone in on potential options that aren’t as evidently can’t-miss.
With that out of the way, let’s get to it.
Forward
Need: Colorado Springs, El Paso, Pittsburgh
Under-the-Radar Option: Jackson Conway
If you’re looking for a potential Golden Boot candidate, Cal Jennings is your man. Everyone and their brother knows that.
If you’re looking for a complete striker that can hold play up, provide a physical outlet, and won’t require the financial outlay necessary to get Jennings, look no further than Jackson Conway. Still only 23 years old, Conway scored just four goals in Charleston last year in a reserve role, but he won the starting striker spot for most of the postseason, and that says everything. This is a playoff-caliber No. 9.
On a percentile basis, Conway ranked among the top 20% of USL forwards in terms of xG and xA per 90. His end product is undeniable - provided that the former Charleston and Atlanta man is actually given starting-level minutes to find a rhythm. Even when he isn’t lighting up the score sheet, Conway’s heft shines through. During his last two full USL seasons, the No. 9 drew roughly two fouls per match and won more than 42% of his headers; both marks are top-third at his position.
I tend to think Conway can carry a scoring burden well enough in the right situation, but he’s best paired with a winger or two that can burst behind and get theirs. Still, though, Conway ought to land somewhere and make an impact in 2025.
Looking for a really deep cut? Check out Malik McLemore, who basically looked like Ronaldo in his single start for the El Paso Locomotive last fall. I have no idea if he’s staying stateside, but McLemore’s small sample size is nothing if not enticing.
Winger
Need: Oakland, San Antonio
Under-the-Radar Option: Tyreek Magee
Dare I say that the options on the wing this winter are a little bit thin? There are a few explosive pieces that can provide speed off the bench, and the top half-dozen players on the chart are good enough contributors, but you wouldn’t bank on any performing at an all-USL level.
Tyreek Magee bucks that trend. Though his track record is somewhat hazy thanks to injuries and international duty, Colorado Springs’ title run was a showcase for the Jamaican international’s talents, and his numbers paint the picture of a budding star with skill above the USL level.
You can quibble with the positional choice when it comes to Magee. He often started as the No. 10 for the Switchbacks and took up that position without possession. However, most of his touches came in the right half space, and starts out wide weren’t uncommon. No matter where he played, the 25-year-old was effective. To quote myself:
Magee took nearly 53 touches per game this year, a high mark relative to his advanced position. He’s the sort of creator that seeks out the ball, drifting and roaming to make an impact. Few players in the USL are as tidy; Magee hit on 81% of his attacking-half passes, posted a 99th percentile dribble success rate on 2.2 successful take-ons per game, and generated 90th percentile expected assists in 2024.
Those numbers are sensational, and it’s safe to assume that Magee’s exit from Colorado Springs was driven by a moneyed suitor rather than disinterest on the part of the Switchbacks.
Who else might hit? I’ll always bang the drum for Ryan Spaulding as a left wing back or left winger, and he’s a full free agent after the New England Revolution decided to let him go. Prosper Kasim’s deal is up, and the Birmingham Legion legend would be a really terrific option for a team like Oakland that lacks a right winger and a nailed-on creative presence between the lines.
Attacking Mid
Need: Birmingham, New Mexico, Orange County, Tulsa
Under-the-Radar Option: Panos Armenakas
Calling a player as talented as Panos Armenakas “under-the-radar” is a misnomer, and I struggled whether to lump him in with the wingers and No. 10s. No matter how you’re classifying Armenakas, he has the profile of a superstar at the USL level.
Between stops at Loudoun, Phoenix, and Memphis, the creator has put up eight goals and nine assists across roughly 4,100 minutes in all USL competitions since joining the league. A bit of a lightning rod thanks to his bold, unapologetic style, Armenakas is unassailable as one of the cleverest creators out there. You can feasibly use the 26-year-old as a No. 10 or right winger without really missing a beat.
Last season, only four players topped Armenakas in terms of both expected assists (0.22 per 90) and vertical progression (2.6 yards per pass). Only two of those players - New Mexico’s Mukwelle Akale and Charleston’s Arturo Rodriguez - were season-long starters. It’s that mix of incision around the box and head-up opportunism from deeper areas that makes Armenakas such a complete offensive option.
Armenakas’ work rate and carriage are easy to miss amidst the flair. In 2024, he put up 1.4 tackles and 4.2 recoveries per game while also posting a 55% dribble success rate with the ball. All three marks distinguished the ex-Memphis man as a top-quarter attacking player.
With the right supporting cast, Panos Armenakas can drive an entire team. Even if the system isn’t necessarily designed around his talents, Armenakas can do a job across the attacking band. He’s the player to watch at this spot.
Excepting the obvious choice in all-USL No. 10 Bruno Lapa, who I hope to break down in more detail soon, Chris Hegardt is the other piece I’m fascinated by. Operating as a left mid and second striker, Hegardt was a primary reason why Orange County became a contender late in 2024. With Bob Bradley out at his parent club, Stabæk in Norway, a USL return is likely.
Center Mid
Need: Birmingham, Colorado Springs, Detroit, Las Vegas
Under-the-Radar Option: Bura, Mad Schneider
I’ve hit on ex-Detroit man James Murphy earlier in the offseason, and I’ve got a bigger article on Nanan Houssou banked for when he signs. Here, I want to shout out two flavors of No. 6: the defense-first Bura and the more technical Max Schneider.
Bura, released by San Antonio heading into the offseason, is a powerhouse of a defensive mid. You wouldn’t exactly label the 29-year-old as being especially slick as a passer, but he makes up for any sort of deficit in that area with bull-in-a-China-shop dribbling and unflinching defensive steel.
Projecting how players fit outside of the Alen Marcina system can be a bit of a crapshoot, especially when taking a stats-first perspective. With duel, tackle, and aerial win rates all above the 55% mark, Bura pairs potentially inflated numbers with an underlying efficiency. He passes the eye test to boot, whether in terms of spirited defensive rotations or well-timed bursts toward the edge of the box as a shooter.
On the flip side, former Indy and Omaha midfielder Max Schneider offers patience and precision from the pivot. The 24-year-old was barely given a Championship shot after joining the Eleven last winter, truth be told, but came up huge in Nebraska and played a large part in Omaha’s eventual title win.
Schneider put up six assists and was a stellar creator across all phases during his final MLS Next Pro season in 2023. He honed in on a different role with Omaha, channeling that skill into exquisite attacking zone entrance passing plays. The German-born midfielder completed more than 84% of his pass attempts on 68.7 touches per game in League One.
It’s natural that Schneider improved in the Dom Casciato system, which was entirely more ground-based and patient than Indy’s look in 2024. For any team that’s looking to break their opponents down with heady passing, Schneider is thus a terrific option.
Looking for more star power? A number of loan players could do the job. JC Ngando was named to the all-league team after shredding through defenses in Las Vegas; he got a long-term extension in Vancouver but isn’t guaranteed immediate MLS minutes. Kevon Lambert could anchor the No. 6 spot or central defensive group for any club in the USL, provided Real Salt Lake is looking for another loan. Rida Zouhir is the other big-name option. Though he didn’t set Birmingham alight in 2024, his 12 goal contributions with San Antonio in 2023 evidence Zouhir’s vast upside.
League One’s Class of 2024
Who were the best performers among the USL League One graduating class of 2024? In total, 26 players jumped up from the third division to the second last year.
A large chunk of the population migrated as part of North Carolina FC, and those players mostly fared well - even outperforming the star players NCFC added as a USL Championship makeweight. A plurality of graduates made their own moves during the offseason, and the results were somewhat more mixed. Finally, there were a handful of in-season movers; these players tended to have Championship experience under their belt already.
You’ve got a big ol’ stats table here as a loose guide to the 26 players to step up. Don’t pay too much attention to the groupings here; full backs and center mids are lumped together, for example, because of useful metrics more than any suggestion of comparable performance.
Who are the standouts among the graduating class? Khori Bennett and Oalex Anderson are the obvious answers. Both strikers combined for 15 goal contributions in 2024 for Las Vegas and North Carolina, respectively.
If we’re being frank, I had my doubts about Bennett after a modest seven-goal return in 2023. His stellar instinct and use of his size put those doubts to rest for the Lights. Anderson, meanwhile, led the USL in fast break xG and was everything NCFC needed atop their 5-4-1 shape.
Anderson’s teammate, Louis Perez, has a real argument for being the best of all the League One grads. Displacing a number of high-level Championship recruits to make 31 starts, Perez ended up with five assists and more crosses completed (47) than any other attacking mid. He showed positional flexibility when called upon and formed a terrific give-take partnership with Ezra Armstrong on the NCFC left.
There are a number of North Carolina midfielders to shout out, in fact. Mikey Maldonado contributed to 10 goals out of the pivot, and while his defensive numbers (10th percentile or lower in tackles, duels, and pressing recoveries) don’t pop, they’re emblematic of the highly disciplined role he took on in the context of John Bradford’s system.
Rafa Mentzingen was equally impactful; for my money, no right wing back in the USL was as consistently threatening. For Mentzingen, best known as an attacker, to hold down that spot in a proper back five was no mean feat.
Mukwelle Akale had the brightest moments of any League One grad, best exemplified by his game-changing performance against Phoenix in the playoffs. Positionally fluid all year long - think winger or No. 10 - Akale switched from left to right halfway through that game and picked up the winning goal for his efforts. It was par for the course in a season where the ex-Tormenta man ranked in the 80th percentile or better for shots on net, chances created, and dribbles.
While my player value metrics rate a few of the defensive players that made the leap, that’s largely a product of Miami FC spending entire matches on the back foot and thereby bolstering their defenders’ numbers.
By contrast, Johan Penaranda, who I highlighted a number of times during the year, cooked up a legit all-USL bid after joining FC Tulsa at midseason, no stat padding required. He’s going to be that club’s most important player in 2025 - which, in and of itself, is a testament to the vast talent on show in USL League One.
Final Thoughts
In other news this week…
Speaking of: be on the lookout for a big Super League tactical guide coming soon.
Luiz Fernando to New Mexico feels like a big deal. The Brazilian winger really hit his stride in Memphis over the last three seasons, but it was his 2022 debut campaign that stands out. Then, Fernando put up four goals and five assists while also beating opponents on the dribble 1.9 times per game.
While Fernando’s scoring numbers didn’t fall off from there, his underlying rate stats got shakier. Why the drop? In 2022, Fernando played in a hyper-possessive Ben Pirmann system, one that’s similar in spirit to the Dennis Sanchez style set to take root in New Mexico.
When Fernando is chasing long balls in a direct, Stephen Glass-esque system, he struggles. When he has time to get onto his left foot in the final third, good things happen. Expect plenty of that in Albuquerque.
Luca Mastrantonio started 19 of Union Omaha’s 22 league matches this year, and he accumulated 19 defensive actions as Omaha allowed just one goal in three playoff matches to win a title. The Italian center back is as steady as they come, and he’s a huge add for AV Alta, whose spine is looking so good right now.
That’s all, folks. See you soon!