Tape Session: the USL playoffs' second round

Previewing this weekend’s action across the Championship and League One

It’s semifinal weekend, with four teams left in the USL Championship’s Western and Eastern Conferences as well as USL League One. These playoffs have already been surprising; four of the top six seeds across the divisions fell in the first round.

The opening weekend of the playoffs was defined by extremely defensive, don’t-make-a-mistake soccer across the board. Across 12 games in both leagues, just 12 goals were scored. Will that overwhelming conservatism persist? What tactical features stand out in each matchup? I’ve picked out a key piece of tape to preview the entire slate.

(1) FC Tulsa - (5) Phoenix Rising

In the first round, an FC Tulsa side that led the West with 50 goals and ranked second in the entire USL with 49.2 xG struggled against an opponent rocking a new 5-3-2 defensive shape. If that performance against oft-leaky Colorado Springs was any indication, Phoenix Rising is in a great position to pull off an upset.

Rising continued their dominant defensive form against El Paso, holding the Locomotive to the lowest single-game xG total (0.11) of any team in the history of the USL playoffs. Pa-Modou Kah reprised the now-familiar 3-4-3 to make it happen, but clever deployment changes are what suffocated the opposition. Phoenix’s success in the conference semis will depend on their ability to limit Tulsa between the lines – something they failed to do back in August when these clubs last met.

Rising’s original sin here is laxity from front to back. The No. 9 curls his closing run to force center back AB Cissoko wide, but Charlie Dennis (the right winger) has to hedge against a fullback and can’t trap the defender. The natural result is going to be a long ball – Tulsa can’t really access their midfield – but Phoenix’s back line takes a relatively passive posture, not exactly high nor low.

Tulsa played this match without star striker Taylor Calheira in the lineup, yet they’ve got enough of a presence at the No. 9 spot to force a relatively weak header from Ascel Essengue into the dead of the central midfield. There, attacking mid Hope Avayevu can’t box out one of Tulsa’s No. 8s, allowing for a recovery by Marcos Cerato.

(Aside: Noble Okello, ostensibly the ball-winner and aerial menace in this Phoenix pivot, is high upfield marking a No. 6 if you’re curious. No, that doesn’t make sense.)

Post-header, Rising try to collapse on Cerato, but he’s able to carom through the pressure, Meanwhile, the back line ball-watches rather than recover against Tulsa’s forward momentum. As a result, the Brazilian can play a winger through to create a crossing opportunity.

Rising has improved greatly, but this is the type of sequence they need to be aware of on Saturday. Give Tulsa too many bites at the apple, particularly with Calheira back in the mix, and you’re going to pay. The upside? Essengue has been fairly steady at wingback, and a JP Scearce-Jean Moursou pivot has looked utterly dependable. Colorado Springs’ strategy last weekend was basically “poor man’s Phoenix,” meaning that the Rising blueprint is built to slow down the #1 seed.

(3) New Mexico United - (7) Orange County SC

No team looked better than New Mexico United last weekend. They held 55% of possession, achieved a 60% field tilt, and completed 95% of their own-half passes against a San Antonio team that was ferocious (if disorganized) in the press. Whether carefully working through their 4-2-3-1’s pivot or slicing upfield through the wings, New Mexico was rampant.

The challenge will be far different against Orange County, whose 4-4-2 block put a lid on Sacramento’s multifarious attack last Sunday. The Republic took merely five shots from the box in 120 minutes despite completing 159 passes in the final third; penetration was near impossible, and OCSC never let their hosts breathe. If they can control tempo and reprise that crowded low-block game state, they’ll have a fighting chance in Albuquerque.

New Mexico has been Orange County’s bogey team across 2025, with Danny Stone and co. having conceded six goals in two regular season match-ups. That includes a 3-3 draw from mid-October, a game where United’s wingers announced themselves as genuine threats.

In the example, OCSC gives the ball away in the attacking zone, having shifted left back Ryan Doghman high upfield on the overlap. The remainder of the defense sits compact, while the pivot pairing of Malik Pinto and Stephen Kelly is immediately outnumbered three-on-two as United breaks into a 4-3-3 attacking shape.

Because the resting defensive base (i.e., Pedro Guimaraes, Vuk Latinovich, and Nico Benalcazar) has shifted to cover Doghman, there’s room available up the weak right. New Mexico leverages it through Valentin Noel.

We’ve seen the star midfielder press like a forward but drop into No. 8 positions as a possessive ball-mover quite often; in this match, he started in the pivot and thus had space to lead these sorts of breaks. As Noel carries forward, he sees four runners – including left-sided Dayonn Harris – charging at three OCSC defenders.

Scenarios like this let Harris go four-for-seven on the dribble, both season highs. Here, the winger can sprint to the endline and cross, by which point Pinto and Kelly still haven’t put a body on the opposing attackers. Greg Hurst has space and strikes true on the end of Harris‘ cross.

You can expect to see Pinto as the low-seated right back on Saturday, and he’ll surely have the matchup against Harris on his mind. That means Kevin Partida – maybe the most underrated workhorse No. 8 in the USL – will cover in the pivot, which ought to help OCSC’s transition defense as well. Still, Orange County will need all hands on deck if New Mexico looks half this sharp in the conference semifinal.

(3) North Carolina FC - (7) Rhode Island FC

With this week’s news of North Carolina FC’s impending death (hiatus?), the Eastern Conference semifinals have taken on a new import. This was already my must-watch game of the weekend (hence why you’re about to get two clips!) and it’s taken on an emotional resonance in the meantime.¹

Tactically, these clubs met at the tail end of the regular season in the systems we’ll see this Saturday. For North Carolina, success will rely on two things: shapely defending and an ability to activate the Oalex Anderson-Pedro Dolabella partnership. It’s a similar calculus for Rhode Island, whose ability to create short-field transition chances – something they couldn’t do in Charleston in the first round – is key.

While Rhode Island mostly defended in their typical 5-2-3 back in October, they’ve got forward Dwayne Atkinson a shade lower here like a third mid to hedge against North Carolina’s 4-2-4ish build. Centrally, there’s tight marking against the Mikey Maldonado-led pivot, meant to funnel play toward sideline trap triggers.

You can see striker Albert Dikwa pressing the ball while Noah Fuson denies the cutback lane behind him. It’s all meant to pin NCFC, but the shape isn’t tight enough to deny defender Conor Donovan’s forward pass.

Indeed, the separation between lines means that Donovan can play directly through the burgeoning trap and hit forward Anderson at his feet. There’s a defensive response, but a one-touch layoff into an open Dolabella still ensues. Meanwhile, NCFC’s right winger makes a vertical run to push the defensive line back and free Dolabella for a decent shot from range.

These sorts of plays are exactly what RIFC denied last weekend. Clay Holstad’s presence in the forward line as the third presser was key to that calculus (what can’t he do?), but we’ll see what tricks Khano Smith has up his sleeve to stay shapely.

In their own right, Rhode Island needs to accomplish what Loudoun couldn’t last weekend: stretch North Carolina out of their 4-4-2 block and create high-xG, in-box chances. They get close here, pairing second-ball dominance with a terrific understanding of speed and space to do so.

This sequence starts with a long restart, one that’s contested by Frank Nodarse (a wingback here, a center back against Charleston) and Fuson before landing at Hugo Bacharach’s feet. Bacharach was sublime as a ball-retaining No. 8 last time out, attempting eight dribbles and completing 82% of his passes. Here, he cleanly traps the ball and knows exactly when to release a pass, buying time for Holstad and a wingback to skew wide and stretch NCFC.

This is what I mean when I talk about spacing. Rhode Island starts quite narrow to win the loose ball, but they spread the field once in control. North Carolina overreacts to those left-bound runners, and defender Hamady Diop thus has room to advance on the underlap. He’ll play Fuson through into a now-open zone 14 to set up a decent shot.

Would you hope for an attempt closer to goal? Sure, and that’s something to focus on before Saturday’s match. If Rhode Island manages a win in regulation, it’ll happen because they manufacture short-field chances like this and find their final ball into the 18-yard box. The same is largely true for NCFC in what might be their last-ever match.

(4) Pittsburgh Riverhounds - (8) Detroit City

Unless you’re living under a rock, you’re probably aware of the fact that Detroit is fresh off the biggest upset in the history of the USL playoffs. In handing Louisville their second loss of 2025 in USL competition, Le Rouge moved as a unit, fended off a stunning 47 open-play crosses, and used a first-half set piece to win the dang thing. Now, Danny Dichio’s challenge is to adapt that defense-driven blueprint to a matchup against Pittsburgh.

In their own right, the ‘Hounds shut down a Hartford team that’s built similarly to Detroit. While City has a more trustworthy back line, Pittsburgh’s ability to limit Michee Ngalina and Kyle Edwards was a tidy proof-of-concept for what’s to come against Ates Diouf and Darren Smith. We can trust Pittsburgh’s 5-2–2-1 to hold, but can it break Le Rouge down?

Here, you see Detroit holding firm. The Riverhounds start this play with the ball at the feet of wingback Perrin Barnes, who plays into Jackson Walti in the pivot. Walti starts to swing the ball left, but a clean rotation from Le Rouge striker Darren Smith halts the progress; the No. 9’s arrival yields a return pass to Walti, who shifts right and tries to start a wide break anew.

By then, Detroit has shaped up. Smith presses the No. 6’s back side, while fellow forward Ates Diouf positions himself to deny a skip pass back toward Barnes. The Pittsburgh man has to play into a center back once more, by which point Ryan Williams has helped into the halfspace to limit the Riverhounds’ pace of play.

Pittsburgh resets again from there, but Smith and midfielder Jay Chapman pin the eventual receiver at the sideline. Finally, a turnover ensues – all without anything close to box access every arriving.

I’ve focused a lot on the extremely low block that Detroit used to upset Louisville, but they can be just as tidy in a more positive posture. It’s easy to imagine Diouf breaking away in the case of a slip-up here, and that’s likely how Le Rouge will pull off an upset at Highmark. Still, doing so won’t be easy; Pittsburgh is far sharper these days in an offensive 3-1-5-1, and any failure in rotation will be pounced upon.

(3) Spokane Velocity - (7) Portland

If you’re this deep into some nerd’s blog post, then you almost certainly remember Portland massacring Spokane by a 6-1 scoreline a few weeks back. That game came amidst a tough stretch of travel for the Velocity, and it was played in front of the biggest crowd in League One history. This time around, Spokane will host Hearts on normal rest. Still, the memory of that match must weigh on both sides entering Sunday’s rematch.

Spokane has already proven their adaptability this November, leaning into their counterattack and low-block organization to extinguish red-hot Tormenta. The same is largely true of Portland, whose ability to win physical battles and defend a late lead was a sign of growth against Chattanooga. I anticipate this match playing faster and freer on both sides, and the club that can imprint their identity to the greatest degree will have a leg up.

Portland was that team in mid-October, when Bobby Murphy’s high press stymied the Velocity and created numerous free-flowing attacking opportunities; four final-third takeaways and 16 successful dribbles were above the season-long standard. Here, you see Hearts in a mid-high posture to make that all happen, shifting their 4-4-2 to make life difficult for Spokane.

As the ball moves from side to side, Natty James (the No. 10) and Titus Washington (the No. 9) trade marks. Initially, the former addresses one of Spokane’s center backs while the latter shadows their No. 6. As the point switches, James covers the low center mid and Washington runs at a defender. Meanwhile, Portland flexes their ball-side winger up to stymie progression up the sideline.

Hearts’ press is designed to frustrate opponents into turnovers, and that’s what happens here. Spokane attempts to squeeze a pass into the pivot, but it’s picked off by James. At that point, the wingers are off to the races against a backtracking defense. Jay Tee Kamara receives up the right, dances around the back line to draw all attention his way, and cuts back to James for a neat first-time finish.

Can Bryce Meredith or Jack Denton step up in that No. 6 spot and receive between lines with real gusto? If so, Spokane can beat the press. We’ll see how Leigh Veidman approaches a difficult matchup, but the key tactical battle on Sunday is eminently clear.

(1) One Knox - (4) FC Naples

While Knoxville remains invincible at Covenant Health Park in 2025, it’s easy to overlook what was a very close victory in the first round. Charlotte’s high press gave One Knox real trouble and created a number of break opportunities; no losing team in the entire USL generated more non-penalty xG last weekend. At the same time, it’s a testament to Ian Fuller’s steady back line and the adaptability of his attacking group that Knoxville pulled out a big win.

They’ll need to show similar grit against FC Naples, who dispensed fairly easily with an Omaha team that I deemed to be title favorites. Naples didn’t win possession in the final third a single time, and they conceded a 59% field tilt. They also posted more xG and box touches than Omaha because of a midfield line of confrontation that set up transitions and made progression a chore. Similar intensity is a must-have to beat One Knox.

Here, Naples has the tempo they’ll need to break down their hosts. Brecc Evans smartly waits to hit a pass until Knoxville has shifted into full-blown 4-1-4-1 mode, at which point he ratchets up the pace and finds Karsen Henderlong at his feet. So far, so good.

One Knox doesn’t sit back. They know there’s a gap up the middle, and defender Jordan Skelton – just named an all-USL first-teamer – fills it by tracking Henderlong on the drop. The Naples striker is forced to spin toward the sideline, but Skelton is quick enough to stop him from cutting back inside. At that point, help arrives: defensive mid Abel Caputo moves low like a center back, and Mikkel Goling rotates deep from the No. 10 position.

With a pseudo back four restored, Knoxville is no longer in danger. Naples completes a few passes but visibly stalls out, and Goling is able to knock the ball out of play. It’s the exact sort of sequence that explains why One Knox only allowed 26 goals in the regular season.

For Naples, this isn’t a bad sequence. Matt Poland will hope to see plenty more line-breaking plays just like this, in fact. The more you make Knoxville rotate, the likelier they are to make a mistake. Scoring in East Tennessee won’t be easy, but there’s a proof of concept that might lead the expansion side to success on Saturday.

1. The first lower-league game I ever remember watching featured the then-RailHawks. Shoutout to Mike Ambersley and the Indy Eleven for scraping by with a draw.