USL Super League Power Rankings: Cotton Bowl blowout

Who’s up and down in the USL Super League after Week 5?

Another week, another jam-packed Super League slate in the books. Six of the eight clubs in the division have hosted a home game by now, but we actually haven’t seen much of a home-field advantage. Only Dallas defended their house this weekend, and they did so in style to earn a jump up to the #1 spot in the Power Rankings.

Who’s on top in the very early stage of the season, and what’s driving the changes? Let’s dig in.

1.) Dallas Trinity (+1)

Result: 6-2 win v. Lexington

Dallas has shown flashes of brilliance to start the season, but it all came together at the Cotton Bowl this weekend in a rout against visiting Lexington. Trinity won the xG battle 1.9 to 0.4, and their ability to tilt the pitch and keep the attacking zone was tremendous.

In the high press, Dallas almost adopted a 4-1-5 or 4-3-3 shape that gave Lexington fits and steadfastly denied access to the central midfield. Amber Brooks, their true No. 6 and a crucial safety net in front of the defense, had six recoveries (one in the fourth minute that she immediately followed up with a shot) and three attempted takeaways. Dallas as a whole made 26 recoveries in the attacking half. Their defense had layers, and they came together with the utmost chemistry.

Within that shape, Trinity excelled at trapping their guests against the sidelines, and they often received support from higher-stepping full backs to do so. It was a risky choice that paid off: Lexington is a team that lives for direct passes into the channel, and both of their goals came that way. Still, Dallas accepted that possibility and decided their press would one-up whatever Lexington offered.

Julia Dorsey and Gabriela Guillen made 11 out of their 17 defensive attempts in the attacking half, and both were key in possession to boot. Dorsey, in particular, had a tremendous game as an underlapper.

Dallas defaulted to a look with a narrow front three, but they unlocked interchange whenever Dorsey got upfield. The effect was heightened after halftime when Allie Thornton moved to the wing and formed a fast chemistry with the right back.

Above, you see Trinity’s game-winning move broken down into stages. The sequence starts with Hannah Davison - who began as the left-side center back but moved right to better activate her strong foot - dishing the ball wide. Meanwhile, Dorsey advances into the half space and becomes a center mid by proxy.

The spatial arrangement strengthens Dallas’ center and gives star midfielder Sam Meza the license to scoot wide. Dorsey thus switches her way in a Tar Heel-to-Tar Heel connection. It’s a wonderfully natural and quick-to-develop bit of interchange, and it’s supported by winger Chioma Ubogagu sitting in the half space. She clears out for Meza, too.

As Dallas pushes Ubogagu and their striker towards the net, Lexington is pushed back, and Meza can dribble inside. She shoots, Ubogagu parries in the rebound, and that’s the game. If you’re looking for structured, considerate, and wickedly effective soccer in the Super League, no one is doing it better than Dallas Trinity.

2.) Carolina Ascent (-1)

Result: 2-0 win at Spokane

As the Super League’s co-Golden Boot leader, Mia Corbin is stealing headlines because of her prowess in front of net. Scoring twice from two shots on target isn’t sustainable, but it’s a just reward for Corbin’s do-it-all excellence at the heart of the Ascent midfield.

In a win against Spokane on Sunday, #9’s ability to press high into a 4-4-2 next to Audrey Harding and simultaneously spearhead an interchange-heavy offensive shape was critical.

Corbin deftly pairs intelligent movement with physicality. This season, Corbin leads the Ascent with 39 duel attempts. Versus Zephyr, she contested five aerial duels. In loose-ball scenarios and on the occasions where Carolina goes long, #9 is always engaged and always ready to be a pressure release valve.

Corbin’s heat map essentially shows her covering every single spot in a 4-2-3-1, which nicely captures how Carolina was willing to rotate when they had the ball. If, say, Giovanna DeMarco intercepted a pass in the pivot and wanted to dribble upfield to create, Corbin would drop to solidify the midfield and keep patterns consistent.

If Carolina was building out from the back and wanted to break lines, Corbin was equally willing to drift toward the half space and open her hips to receive. She became the connective tissue from back to front, and she freed wingers like Jill Aguilera to stay wide and stretch Spokane with less of a responsibility to provide an outlet down the middle.

That’s the template in this example. Aguilera (hooped in orange) tried three crosses and picked up an assist on the night, and she’s seen dropping deep into her own half. Meanwhile, star left back Renee Guion (in navy) advances up the left sideline to replace her. Spokane’s response? Push four defenders - including two drifting defensive mids - within yards of the sideline.

Zephyr is overcommitted out wide, but they can’t rotate to fill the gap because Harding (marked in purple) is making a run directly at the center backs. Because of the full-team movement, there’s an enormous runway for Corbin and Riley Baisden (the other orange-coded attacking mid) to sear up the middle of the pitch. It’s a perfect testament to Carolina’s trust in their midfield and growing ability to fool defenses.

Guion, seen marauding aboce, was tremendously good in defensive block as well. She consistently limited Emina Ekic’s ability to find opportunities on her left foot. Ekic could hardly get an edge around Guion, and Vicky Bruce was there to stonewall her if it ever happened. Not only did Carolina dominate with the ball, but they scouted Spokane’s strengths and designed their defense to shut them down. It was a holistic effort for an Ascent team that refuses to lose.

3.) Brooklyn FC (+4)

Result: 1-0 win at Tampa Bay

No team is as dominant in the middle of the park as Brooklyn FC. The bouts of high pressure in their 4-1-4-1 that stood out against Spokane evolved into something entirely more suffocating on Saturday. Between slick passing moves and pinpoint defensive rotations, it’s exactly what Brooklyn will want to see as their home opener approaches.

Under temporary manager and full-time goalkeeper coach Kristen Sample, Brooklyn made 14 recoveries in the middle third and forced Tampa Bay attacking mids like Erika Tymrak (63% passing accuracy in the opposing zone) and Sydny Nasello (54%) to falter.

Defensive midfielder Sam Kroeger, the lone No. 6, was resplendent at the base of the shape. She put in half-a-dozen defensive attempts and recoveries in the Brooklyn third, and she completed 96% of her passes in the defensive half to boot. Kroeger shielded her back line, protected space behind the press, and withstood pressure to make sure the Sun couldn’t earn easy counters.

The performance was par for the course this team has set in 2024. Brooklyn is lapping the field in terms of defensive interventions per match in the midfield, but they’ve done so while retaining a strong sense of formation. Back rotations from Hope Breslin and Mackenzie Pluck alongside Kroeger defined a team that knew when to press but didn’t risk it all to force turnovers.

When the turnovers came, they were lethal. Kroeger, Pluck, and Breslin had a sensational sense for each other’s positioning and broke through the counterpress with deceptive ease. Upfield, attackers like Isabel Cox instantly tore into open space to give Brooklyn a threat at the business end; the starting front three took four shots and tried seven crosses because of that effective movement.

Throw in a standout central defensive outing from Kelsey Hill against a Tampa Bay system that tried to exploit her left side, and you couldn’t ask for much more at any level. If this is Brooklyn after two games, then title expectations won’t be out of the question when they fully hit their stride.

4.) Spokane Zephyr (-1)

Result: 2-0 loss v. Carolina

Even with meager results during a three-game homestand to start the year, Spokane clearly has a process. In Emina Ekic, they have a singular wide scoring threat that bends defenses. They’ve shown flashes building out from the back. To avoid results like Sunday’s loss to Carolina, Zephyr need to find more offensive consistency and avoid turnovers that expose their 4-1-4-1 shape.

Before the Ascent loss, Spokane had mostly avoided major gaffes that often define first-year teams. In the face of Carolina’s two-striker press, however, the Sarah Clark/Sydney Cummings center back duo struggled to find passing angles. Thrice, they were dangerously caught out in transitional moments.

Spokane’s opening concession came on a broken play after a throw in, one where Cummings stepped out, gave the ball away, and wasn’t replaced by Alyssa Bourgeois or any of the center mids in rotation. In the 41st minute, left back Katie Murray turned over with Clark high, resulting in a gaping hole on the left side that forced Isobel Nino into a diving save. You got another mix-up between Murray and Clark in the 58th minute against a quick counter, one that Clark ultimately salvaged with a lunging clearance.

It was a destructive cycle where an inability to find non-Ekic attacking options led to turnovers and forced the back four to overextend. When Spokane could find a dropping McKenzie Weinert between the lines or hit Marley Canales on the half-turn, good things happened. Skip passes that broke lines and bypassed the single pivot weren’t available enough, and that caused trouble.

Clark and Cummings have been solid if unspectacular as distributors this year. Within their pairing, Clark has taken a more active role as an initiator, and her passes have tended to be more direct and progressive. The “vertical share” above refers to the percentage of passing distance directed upfield. Say that Clark hits a pass that travels 20 yards in total, but it only advances play by 10 yards; that would give you a 50% vertical share.

Cummings is among the bottom five starting center backs in terms of her verticality, whereas the left-sided Clark has taken on a more expansive mien. Neither has lit the world on fire, even though there are flashes of incision on the regular.

Elsewhere, I liked Spokane’s targeted use of a two-striker press. If Carolina pushed toward Zephyr’s left, Weinert would close to the receiver and Ekic would push up to become a second pressing forward on the weak side. The substitution strategy also paid off: Emma Jaskaniec was a bright midfield addition in the second half, and she really clicked once Weinert moved right later in the game.

Again, I’m very much in on the ideas for Spokane. Executing upon them and cutting down on self-inflicted pain is the main prerogative now.

5.) Tampa Bay Sun (-1)

Result: 1-0 loss v. Brooklyn

Tampa Bay doesn’t know what they want to be. At times, they’re a back three team. Occasionally, their midfield looks like a diamond. There’s plenty of movement, but it feels haphazard and rarely threatens defenses.

A frustrating loss to Brooklyn exhibited why the Sun need to settle on something firmer to start getting results. Tampa Bay tried a good-not-great 19 passes in zone 14 (i.e., the central region just outside of the box) on Saturday but only completed one attempt from there into the 18-yard area. A system that’s too slow and too easy to confine around the edges is the reason for the slow start.

Take the example here. Jordyn Listro, who started as a defensive midfielder, moves over to the right back spot as pivot partner Wasila Diwura-Soale stands pat centrally; they’re marked in yellow. Meanwhile, Carlee Giammona (who averaged 0.87 goal contributions during her final two years at Pepperdine) in blue drops level with the defensive mids in the left channel.

Erika Tymrak is the only player remaining between the lines, but Tampa Bay would need to pass through three Brooklyn pressers to find her. Thus, Listro is the only option, but by the time she receives, she has no choice but to play an immediate back pass. It’s Tampa Bay’s problem in a nutshell: the ball movement is slow, and the interesting spacing becomes useless as a result.

That wonky midfield setup can create chances if the Sun keep up their tempo; they looked rampant against Lexington a week ago for a reason. Even against Brooklyn, a somewhat simplified 4-2-3-1 with Siena Bryan marauding at right back and Andrea Hauksdottir probing at striker helped the cause late-on. Finding that rhythm from the opening whistle is vital for Tampa Bay going forward.

6.) Fort Lauderdale United (+2)

Result: 2-0 win at DC

Most of 2024 has felt passive for Fort Lauderdale United. Rather than set the terms, this team has come under pressure. That changed in a resounding win in the nation’s capital over the weekend, a match where a double-barreled 4-2-4 allowed Tyrone Mears’ side to take DC apart.

Anele Komani only went 54 minutes but felt like a staid and poised game-changer in the pivot. At their best moments this year, Fort Lauderdale has driven through Felicia Knox down the middle to create. Komani’s composure (35 passes, 83% completion in the attacking half) liberated Knox to push higher and provide a critical receptive outlet in the attacking half.

United’s setup is seen mapped here, illustrating how it gave DC fits. If you’re moving up from line to line, you see:

1. The 4-2-4 forms up in build with Komani and Darya Rajaee in the pivot ahead of a fairly flat back line; a clear passing triangle develops in the half space as DC’s shape struggles to cope.

2. Knox (labeled as an attacking mid) and Addie McCain (the forward) become dual No. 10s capable of drifting between the lines. If you’re initiating from the back, a skip pass into Knox or McCain is viable.

3. Wingers Sh’nia Gordan and Jasmine Hamid stay high and occupy pockets between Power center and full backs to keep midfield space available.

Like any attempt to wrap tactics up into a single graphic, it’s an oversimplification. Still, that overarching formula gave Fort Lauderdale what they needed to dominate the wide areas and put up 2.0 xG despite attempting just nine passes in zone 14.

That’s efficiency, and that’s why Mears and co. got the job done.

7.) DC Power (-2)

Result: 2-0 loss v. Fort Lauderdale

On the bright side for DC: they put up 2.1 xG against Fort Lauderdale.

Less positive for DC: they got shut out, their 3-5-2 felt feckless down the middle, and Jorian Baucom is responsible for a massive 47% of their expected output without the goal output or support to match.

DC Power absolutely wasn’t bad against Fort Lauderdale, but their defensive 4-4-2 was too flimsy in the central areas, and they lacked any presence between the lines when shifting into their attacking shape. A few weeks back against Tampa Bay, similar shifting saw DC get dual No. 10s into the center and allowed them to sizzle offensively. That wasn’t the case on Friday.

DC didn’t force a single save in the first half, and Baucom was forced to provide width on the left rather than occupy the center backs in useful areas.

When Power changed from phase to phase, they pushed left back Madison Murnin up the sideline and used right back Susanna Friedrichs like a third central defender. That was a contrast to Friedrichs’ deployment as a center mid last time around, and it didn’t work out. Murnin attempted just one cross and was often required to turn tail at halfway before she could enter the final third; DC generally struggled in transition. The lacking width forced Baucom’s hand positionally. If Murnin couldn’t do wing things, #5 had to.

I did like Jeanette Yango’s running as the right winger. Her combinations with second striker Yuuka Kurosaki felt balanced and opened up opportunities more regularly. That DC went 13% on their cross attempts at the end of those successful sequences is a story for another day; finding more consistency in build and solidifying the system in phase-to-phase transition is what matters.

8.) Lexington SC (-2)

Result: 6-2 loss at Dallas

So far this season, Lexington is the only team in the Super League averaging less than one expected goal per game. Even when chances come, they’ve rarely been a result of possessive build-out. More than 15% of Lexington’s chances have come on the break, almost double the share of any other team in the league.

Breaking out into high-tempo opportunities is an essential part of a varied attack, but an over-reliance can force you to lose structure. Six concessions against Dallas hint at that being the case. Lexington is also underperforming their expected pass completion rate by 7.5%, more than double the margin of any league rival. Defensively and possessively, this club can’t find their footing.

Yes, a searching ball into Kailey Utley on the break isolated a Dallas center back and allowed Lexington to take a lead. Yes, Madison Parsons repeated the trick in a similar manner. That doesn’t feel repeatable week-in and week-out.

By and large, Lexington’s space and structure didn’t allow them to enter the attacking half with control. In the example screenshotted above, Dallas has four-fifths of their midfield in a tight zone and supports the trap with an encroaching left back.

Meanwhile, Lexington possesses through one of their center mids (Shea Moyer) but inexplicably keeps three other midfielders in the heart of that Trinity trap. There’s no outlet, and the play will end in a turnover. It’s the opposite of what you want, and it lets the hosts stay on the front foot.

Some of the problem is sheer unfamiliarity, but it needs to be solved quickly. Lexington notably made a mid-game line change again, moving Courtney Jones - who was very good roving from side to side in defensive coverage as the No. 6 early on - to full back after halftime. Limiting game time for certain sets of players isn’t helping the chemistry conundrum.