The Back Four: Early Voting

Welcome in to The Back Four! Need more USL content? Make sure to:

• Visit Backheeled for 10,000+ words of analysis on the Championship and League One every matchweek.
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Without further ado, let’s get to it.

The USL Tactics Championship Best XI

Rubio Rubin, FW (El Paso) & Ihsan Sacko, FW (Phoenix)

I’ve written about Rubio Rubin extensively in my awards coverage throughout the year on Backheeled, and the argument remains the same now. Rubin is the best pure goalscorer in the USL, full stop. With 0.60 xG, 0.15 xA, and a 76th percentile return in terms of final-third recoveries per game, he constantly provided an anchoring presence for the Locomotive. All year long, El Paso’s attack was defined by their No. 9s powerhouse profile in the box and underrated ability as a connector close to goal.

Ihsan Sacko, meanwhile, put an up-and-down Phoenix side on his back throughout 2026. I’m usually loath to vote for the Golden Boot winner as Most Valuable Player, but Sacko’s season-saving performances for Rising were simply undeniable. The Frenchman – who put up a league-best 22 goal contributions while adding elite one-on-one dribbling (1.2 take-ons per game) and pressing (0.8 final-third contributions) – was the rare USL player that could take over a game. I often frame my awards voting around the hypothetical “how much worse is team Y without player X?” question, and the Phoenix/Sacko version makes his MVP-level quality all the clearer.

(You could reasonably argue that Sacko is a winger, and I’m going to choose a player with a really similar positional role as an all-League One midfielder. Sue me.)

Honorable Mentions: Darren Smith, Phillip Goodrum

Memo Rodriguez (AM, Sacramento) & Jamie Webber (AM, Tulsa)

No attacking mids in the West were more important to their clubs’ offenses than Memo Rodriguez in Sacramento and Jamie Webber in Tulsa. Rodriguez mainly served as a left-tilted No. 10 in the Republic’s possession system, and his total of nine assists and 64 key passes both accounted for roughly a quarter of Sacramento’s total creative output. No one in the USL was a better connector through zone 14 in 2026. Webber, meanwhile, ranked fifth in the league for key passes (27) and total xG+xA (3.5) from dead balls while operating as a premier transition driver in the heart of Tulsa’s 3-4-3 shape. Between a do-it-all work rate and unmatched passing vision, the South African international didn’t miss a beat for the reigning Western Conference champs.

Honorable Mentions: Jorge Hernandez, Jeremy Kelly, Marcus Epps

Blaine Ferri (CM, Lexington) & Max Schneider (CM, Tampa Bay)

Last July, Blaine Ferri signed for Lexington on a 25-day contract after going an entire offseason as an unsigned free agent. One year on, he should be an all-USL player. Ferri’s ability to find pockets of space and keep the ball moving in build was nothing less than sublime this year, and he added 13 total goal contributions and 3.0 progressive carries per game to boot. As this club hit their late-season stride, Ferri’s gravity through lines is what opened space for LSC’s vertical offense to reach its full potential.

Max Schneider, meanwhile, was the Championship’s best stay-at-home No. 6. The Rowdies star put in 2.4 clearances, 2.3 takeaways, and 4.7 recoveries per 90 while anchoring a truly splendid resting shape at Al Lang Stadium. Along the way, Schneider gamely offered a considerate ability to break lines and to influence the game as a late-arriving runner. You can’t understate his importance to Tampa Bay.

Honorable Mentions: Hugo Bacharach, Zico Bailey, Aaron Molloy, Sebastian Cruz

Nathan Messer, LB (Charleston) & Haruki Yamazaki (RB, Detroit)

Charleston scored more goals than any other team in the East, and you could reasonably argue that left back Nathan Messer was the most important piece of their attacking puzzle. Signed from Portland Hearts of Pine for a fee over the winter, Messer notched seven total assists for the Battery while putting up 5.5 open-play crosses and 4.0 progressive carries per game. His tendency to overlap and stretch the left sideline opened defenses and let the rest of the Battery flourish.

By contrast, Haruki Yamazaki was so executional in Detroit because of his extreme capability as a set-up player. Yamazaki drew 111 fouls this year; the next-closest player only got to 76. As a one-on-one dribbler in the build phase and an exceptional block defender, the 25-year-old was vitally important to Le Rouge’s system. Yamazaki’s value as a masterful zone-exit ball-mover isn’t easy to quantify, but it’s worthy of all-USL recognition.

Honorable Mentions: Charlie Ostrem, Jesus De Vicente, Jacob Greene, Sebastian Anderson, Aiden McFadden

Nathan Dossantos, CB (Tampa Bay) & Callum Montgomery, CB (Detroit)

By virtue of the fact that the Tampa Bay Rowdies kept a 56% field tilt on average, Nathan Dossantos didn’t get the chance to put up enormous counting stats. Still, he won 63% of his ground duels, 67% of his aerial duels, and put in 2.7 takeaways for every foul he conceded this year. When you look up “efficiency” in the dictionary, you get a picture of Dossantos. Throw in league-best passing from the left side of Tampa Bay’s back four, and Dossantos was a model of elite central defensive play in every sense. 

Callum Montgomery, meanwhile, ranked in the 80th percentile or better for aerial wins, clearances, and takeaways as the anchor of Detroit’s low-block defense. Across more than 2,400 total minutes, he also exceeded his expected completion percentage on a high-volume 11% touch share and proved to be a brave passer from the back. Le Rouge allowed just 21 goals in 30 games, and Montgomery was a major linchpin in that effort. (Not weighting on this, but Montgomery was also the league’s best defender according to my points added model by a wide distance.)

Honorable Mentions: Kipp Keller, Mitchell Taintor, Kendall Burks, Joey Akpunonu, Devon Amoo-Mensah

Kris Shakes, GK (New Mexico)

New Mexico United allowed 1.73 xG per game this season, the third-worst mark in the entire USL Championship. However, they only gave up 1.13 actual goals – a top-ten mark in the league. Kris Shakes is responsible for that success and, by extension, United’s first-place finish in the West. The goalkeeper led his position with a 10% touch share and was intimately involved in New Mexico’s possession game. As a shot-topper, his 80% save rate and 4.2 saves per game were nigh unmatched. Shakes was the USL’s best pure goalkeeper in 2026, and he pulled it off while adding meaningful contributions as a sweeper and passer. 

Honorable Mention: Antony Siaha 

The USL Tactics League One Best XI

Souaibou Marou, FW (Charlotte) & Omar Hernandez, FW (Chattanooga)

League One’s Golden Boot winner with 18 goals scored, Souaibou Marou embodied what a No. 9 should be throughout the 2026 season. The Charlotte forward finished the year with 3.8 shots and a staggering 0.85 xG per game. All of Marou’s goals came in the box; 10 came off his left foot, and five were headed. Whether first-timing a shot in stride or out-muscling a defender to find an angle, the diversity of Marou’s finishing never abated.

Omar Hernandez offered an entirely different profile for Chattanooga, running the channels and dancing through defenses in a more open, transitional system. Hernandez put up 13 goals on merely 0.22 xG per game, but his real value came as a creator that produced 7.6 passes into the box and 0.24 xA a match. The Red Wolves star constantly created separation that gave his side a necessary threat close to goal, and he added strong service from dead balls to boot.

Honorable Mentions: Ryan Carmichael, Tumi Moshobane

Jon Bakero, AM (Charlotte) & Sergio Ors Navarro, AM (Omaha)

Jon Bakero set the new USL assist record (18) this year and led Charlotte to their first-ever Players’ Shield. He should be a lock as the league’s Most Valuable Player. On dead balls, the Spaniard racked up nine goal contributions on 5.5 total xG+xA. In the run of play, Bakero hit 4.6 non-cross passes into the box per game and won roughly 60% of his duels. Week in and week out, Bakero floated though the Independence’s midfield, drove play forward, and challenged opponents at an unmatched caliber.

Sergio Ors Navarro only played 61% of possible minutes for Omaha this season, and his on-off splits are nothing to write home about. Still, a return of 12 goals on 6.6 box touches per 90 makes Ors Navarro’s value clear: no player in League One was more influential against set defensive blocks. Blurring the line between right winger and forward, Ors Navarro gave Omaha a genuine triple threat all year long and will be paramount if this team makes a playoff run in November.

Honorable Mentions: Ajmeer Spengler, Connor McGlynn, Jerry Desdunes, Jonathan Bolanos

Roman Torres, CM (Madison) & Philip Mayaka, CM (Boise)

At risk of just listing out stats, Roman Torres ranked in the 80th percentile or better this season for xA, touch share, long completions, passes into the box, dribbles, defensive actions, and ground duel wins. The Madison No. 8 did everything at the heart of his club’s 3-4-3, operating with a tireless work rate along the way. In a Mingos side with no shortage of star attackers that could’ve shouldered a load, Torres put up 13 goal contributions and was the talisman for the club’s comeback season.

I’ve left Philip Mayaka out of my various Best XI discussions this year, and that was a grievous oversight. Mayaka played nearly 2,800 minutes in the Boise midfield this season and expertly mixed a classic No. 6’s rest defense intelligence with upfield counterpressure and well-reared offensive contributions. Along the way, the 25-year-old put in 6.4 recoveries and 0.24 xG+xA per 90 minutes. Mayaka rarely did the sexy things within the Nate Miller system, but his error-free presence in the pivot held his club together through thick and thin.

Honorable Mentions: Sami Guediri, Teddy Baker, Javier Armas

Anderson Rosa, LB (Sarasota) & Younes Boudadi, RB (Omaha)

I’d genuinely consider Anderson Rosa as a top-three candidate for Most Valuable Player alongside stars like Bakero and Torres; he was that good and that tactically important for Sarasota. The left back's tally of 17 goal contributions is unthinkably high, and it’s no fluke. Rosa’s underlapping movement in possession and preternatural ability to link with the Paradise’s attacking midfield was a joy to watch throughout 2026.

In his first season in League One, Younes Boudadi was superb for Union Omaha. The right back put up five assists, and he did so on a league-best 6.4 crosses and 0.25 xA per 90. Boudadi’s safety as a build-up passer and sideline-stretching movement were key parts of Los Búhos’ offense all year long, yet the fullback – who also put up 3.1 takeaways per game – never let that role get in the way of disciplined defensive recoveries.

Honorable Mentions: Jonathan Ricketts, Clay Dimick, Nick Moon, Derek Waldeck, Michael Rempel

Finn McRobb, CB (Knoxville) & Jake Dengler, CB (Boise)

In a year where Jordan Skelton missed significant time and multiple back-end stars departed the club, One Knox still finished with a top-three defense in League One – largely because Finn McRobb stepped up to the plate. The 24-year-old put in 4.7 progressive carries and 10.7 final-third entries per game as an elite table-setting technician, and he was equally consistent as a defender. McRobb won 3.5 aerial duels a match and 64% of his total ground duel attempts, providing quality no matter the situation.

Jake Dengler is a stalwart on all-USL lists, and for good reason: no matter the system he’s a part of, the center back is eminently reliable. This year in Boise, Dengler paired high-volume passing (57 completions per game) with vertical penetration (14 yards per pass) and stellar one-on-one defensive ability (dribbled past just 0.07 times per 90). While the 27-year-old’s aerial win and clearance numbers were down slightly, that was a virtue of Boise’s possession system above all else. Pound for pound, no defender in League One did the most with their opportunities.

Honorable Mentions: Samuel Owusu, Camron Miller, Tiago Dias, Kevin Carmichael

Matt Levy, GK (Charlotte)

With nearly 5.0 goals prevented, Matt Levy consistently elevated the Charlotte Independence all year long. The 26-year-old posted a 73% save rate on 3.4 stops per game, and he also flexed meaningful box control skills along the way. Levy was useful on the ball and adept at pushing out of his own zone, too; he ranked in the 91st percentile for sweeping actions and the 83rd for recoveries. Charlotte’s front-foot system needed a strong backstop to truly work, and Levy provided it in style.

Honorable Mentions: Lalo Delgado, Cole Jensen, JT Harms

DC, Dallas, and the press-versus-possession extreme

This is an excerpt from my Super League recap, which comes out each Monday (or thereabouts). Find the Week 11 edition here.

Entering Week 11, DC Power had put in 31 tackles and interceptions per game to comfortably lead the Super League. Likewise, DC ranked second with 5.8 final-third recoveries per match. Coming into the fall campaign, I focused on Power’s ability to dictate matches with the ball, but it’s been their ferocious press that stirs the drink.

That defense-first aggression remained key this Sunday, with DC playing host to Dallas Trinity at Audi Field. In many ways, it was a battle of Omid Namazi’s unstoppable force (the Power high press) against Lee Nguyen’s immovable object (the Trinity possession game). With a chance to gain important ground in the race for a playoff spot, both clubs stuck to their guns.

Two matches winless entering Sunday, Dallas made just one lineup change in swapping Carissa Boeckmann – the Super League’s leading center mid in terms of xA (0.23 per 90), touches (80.6), and passes into the box (3.4) – for the more staid Aria Nagai. The numbers paint the picture well enough for Boeckmann, but her real utility is in her fluid movement through the midfield. Whether deployed as a tucked fullback or roving No. 8, you can rely on her to find touches. Nagai wasn’t bad by any means, but she, Sofia Cedeno, and Felicia Knox struggled to find space through lines in the nation’s capital.

That shouldn’t have been the case – at least on paper. DC pressed in a 5-2-3, whereas Dallas tended to build in a 3-3-4 or 3-5-2 that naturally offered a man advantage through the midfield. Throw in the now-typical “Sophia Braun is a center back, but we push her up as a No. 6” tic, and there should’ve been a way through.

Instead, DC’s layered coverage did the job. That was true on two planes, as you see above in a mid-block situation.

1. Up high, Power have three forwards that can go three-on-three against the opposing defensive line, but they aren’t committing all the way up. Instead, the No. 10s (and/or narrow wingers) sit deep and use their pressing shadows to restrict midfield access. Yeah, Abby Boyan and Justina Gaynor (blue) are strictly outnumbered through the pivot, but they’ve got a layer of protection to help deny any sort of central overload.
2. At the back, meanwhile, there’s essentially man coverage behind the ball. On either side of centermost defender Sydney Cummings, you can see Hallie Augustyn (left) and Claire Constant (right) step against Seven Castain and Jasmine Hamid within the opposing front line.
   The marking didn’t stop there; if either Dallas forward dropped in, their assigned defender would follow. Likewise, Cummings’ ability to cover from side to side let her defensive partners step into the midfield whenever Dallas began to generate a central break.

With those principles in tow, DC gave their guests a heck of a challenge. The press had variety, too. Jaskaniec – usually more of a center mid since joining Power over the offseason – could drop into a midfield spot if Trinity pushed Sophia Braun up. The wingbacks were active as well, choosing moments where Trinity had committed short (and, thus, lost the ability to play wide toward Giulianna Gianino and Onyeka Gamero) to step up and trap their guests.

Eventually, the success of the press yielded a semi-transitional goal. DC starts here in 5-2-3 mode, and while Nagai (the left-sided No. 8) is open to potentially receive on the end of a chipped pass, goalkeeper Neeku Purcell instead opts for a straight-line ball into forward Seven Castain. There’s no room to breathe; Castain is marked touch-tight by Cummings, who slows the striker down and lets No. 6 Abby Boyan slide inside for a takeaway.

Boyan’s touch is heavy and Trinity begin to regain, but a recovering Jaskaniec is there to make a tackle out to the forward line. Suddenly, Power are back in business. Striker Gianna Gourley finds the ball and initiates a quick passing sequence that ends at Boyan’s feet. Boyan pushes ahead, lines up a shot, and rings her attempt of the woodwork. Though Trinity have the core of their defensive line in position, they’re asleep to the fact that attacker Emily Colton is crashing the net for a rebound goal.

That goal didn’t really change the tenor of the match. Even as Power sat back more and more late in the game, they brought a level of physicality and aggression that never abated. Their mentality led to a slew of yellow cards, but it never let Dallas establish a useful rhythm.

Nguyen eventually got Boeckmann into the game at right back, whilst Camryn Lancaster added real verve off the left wing later in the second half. Still, DC held. In a battle of diametrically opposed systems, it was Power’s in-your-face defending that won the day.

In other news…

• This week’s editions of This League! (where we did an all-USL deep dive) and The USL Show (where we discussed every Championship and League One playoff matchup) are already out in the world, so go get caught up. I’m on United Soccer Lounge, too, if you want a playoff preview that isn’t one million hours long.
• The Fort Wayne Defender has a very good piece on their club’s narrow playoff miss.
• Big ups to Phoenix's JP Scearce, Charlotte's Clay Dimick, and Corpus Christi's Patrick Langlois as the three outfield players to play every single minute in the regular season. In goal, Orange County's Alex Rando, Lexington's Oliver Semmle, and Sacramento's Danny Vitiello joined them.
• Harry Kane's Ballon D'or is the most important thing that's ever happened in my life.