Coaching turnover is a fact of life in the USL, but the 2026 campaign has been exceptional. 18 clubs across the Championship and League One either started the year with a new coach or made a midseason change. That’s 42% of the two leagues, in other words.
Every time a new coach comes to town, the hope is that they’ll make the right tactical and cultural changes to ensure success. By that standard, the class of ‘26 has run the gamut of results. Which managers have excelled, and who’s struggled to make their mark? I’m grading the USL’s 18 new coaches to find out.
USL Championship
Ryan Martin, Oakland Roots: A-
Oakland sits 5th in the West at the time of writing, already having earned two-thirds as many points (21) as they did in the entirety of the 2025 regular season. This team has never contended beyond the level of “plucky bubble team” in their entire USL history, and Ryan Martin has exceeded that standard in four months. All the while, Martin has instituted a sophisticated attacking system that’s turned Oakland into one of the USL’s sharper possession sides.
