16 days from now, the USL’s regular season will be a thing of the past. Most clubs have just three games left, and that means that awards races across the Championship and League One have reached their crescendo. Which players in both leagues have made the strongest cases for end-of-year-recognition? I’m breaking down the big five award races to find out.
USL Championship
Most Valuable Player
Rubio Rubin has notched a league-high 20 goal contributions for the El Paso Locomotive, the club that’s leading the Western Conference. For a team that looked uninspiring for most of 2025 and crashed out in the first round of the playoffs, the vibe couldn’t be more different in 2026. Rubin, more than any other, is the player that’s made it happen.
The Guatemalan international is an emphatic finisher, having put up 0.74 goals on 0.64 xG per 90 minutes, and he can threaten defenses in any phase of play. Rubin strikes the right balance between the selfishness you want out of a No. 9 with an ability to bring teammates into the game; he’s in the 95th percentile among strikers with 0.16 xA per match. As El Paso have leaned into a dynamic pressing approach, Rubin has always brought the necessary effort to lead the line. He’s a terrific player that’s done more than anyone else in the USL to raise his club’s ceiling.
Jamie Webber, now finishing his first full season with FC Tulsa, is a close runner-up. The South African international has spent most of the year operating as a true center mid, yet he’s still put up seven goal contributions. In the phases of play that count the most for Tulsa’s system – namely, dead balls and counters – Webber is sensational. His vision as an outlet passer and drive as a progressive carrier is elite, and he’s put up more xG+xA from dead balls (3.7) than all but one other player in the Championship.
In a side that’s so gritty and defensive-minded, Webber’s work rate is unflagging. The midfielder is winning 2.2 tackles and interceptions while making 4.9 recoveries per match. His 58% win rate in ground duels ranks in the 88th percentile at his position. Whatever Webber is asked to do, he does it to the utmost.
Three more midfielder-forward types – San Antonio’s Jorge Hernandez, Phoenix’s Ihsan Sacko, and Sacramento’s Memo Rodriguez – all deserve honorable mentions. All three have, at one point or another, basically served as a one-man offense for their club. All three have regularly put up moments of magic. While their collective impact hasn’t matched that of Rubin and Webber, the trio of Hernandez, Sacko, and Rodriguez has been sensational throughout 2026.
