The 2026 USL Championship season is almost here, so what should you expect from each club?
I’m digging into the major additions, tactical tendencies, and season-long outlook for all 25 clubs in the league for Backheeled’s mega season preview.
An important note: as of publication, there is still no announced collective bargaining agreement between the USL and the USL Players Association. It’s been a tense offseason, and the lack of CBA consensus could postpone the start of the campaign. Still, teams have continued to sign players and play scheduled preseason clashes – so we’re gearing up for the new season, too.
To skip straight to your team, you can use the table of contents (desktop) or the clickable team names down below (mobile). Onwards.
Birmingham | Brooklyn | Charleston | Colorado Springs | Detroit | El Paso | Hartford | Indy | Jacksonville | Las Vegas | Lexington | Loudoun | Louisville | Miami | Monterey Bay | New Mexico | Oakland | Orange County | Phoenix | Pittsburgh | Rhode Island | Sacramento | San Antonio | Tampa Bay | Tulsa
Where we left off last year
2025 season: 27 points, 12th in Eastern Conference
In every sense, 2025 was a reset season for Birmingham. Tommy Soehn, the only manager the Legion had ever known, was let go in the spring. Mark Briggs took over after a stellar half-decade run in Sacramento, but he couldn’t elevate a motley assortment of spare parts into a contender.
That’s not to say Birmingham rested on their laurels. Briggs moved the team toward a back-three system, though he never found the center backs that could make it sing. Inbound transfers abounded throughout the summer, ranging from good (e.g., Sam Shashoua, Amir Daley) to disastrous (namely Edwin Laszo) and everywhere in between. The net result was a -9.6 expected goal difference and a last-place finish – though the willingness to make changes bodes well for the new year. Still, it’ll have to happen under new leadership after Briggs made a shock move to MLS in mid-January.
What changed in the offseason
Notable arrivals:
- Seth Antwi, CM: Antwi has been an elite No. 6 in MLS Next Pro for the better part of two years, winning more than 100 duels and completing roughly 90% of his passes in each of those seasons with St. Louis City 2. Birmingham struggled to nail down the holding midfield in 2025, but Antwi is the caliber of player who fills that hole and then some.
- Bryce Washington, CB: With more than 9,000 minutes played in the Championship over the last five years, Washington brings veteran steadiness with the athleticism of a 27-year-old still in the midst of his prime. Typically used as a right-sided piece in North Carolina’s back three, Washington adds needed agility to an older Legion center back corps.
- Jassem Koleilat, GK: The reigning Golden Glove winner in the Canadian Premiership, Koleilat is a strong get in a Birmingham net that was defined by inconsistency in 2025. At 6’2”, Koleilat is a good manager of his box and sharp shot-stopper. He isn’t the most modern option at his position, but Koleilat guarantees solidity.
- Sam Shashoua, AM: Yes, I’m cheating by including a player that finished last year on loan at Protective Stadium, but Shashoua’s return was no guarantee. A standout in a blended No. 8-to-halfspace deployment, the former Minnesota United man put up merely one assist but ranked in the 99th percentile with 17.4 final-third completions per 90.
- Amir Daley, RB: I’m cheating again, but the logic remains the same: Daley was very good on loan from FC Cincinnati and gave the Legion exactly what they often lacked at right wingback. Daley put up four assists in less than 1,000 minutes while winning 59% of his duels and brings real dynamism up the sideline.
Notable departures:
- Enzo Martinez, AM: Unexpected and incisive at his best but languorous at his worst, Martinez often took the temperature of the Legion over his four years in Birmingham. His exit at age 35 is wholly explicable but still feels like a major demarcation of the club’s changing tides.
- Ramiz Hamouda, CB/LB: Hamouda isn’t technically out yet, but he’ll head off to Werder Bremen shortly after he turns 18 this May. While Hamouda always looked a bit raw in his USL minutes, he provided real athleticism and versatility across the back of the Legion lineup throughout his two-ish years in the Championship.
- Fernando Delgado, GK: Delgado was acquired on a permanent transfer last offseason but couldn’t step up into a full-time starting spot. Still very raw as a box-commanding goalkeeper, Delgado brings very strong technical skills and would fit in a system where he’s allowed to engage with the ball at his feet.
- Matt Van Oekel, GK: Van Oekel retired this winter after spending seven years in Birmingham, making more than 170 appearances across that time span. Even as he transitioned into a player-coaching role, the veteran still posted a decent 63% save percentage in 2025 and was the best member of the Legion’s goalkeeping platoon.
