One of the joys of the USL Championship season is sorting through early-season surprises. Oakland emerging as a must-watch team under manager Ryan Martin was foreseeable; Birmingham doing the same under Jay Heaps, less so. El Paso’s Rubio Rubin cementing himself as a Golden Boot favorite isn’t a shock, but breakouts like Louisville’s Jansen Wilson and Colorado Springs’ Isaiah Foster are far more unexpected.
After Week 2, which featured another set of minute-long, standing player protests, it’s becoming easier to separate what’s real from what’s not. What did we learn from an 11-game slate, and how did it affect the power rankings? Let’s dig in.
1. Louisville City
Trending: No change
Result: 4-1 win v. Miami
Louisville made some splashy acquisitions over the winter, but their biggest improvement might’ve come internally. Jansen Wilson is taking the leap, and he’s becoming increasingly central to Danny Cruz’s system in 2026.
Last weekend, Wilson started on the left wing within LouCity’s typical 3-4-3, but he tended to step up like a striker to help press short in a titled 4-4-2. Against a Miami team that aspirationally wanted to play out from the back, we saw something similar; this time around, Wilson camped to the right of Chris Donovan. Ray Serrano, making his first start of the season, reprised a wider-ranging left-sided role.
Against four-at-the-back teams, the shifted shape provides parity compared to the opposing center backs. In Wilson’s case, that deployment lets the 24-year-old stay central – and, thus, maximally influential – in post-turnover situations. The Elizabethtown native’s ability to tuck inside on his stronger foot was critical in the opener, and he remained a narrow, goal-first threat from the right in Week 2.
